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Mental ;health disorders, even though suffered by many, remains stigmatized and ;receives less attention than other health care issues (Swanton, 2016). ; ;Many patients are not willing to disclose their mental health diagnosis ;because of the fear of being looked down on or judged. There are also ;limited mental health resources as well as some communities are not able ;to gain some of these benefits due to insurance issues or the inability ;to pay (Choi et al, n.d.).

; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;Two of the issues, that this writer believes need change are that of ; ;the granting of FMLA leave to patients with diagnosed psychiatric ;disorders and making treating options available to everyone. This writer ;has worked with several clients who were having difficulties being ;granted ;FMLA or being denied. The FMLA is the Family and Medical Leave ;Act. It works on behalf of those with medical and mental health ;disorders who are unable to perform their job duties due to the ;disability from the diagnoses (Wray et al., 2015). ;Clients with ;physical ailments may find it less difficult to be granted this paid ;leave as their disorder is visible by the employer and those granting ;the leave. When it comes on to mental health disorders, client tend to ;run into several road blocks as their disorder is not readily visible. ;

Many ;clients explain that their request was denied or met several obstacles ;as their diagnoses was not considered chronic or disabling. Many of the ;clients argue that anxiety and depression make it difficult for them to ;carry out their jobs that require them to come in contact with people. ;The increased stress from interacting with others and trying to fit in ;to the workplace can be debilitating but is rarely considered so by ;employers. This is an area that needs attention and change. This writer ;believes that Nurse Practitioners and other health care providers can be ;an advocate for the client by providing thorough information on the ;client’s illness that support the need for a leave. ;The Nurse ;Practitioner should be readily available to answer questions and educate ;the employers on mental health disorders. In addition, the Nurse ;Practitioner could advocate for change on a federal or state level by ;writing congress or their elected leaders.

; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;Another issue that this writer believes need special attention is that ;of making special procedures available to everyone. When treating mental ;health disorders there are many treatments that would be beneficial for ;a client, but the client will end up not receiving the treatment due ;their inability to pay or insurance coverage (Wang & Xie, 2019). ;This writer has worked with several client suffering with depression who ;have exhausted the use of antidepressants but were not qualified for ;ECT due to monetary reasons. The client is simply placed back on the ;antidepressants with limited hope to treat their disorder. This issue is ;also another social change issue that we as Nurse Practitioners could ;propose to our elected leaders. The mental health community on a whole ;is stigmatized and separated and this only separates them more by ;causing a separation amongst themselves.

; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;References

Choi, N. G., DiNitto, D. M., & Marti, C. N. (n.d.). Relationship Between the Types of Insurance ;

Coverage and Outpatient Mental Health Treatment Use Among Older Adults. ;JOURNAL ;

OF APPLIED GERONTOLOGY, ;35(12), 1343–1362.

Swanton, M. (2016). Mental Distress. ;InsideCounsel, ;16(181), 26–28. Retrieved from ;

ebscohost. com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=

23498644&site=eds-live&scope=site

Wang, N., & Xie, X. (2019). Associations of health insurance coverage, mental health problems, ;

and drug use with mental health service use in US adults: An analysis of 2013 National ;

Survey on Drug Use and Health. ;Aging & Mental Health, ;23(4), 439–446.

Wray, T. B., Dvorak, R. D., & Martin, S. L. (2015). Demographic and economic predictors of ;

mental health problems and contact with treatment resources among adults in a low-

income primary care setting. ;Psychology, Health & Medicine, ;18(2), 213–222.