Understanding Trust Issues in Mental Health
Building and keeping trust is an important aspect of mental health care. A patient-doctor relationship must be kept confidential, when this is broken it leads to mistrust. Trust issues have created a big barrier for people who want to seek assistance with their mental health. If you find it hard to open up to your doctor, rest assured that this is a normal feeling almost everyone faces. This article will talk about the reasons why people have trust issues when it comes to talking about their health status, and also share possible solutions on how to fix them.
What is trust in Health Care?
Trust in health care is when you believe in the confidentiality of your private information with your healthcare provider. It is a sense of security and warmth that allows you to comfortably share the necessary information needed for your treatment.
The Importance of Trust in Mental Health Care
For mental health care treatment to be effective, communication is important, and without trust, the level of communication will be limited. When trust is built between the patient and health provider, the patient is most likely to share health information, get proper treatment, and get the right recommendations. Trust solidifies the patient-doctor relationship and this helps for accurate diagnosis, faster reaction to changes, and better results.
The Roots of Mistrust
A variety of factors (social, systemic, and historical) can be linked as the cause of mistrust in mental healthcare. Some major factors are:
Historical Mistreatment and Abuse
Marginalized Communities
There are recorded events where people from marginalized communities have suffered some form of maltreatment by the healthcare system. The Tuskegee Syphilis Study and forced sterilizations are one of those incidents that have created a huge trust barrier in the healthcare system.
Psychiatric Institutions Practices
The kind of treatment used in some mental institutions has left a big scar in the memories of patients. Records of inhumane treatment practices such as lobotomies, confinement, and electroshock therapy that were used in mental hospitals and asylums have left people with fear and trust issues.
Pharmaceutical Industry Skepticism
Over-Medication Concerns
The role the pharmaceutical industry plays in mental health care has raised an eyebrow for many, with the growing concern that the industry makes profits from overdiagnosis and over-medication. Some patients feel that doctors are not focused on facing the main cause of their mental issues but are rather fixated on giving out prescriptions and trying out treatments.
Side Effects
Medications for mental health treatment usually have side effects. Patients can lose trust if they get these side effects without getting a prior heads up about the possibility of it occurring.
Financial Barrier
Cost of Mental Care
Proper mental care is expensive and not everybody can afford it, this can make some patients feel the system does not favour their financial situation.
Insurance Coverage Issues
Unlike physical health which gets broad insurance coverage, the coverage for mental health insurance is limited. This limitation can halt or slow down the required treatment if the patient doesn’t have other means of covering the bills.
Mental Health Stigma
Fear of Being Labeled
The fear of losing one’s reputation and being labeled mentally unfit or crazy in society has made of lot of people lose trust in the mental health care system. In a situation where patient personal health records get leaked to the public, it can destroy social status.
Social and Cultural attitudes
Several cultures still have a stigma for mental illnesses, and people from those backgrounds have been made to believe in this stigma. This has prevented them from seeking the mental care they need, and trying to culturally manage it will only worsen the situation over time.
The Impact of Mistrust on Mental Health
There are several ways mistrust directly affects mental health, let’s look at two of them.
Avoidance of Seeking help
Patients might tend to avoid a system they lack confidence in, this applies to mental health care providers. In a situation where people avoid seeking help, their mental health keeps deteriorating, causing further problems.
Increased Symptoms and Decreased Quality of Life
The longer a mental health issue remains untreated, the higher its symptoms increase. Escalating mental symptoms like anxiety and depression can lead to a decrease in the quality of life, making it hard to complete simple everyday tasks.
Strategies for Overcoming Mistrusts
Some strategies can be used to overcome mistrust and rebuild people’s confidence in the mental health care system. Let’s look at some of these strategies.
Building Cultural Competence in Healthcare
Training Providers in Sensitivity and Understanding: Healthcare providers should be trained to understand, respect, and accept people from different cultural backgrounds, this can help build trust. People tend to communicate comfortably when they feel a sense of belonging. Interpreters can be brought in to fix the language barrier issues, other measures can also be used when necessary.
Establishing Open Communication
Creating Safe Spaces for Dialogue: A safe space should be provided for patients where they can share their experiences. A non-judgemental atmosphere would encourage open discussions about challenges. Being in a circle where everyone can relate to your struggle gives a wholesome feeling and encourages people to disclose more information.
Supporting Community-Based Solutions
We should not overlook the role that our communities can play in rebuilding the trust people have in the mental health system. Communities should be encouraged to take on some initiatives such as:
- Peer Support System
- Culturally Competent Care
- Mental Health Education and Awareness Campaigns
- Community Health Partnership
- Affordable and Accessible Services
- Trauma-informed Care Training
The Role of Technology in Building Trust
Technology can offer various solutions for building trust in the mental health care system. Users can access some therapies and other mental health resources from the comfort of their homes. Technology also provides a better means of protecting people’s personal information. Let’s look at some ways technology can be used in building trust in the health system.
Telehealth: A New Avenue for Trust
Imagine a scenario where you can talk to a doctor or have therapy sessions from your phone or computer without having to walk into any medical facility. Sounds amazing right? This is what telehealth brings to the table thanks to technology. Telehealth is a good solution for people who can’t go in person but still need the services of a medical professional. It also gives patients the ability to freely express themselves, and share health information without the pressure of face-to-face conversation.
Online Communities and Support Systems
Having an online community where you can meet with different people from around the world who can relate to your experience is a good feeling. Online support systems give users the opportunity to get faster support, meet more people, and feel a sense of belonging. Users can find encouragement from others who have sought professional help and in turn do the same.
Conclusion
Understanding the cause of mistrust in the mental health care system, and applying the recommended solutions, users can gradually restore their faith in the system. The use of technology should not be underestimated as it is pivotal to reach a wider audience who don’t have the confidence to come out. The challenges of mental health service are multi-faceted, however, we can give our collective efforts to create a system where everyone feels trust in the system.
