Are adults with mental disability "underserved"?

[westsidestoryz]

Trying to write my Activities section. I worked with adults with mental disabilities but Im not sure if I worked with an underserved community.

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[westsidestoryz]

Underserved individuals are those with financial hardships or life circumstances that prevent them from having the same opportunities as others. It may depend on the severity of the mental disability (i.e. ADHD vs Schizo). You get the point.


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I worked with various adults, ranging from mild down syndrome to severe learning disability. Not exactly sure if we had schizo but we did have an elderly man with cerebral palsy combined with mental disability...

 

[OneTwoThreeFour]

Come on guys. Mental illness =/= mental (cognitive) disability. Not exactly an underserved "community" because they aren't explicitly a community. Certainly would be considered working with individuals in need, though.

 

[westsidestoryz]

Come on guys. Mental illness =/= mental (cognitive) disability. Not exactly an underserved "community" because they aren't explicitly a community. Certainly would be considered working with individuals in need, though.

Mental illness is a term that describes a broad range of mental and emotional conditions. Mental illness also refers to one portion of the broader ADA term mental impairment, and is different from other covered mental impairments such as mental ******ation, organic brain damage, and learning disabilities. The term ‘psychiatric disability’ is used when mental illness significantly interferes with the performance of major life activities, such as learning, working, and communicating, among others.

This was taken from Boston College. So my clients fit both the mental illness and psychiatric disability descrpition. So what should I say to include both populations?
And these adults have their own social lives, similar friends, and hobbies outside of the facility as well. Wouldn't that be considered a community?

 

[theKingLT]

Mental illness is a term that describes a broad range of mental and emotional conditions. Mental illness also refers to one portion of the broader ADA term mental impairment, and is different from other covered mental impairments such as mental ******ation, organic brain damage, and learning disabilities. The term ‘psychiatric disability’ is used when mental illness significantly interferes with the performance of major life activities, such as learning, working, and communicating, among others.

This was taken from Boston College. So my clients fit both the mental illness and psychiatric disability descrpition. So what should I say to include both populations?
And these adults have their own social lives, similar friends, and hobbies outside of the facility as well. Wouldn't that be considered a community?

The question is simply this, do they have reduced access to healthcare or not?

 

[OneTwoThreeFour]

Mental illness is a term that describes a broad range of mental and emotional conditions. Mental illness also refers to one portion of the broader ADA term mental impairment, and is different from other covered mental impairments such as mental ******ation, organic brain damage, and learning disabilities. The term ‘psychiatric disability’ is used when mental illness significantly interferes with the performance of major life activities, such as learning, working, and communicating, among others.

This was taken from Boston College. So my clients fit both the mental illness and psychiatric disability descrpition. So what should I say to include both populations?
And these adults have their own social lives, similar friends, and hobbies outside of the facility as well. Wouldn't that be considered a community?

I'm sure that definition is what you were thinking of when you sensitively stated "Not exactly sure if we had schizo but we did have an elderly man with cerebral palsy combined with mental disability..."
You can easily say I worked with patients with mental illness and disability. The patients certainly have their own communities but I would not say they consist of a community in their own right just as I wouldn't consider working with the elderly as working with an under-served community. There is no cultural memory even though there is certainly cultural stigma. You can argue semantics all you want, if I read that on an application it would stick in my craw a bit. Easy enough to phrase it better.

 

[LizzyM]

Why do you need a label like underserved?? Are you specifically asked if you have had experience with an underserved community?

Are there barriers to access to care for the people whom you serve? Those barriers could be financial/economic, educational, social, cultural. There can be bias on the part of service providers regarding whether the people whom you serve are deserving of care (don't believe me, see Should We Mend Their Broken Hearts? The History of Cardiac Repairs in Children With Down Syndrome for the record in the not so distant past). I could see calling this population "underserved" particularly if efforts are not made to reach out to them with appropriate messages about preventive services and health promotion.

 

[westsidestoryz]

I'm sure that definition is what you were thinking of when you sensitively stated "Not exactly sure if we had schizo but we did have an elderly man with cerebral palsy combined with mental disability..."
You can easily say I worked with patients with mental illness and disability. The patients certainly have their own communities but I would not say they consist of a community in their own right just as I wouldn't consider working with the elderly as working with an under-served community. There is no cultural memory even though there is certainly cultural stigma. You can argue semantics all you want, if I read that on an application it would stick in my craw a bit. Easy enough to phrase it better.

Wait, are you being sarcastic when you say I was being sensitive? I just want to know so I can phrase things like I said above better so I dont sound ignorant.
And a follow-up question: Would mentioning cultural stigma in this section be looked down upon? I was going to put that in but I wasnt sure if it was necessary.
For the phrasing, how about vulnerable population?

 

[Oso]

Trying to write my Activities section. I worked with adults with mental disabilities but Im not sure if I worked with an underserved community.

If you have to ask, the answer is probably no.

Either way, describe what you did and who you interacted with.

 

[westsidestoryz]

Why do you need a label like underserved?? Are you specifically asked if you have had experience with an underserved community?

Are there barriers to access to care for the people whom you serve? Those barriers could be financial/economic, educational, social, cultural. There can be bias on the part of service providers regarding whether the people whom you serve are deserving of care (don't believe me, see Should We Mend Their Broken Hearts? The History of Cardiac Repairs in Children With Down Syndrome for the record in the not so distant past). I could see calling this population "underserved" particularly if efforts are not made to reach out to them with appropriate messages about preventive services and health promotion.

Hmm I see....thank you clearing it up.
For the part where you mentioned reaching out, I cant speak for the entire population, but in our facility, we did not do that. We did push for a healthy diet and exercising, but I dont think I should generalize.

 

[ndafife]

Medically Underserved Areas/Populations is an area or group of people with reduced access to necessary healthcare services. That is it. This has nothing to do with stigma or vulnerability of the population.

Wait, are you being sarcastic when you say I was being sensitive? I just want to know so I can phrase things like I said above better so I dont sound ignorant.
And a follow-up question: Would mentioning cultural stigma in this section be looked down upon? I was going to put that in but I wasnt sure if it was necessary.
For the phrasing, how about vulnerable population?

 

[westsidestoryz]

I think I got my unequivocal answer. Thanks yall!

 

[Goro]

Trying to write my Activities section. I worked with adults with mental disabilities but Im not sure if I worked with an underserved community.

Even if not considered underserved, it's a very admirable endeavor.

 

[westsidestoryz]

Even if not considered underserved, it's a very admirable endeavor.

Thank you so much! You were the one that advised me between this job or an EMT 🙂

 

[OneTwoThreeFour]

I work in a psych unit. I think they are underserved in my part country at least. Many have to travel long distances to get care or face long waits to get it. Insurance coverage for mental disorders can still cause problems . Many people who have mental health issues do not seek care, cannot afford it, or wait until its an emergency before they get help. I think this makes them underserved.

Diabetics often don't seek care, can't afford it or wait til its an emergency. So do hypertensives. Specific patients can be underserved, under-insured, or without access to health care. Nobody is arguing that. But when you start talking about underserved communities you are having a very different conversation.

 

[DokterMom]

Let's talk terminology for a minute -- I know "PC" is a bit of a hot potato at the moment, but for those who are genuinely curious and well-meaning and want to avoid giving offense:

• 'Mental illness' is vague. One could reasonably lump ADHD, autism and schizophrenia and many other odds and ends in here, so it's not really specific enough if you have a specific meaning in mind. If you mean a 'psychiatric illness' or 'personality disorder' or something else, use the more specific term. The differences between a person with Down syndrome and a person with bipolar disorder or one with Tourette's syndrome are significant enough that lumping them together with no clarification is offensive.
  
• 'Learning disability' would be the best term for dyslexia or dyscalculia and a decent term for ADHD within an educational (but not behavioral) context. It is generally used to refer to someone of average or better general intelligence and is not the same as intellectual or developmental disability.
  
• 'Developmental disability' would refer to a wide range of genetic conditions resulting in special needs such as autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, etc. It's also fairly vague, and often does (but does not always) include intellectual disabilities.
• 'Intellectual disability' is the term that has, for the most part, replaced 'mentally ******ed', a term which has fallen into disfavor. There are ways the term 'mental ******ation' could be used inoffensively, but the use of "******ed!" as a general-purpose insult has pretty much ruined the word.
• 'Cognitive impairment' is used in a more medical context to refer to an acquired deficit.

Most important though is to use person-centered language -- a boy with autism, people with intellectual disabilities, patients with schizophrenia -- and to always remember that people with disabilities or psychiatric illnesses have many more dimensions to their lives than just their differences.

 

[DokterMom]

Interestingly, I've read a few articles out there written by people with disabilities who actually prefer identity-first language (e.g. autistic person). They argue that their disability, condition, etc. is a crucial part of their identity, and that minimizing that implies the descriptor is inherently negative. I have had a few patients in the Deaf community who feel really strongly about this, and have seen some articles in the autism community along the same lines as well.

Not trying to argue with you, and just anecdotally I do think most people I've talked to prefer person-first. So if OP is speaking generally in an essay, it's probably best to defer to person-first. But in one-on-one interactions, when in doubt, always best to ask and/or follow the lead of the individual you're speaking to 🙂

I don't disagree with you at all -- By 'person centered' I meant just that the disability would be an adjective, not a noun. So, as you state, an autistic person or boy with an ASD rather than 'an autistic'. Actually, your phrasing is much more natural and comfortable, which does make it better.

PS - The *****s in my previous post were an automatic SDN change.

 

[yersinia_pestis]

Probably a bit late to the party, and maybe not the popular opinion, but I think that those who have any sort of disability (including psychological, developmental, etc.) are definitely underserved. They have poorer health outcomes than those who do not have disability, and much of it has to do with significant barriers of access to care.

Also, as someone who is physically disabled, I most certainly identify as part of a disabled "community". So I argue that you do, in fact, work with an underserved community.

Good luck with applications!
- Red

 

[drbatsandwich]

IDK about "underserved"... around 40% of Americans will be diagnosed with a mental illness at some point in their lives! That being said, due to the stigma surrounding mental illness, many are not receiving the help they need. That doesn't mean, however, that the resources aren't there. As someone who has struggled with mental illness the majority of her life, I applaud you for your commendable work in this field, whether it is directed toward the "underserved" community or not.

 

[yersinia_pestis]

That being said, due to the stigma surrounding mental illness, many are not receiving the help they need. That doesn't mean, however, that the resources aren't there.

I should probably let this go (I'm not super into online debating) but, in the interest of education, I'll just leave this here.

White = no shortage

PS: Not minimizing your experiences with mental illness. Glad you spoke up about it. And hope you do get into medical school. We need more providers who have experience living with mental illness. I also am a member of that population...

 

[TheRealCookieMonster]

Medically Underserved Areas/Populations is an area or group of people with reduced access to necessary healthcare services. That is it. This has nothing to do with stigma or vulnerability of the population.

Ahhh yes so many relative words in there. The beauty of the term "underserved" is ambiguity and medical schools know it... We should talk about culture next.