Reviews for Within Our Reach: Ending the Mental Health Crisis

The average rating for Within Our Reach: Ending the Mental Health Crisis based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-05-20 00:00:00 G C Harrison I won an advanced copy of this book off of a Goodreads Giveaway. In this book, Rosalynn Carter discusses her advocacy for and observations of the changes in the mental health field since she first noticed what was lacking. As a graduate student getting my PhD in clinical psychology, I was very excited to win a copy of this and she what she had to say, and very excited that she was an advocate for mental health in general. The book, in my opinion, was a mixed bag. I cannot adequately review some of the things she goes over (symptoms of various illnesses, stigma, insurance issues, etc) because I've known these things and dealt with them for 3+ years, and so I can't stand back and say "How would someone who'd never thought about that react?" So I won't. However, I can give my 2 cents on what I do know. I was surprised and THRILLED at some of things Ms. Carter pointed out that is well-known within the mental health field, but rarely recognized outside of it, such as: 1. Psychiatrists get very little training in mental health 2. Psychiatrists often don't take in the environmental context of a mental health situation, sometimes leading to over or misdiagnosis. 3. Clients who utilize public community mental health are often given medication and a pat on the back and very little support other than that. 4. Resilience is really important for kids, and early mental health intervention can save a lot of money (and a lot of pain) later in life. 5. Insurance isn't the only barrier to treatment (though it is a big one.) Geography and culture are two other huge barriers. I was THRILLED THRILLED THRILLED that she mentioned these often unnoticed things about the mental health field. However, I was disappointed at the role (or non-role) of psychologists and therapy in general in her book. Most of the people she interviews are psychiatrists (MDs) not psychologists (PhDs) and really, therapy and its scientifically proven benefits are never truly discussed, and only indirectly referred to as one of the many treatments not available because of insurance or the rotating door of the community mental health system. I ultimately felt that if I were not already in the mental health field, and I read her book, I would be outraged at the lack of treatment those with mental health issues dealt with, but wouldn't have a clear understanding of where to go next or how to fix it. (My opinion on that? Insurance should pay for evidenced-based therapies for clients just like they do for medical diseases! A culture should be created where psychiatrists and psychologists can work together to treat a patient, instead of fighting against each other because both are sure the other one is beneath them! And medication should be a second or third step for most mental health issues, not a first and only!)

Review # 2 was written on 2010-05-16 00:00:00 William Cottengim I wasn't aware of Rosalynn Carter's work in the mental health field until recently and found this book a full account of the work that she has done in her 35 years working on this issue. She covers the basics of why our current system fails us - fails all of us - and programs that have been put in place to help address those issues and gaps. But certainly calls for the rally to arms to put more effective programs in place. Quote: For diabetes and heart disease, you want to know what works over many, many years. The same is true for bipolar disease. You need to know what's going to be effective in the long haul. So you begin to think not so much about the magic bullet, but [about:] how we detect these disorders very early and develop interventions that are more preemptive than preventive. Very honest in cataloging where we have made some improvements but the true aim of the book, i believe, is to make obvious the gap between the current system and the system that we need to put in place. As she says 'this is everyone's issue'.