Jahshelle Papin, 10th Grade

Recently there has been a light brought to the importance of mental health as an important part of a person’s overall well being. Regardless of this mental health screenings are not yet a major part of primary health care check ups for most people. This essay argues why mental health screenings should be a major part of health care check ups due to their likeness to identify issues early, reduce the shame around it, improve health outcomes, and enhance the efficiency of the healthcare system.

Early Identification and Intervention

One of the major reasons for integrating mental health screenings into routine check-ups is so that we would be able to identify and intervene. Mental health issues often begin gradually, and most may not recognize the symptoms or may be oblivious to seek help due to the stigma or lack of awareness around the subject. These routine screenings can help us to identify certain conditions like depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders at an early stage which can allow for us to intervene and give the right treatment. Early detection is a crucial part because it can prevent the development of mental health issues from turning into more severe and hurtful conditions. For example, an early intervention and detection in a case of depression can reduce the risk of higher more hurtful conditions like chronic depression or suicide.

Reducing Stigma

Being able to include mental health screenings as a bigger part of health care can also play a major role in reducing the shame associated with mental health issues. When mental health is treated with the same seriousness as physical health it can send a very strong message that mental health can be just as important as physical health. Being able to normalize this can encourage more individuals to speak openly about mental health concerns and for them to be able to seek the help that they need without having the fear of being judged. Over time this can lead to a shift where mental health is viewed as a normal part of health and life which can bring down the shame and discrimination that can come with the issues of mental health.

Improving Overall Health Outcomes

Physical and mental health can be strongly correlated, and untreated mental health conditions can worsen physical health concerns. For instance, long-term anxiety and stress can exacerbate health issues like heart disease, high blood pressure, and compromised immune systems. Incorporating mental health screenings into routine examinations allows medical professionals to identify these associated issues more quickly. The ability to manage mental health issues can benefit patients’ physical and overall health outcomes by improving their physical health. Furthermore, if the mental health requirements of patients with long-term physical illnesses are not met, they may experience worse outcomes. Better management may result from comprehensive care that includes mental health screening.

Enhancing Healthcare System Efficiency

The effectiveness of the medical system can also be improved by routine mental health assessments. Detecting and treatment of mental health disorders can help the medical professionals to not need to be able to use more expensive treatment later on. Early intervention can lessen the strain on the healthcare system by stopping the development of serious diseases that you would need hospitalization or a type of long-term care for. Also, by finding people that can benefit from specialized help, mental health screenings can help make sure that our resources and time are spent more appropriately and that the patients are able to receive the right kind of care.

Addressing Barriers to Implementation

Routine mental health screenings in primary care are difficult to adopt despite all of their obvious benefits. The lack of time and resources in healthcare situations is a major challenge. Since medical professionals are frequently overworked they could believe they don’t have enough time to be able to perform thorough mental health tests. Primary care physicians must be able to have sufficient training and resources in order to solve this. Integrating mental health professionals into health care teams can also guarantee that the patients are able to receive full treatment and reduce the amount of work for medical professionals.

The possibility of higher healthcare expenses as a result of more testing is another challenge. Studies have demonstrated that early detection and treatment of mental health problems can result in savings over time that exceeds the initial costs. Investing in mental health screenings can result in reduced healthcare expenses for hospital stays, emergency care, and lost productivity from untreated mental health issues

Conclusion

In summary, including mental health screenings into normal medical checkups is an essential first step toward improving general health and wellbeing. There are several strong arguments for bringing mental health assessments into regular medical treatment, including early detection and intervention, lowering the stigma, improving health outcomes, and increasing the effectiveness of the healthcare system. Although the execution presents some obstacles, these can be solved by providing sufficient training, providing resources, and integrating mental health specialists into primary care teams. In the end, a population that is healthier and more resilient as well as a more efficient healthcare system will result from placing a higher priority on mental health as a crucial aspect of primary care.

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