For this week's blog assignment I have chosen the topic of mental health for mother's, father's and families in general. This topic is meaningful to me because we have obviously failed at this in our country. When you look at the epidemic of mass shootings, suicides, homicide due to postpartum and even the issues of emotional regulation and aggressive behavior in children, everything can be traced back to a need for mental health care. Our society fails, most insurance don't cover much in the way of mental health if any. doctors turn to prescribing drugs, some of which  can make suicidal and homicidal thoughts worse. Even basic family or individual counseling may be put on the back burner by those who seek it due to cost.
     I decided to research how mental health care was handled in Europe, an area where many countries provide universal health care to see how it differs form the U.S. In Europe, this is area where they struggle as well. Facts stated that 9 of the 10 European countries in the World Health Organization are on the list of highest suicide rates worldwide. WHO,Europe has chosen to take steps towards better practice in mental health treatment. WHO states that many large mental institutions In Europe fail and that patients are often subject to abuse. There is also stigma attached to those who are referred and treated for mental illness. General practitioners therefore tend to refer only the most severe cases and lack training on mental health. WHO is suggesting that basic mental health care move away from specialists and be carried out by General Practitioners who will be better trained and equipped to handle this role.

A few benefits:

• People can access mental health services closer to their homes. This keeps families together, maintaining their daily activities, and prevents the indirect costs of seeking specialist care in distant locations.
• Mental health care delivered in primary care minimizes stigma and discrimination, and removes the risk of human rights violations that occur in psychiatric hospitals.
• Integrating mental health services into primary care generates good health outcomes at reasonable cost. General primary care systems must be strengthened, however, before this integration can be expected to flourish. (WHO,2013)

I do not have the answers to our mental health care crisis. I only know that something needs to change and those who need help should have easy access to it. I do agree that the better we can do for our young children now, the less we will have to do in the future.As educators we must be aware of warning signs and advocate for our youngest students. Through early intervention, we can work to prevent future tragedies.