In the Pursuit of Reducing Stigma, Practice Fusion Supports the Efforts of Mental Illness Awareness Week
This year Practice Fusion would like to recognize Mental Illness Awareness Week and shed light on the efforts that are being made to help those affected by mental illness. As of 2016, there were 44.7 million U.S. adults living with mental illness, and 10.4 million U.S. adults living with severe mental illness . The prevalence of mental illness and severe mental illness varies across gender, age group, and race. Females are more commonly diagnosed with mental illness and severe mental illness than men1. Among all age groups, the group with the highest rate of mental illness diagnosis is adults 18-25 years of age, while the age group with the lowest diagnosed rate of mental illness is adults 50 years of age and older1. Unfortunately, the treatment of mental illness represents another obstacle. Of those diagnosed and living with severe mental illness, only 64.8% receive any form of treatment1.
Mental Illness Awareness Week is organized by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and takes place October 7 to 13, 2018. The theme of this year’s Mental Illness Awareness Week is “Cure Stigma”. The theme represents an effort directly focused on breaking down and reducing the stigma that is associated with mental illness, and the associated fear an individual might experience when debating whether to seek treatment. The hope is to pave a route so that no individual is ashamed or embarrassed to ask for help2.
In supporting many different psychiatry practices and professionals, including psychologists and social workers, Practice Fusion is demonstrably customizable and adaptable to the needs of any practice servicing patients suffering with mental illness. Within Practice Fusion, providers will find clinical decision support, quality metrics and screening tools for behavioral health conditions such as the PHQ-2 assessment which is used to evaluate patients for depression. These EHR tools and resources can help providers to identify at risk patients, as well as to document treatment and follow up plans. Practice Fusion is proud to support the efforts and the goal of Mental Illness Awareness Week. We hope to continue helping psychiatric providers and professionals in their efforts to reduce and #CureStigma around mental illness and deliver treatment.
1https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness.shtml 2https://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/Awareness-Events/Mental-Illness-Awareness-Week
