Communities in Action

Communities in Action PDF

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2017-04-27

Total Pages: 583

ISBN-13: 0309452961

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In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

The Chronically Mentally Ill

The Chronically Mentally Ill PDF

Author: Mohsen Mirabi

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 940119825X

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The topic of chronic mental illness has been much discussed, but there is still no widely accepted strategy of intervention for patients suffering from disorders of this kind. These patients have received little attention until recently, because they are difficult to treat effectively. Although methods of patient care are changing rapidly, the application of new techniques has been slow. Services for chronically disabled patients have been poorly funded. Government support has decreased while deinstitutionalization has increased the demand for community services. This volume focuses on emerging trends and developments in the field and offers comprehensive coverage of state-of-the-art methods of diagnosis, evalua tion, and treatment of the chronically mentally ill population. Many leading clinicians, scientists, and mental health advocates discuss new suggestions and solutions to longstanding problems, presenting biological and psychosocial perspectives. We introduce readers to current movements in the diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia, depression, chronic alcoholism, mental retardation, and the mental illnesses related to aging. Recent trends in psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, and social management that may enable patients to live more satisfying and productive lives are particularly highlighted.