The Allocation Game

Funding for certain aspects of mental health care have obviously changed with the times. But what is the best way to split funds between every aspect?

washingtonpost.com

It's a tough problem to wrap your head around and try to solve. After all, the government has been attempting to properly allocate healthcare resources for decades now. But what about mental health care specifically? What have the funds looked like in the past and what will they look like in the future? More importantly, what should they look like in the future?

According to revered news outlet The Washington Post , there has been a slow but sure shift in fund allocation since the 1960s. This is mostly due to the Community Mental Health Act, enacted in 1963. The Act calls for more mental health treatment rooted in inviting communities (such as outpatient and residential treatment centers) rather than a stereotypical, secure mental institution one might think of.

Currently, not very much is being spent on inpatient care, with the focus being shifted to mainly outpatient treatment and prescription drugs to better help sick patients reduce their time in crisis stabilization and adjust to the "real world" quickly and more efficiently in rehabilitation-focused treatment.

Now, in terms of what the Community Mental Health Act set out to do, this is a major improvement, and to some, is the best way to allocate these funds. However, a good number of people see things differently.

In an article from The New York Times, Doris Fuller, the executive director of the Treatment Advocacy Center, claims that "deinstitutionalization has gone too far". She states that many sick people who are actually a danger to themselves or others need to have an inpatient level of care and by taking away funds from inpatient and putting those funds towards other aspects of care can cause state psychiatric hospitals to close. This completely bars sick individuals from easily getting the treatment they need.

So which aspect should we put more funding into? No one can seem to agree. Personally, I think inpatient treatment is a very important aspect of mental health care as it prioritizes safety over anything else. But, the point that outpatient rehabilitation treatment is important as well is of course valid. No matter what your opinion is, the government needs to refocus and make a well-informed decision about where their money goes; because so many people rely on that decision.

Future research question: Synthesis post