Do you believe mental health care should be included in health insurance?

Do your views on religion and spirituality have a role in your thoughts on this matter?

Hungryjoe: What on earth are you talking about?

Of course it should be covered. Mental health is no different than physical health. If one is ill, it matters not the illness. I don't see what religion would have to do with it. I thought the same when I was a xian.

If the Scientologists knew that the author of the religion decided to make one up everyone would buy into it they would leave it in droves. Thanks. Report It

lol Hungryjoe thought you were referring to xians being mentally ill. rofl Some people are so sensitive. Report It

Of course it should! Mental health is just as important as physical health. Actually, many mental disorders are biochemical, so yes, it should be included in one's health package.

As for religion vs. psychotherapy:
If a person is troubled, if they believe they need professional psychiatric/psychological help, I say go for it. After all, if this same person always felt tired, had blurred vision, always going pee, s/he might be diabetic. Therefore, s/he needs a doctor. Same principle for psych disorders. If a doctor is needed, see one.

ALL healing comes from God, and many times, He uses the hands of doctors to do it. If a person goes to a doctor (med or psych), it's not like they're seeking healing from another source than God. They're seeking healing from the sources s/he has, which wouldn't be available if God didn't will it.

i absolutely believe mental health is part of health care--hence the word "health". However, i don't really think that religion plays much role in whether or not such should be covered. i also am glad that my mental healthcare workers do not try to "cure" me by trying to force any one particular religion down my throat. i do not think it would be right or fair for them to do so, because each person has the right to choose what religion--if any--they wish to believe in. I believe the role of your case manager should best be to listen to what you say, and to tell you if what you are saying would be in some way dangerous to yourself or others, and only then make suggestions which would prevent you from harming yourself or others--if they are doing it right the decision is still yours but you have more options to choose from.

Mental Health care should be funded just as any physical health care. I am a minister and I have taken some courses in psychology for the sole purpose of helping me to recognize when someone needs more than just pastoral counseling. I can not provide the requisite help for instance if someone is bi-polar and needs medication. I can provide the love and understanding as well as helping that individual to find the care and support systems they need. I am currently continuing my eduction in the psychology field.

Yes, I absolutely do believe it should. It's criminally wasteful that so many people cannot afford the treatment and medications that can make them viable members of society. I don't think my views on religion and spirituality have anything to do with it, though. It's more my life experiences that tell me our current system is terrible.

Yes I do think so ...actually I think mental health aid should be available to all, not just the insured. My spirituality does influence my position. I have seen plenty of outlandish behavior because of mental illness that was either justified or manipulated by religion. I believe that if the aid was more available there would be less ppl turning to religion to escape from their problems and more ppl facing them.

I believe so, yes. As a society, we do not care properly for our mentally ill. I worked at a state mental health facility for 8 years, and I saw what wonders the proper meds can do for these patients. The sad thing is, we would stabilize them, and then they couldn't maintain their prescriptions when they got out. So these people end up wandering the streets, some homeless, almost all of them penniless. Until the cops pick them up for odd behavior and then they are back. Then, the medication process is started all over again. Coming off and on psychotropic medications decreases the probability of the meds working the next time around. So it is a vicious cycle. We should take better care of them. After all, mental illness is a disease, like cancer or heart problems. People deserve to be treated and cared for.
And no, religion and spirituality have nothing to do with my thoughts.....it just seems like common sense to me.

Of course it should.


Mental illness is a very real physiological condition.

I suffer from depression and Welbutrin takes the edge off.



((((UP))))


Isn't it amazing that a visit to a shrink is covered and all they do is prescribe meds, while counseling is not covered when that is really what many of us need or needed.

yes. What good is a strong body that houses the mind of someone who wants to commit suicide?

I am a scientific pantheist. My feelings about life and spirituality are that this is it, and we should all have the chance to live and love fully and happily during the time that we have, because this is it.

I heard today on MSM that each year one fourth of the US goes to see mental health professionals. As long as we continue to support this, it will continue. Most of our mental problems could be cleared by talking to a friend that cares and we have that capacity to help.

well you could posit they simply need an exorcism. The effectiveness of this however is likely similar to SSRI's (prozac, zoloft etc) for depression.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/pa...

Yes it should be. I have to pay $20.00 as a co-pay for my regular physican and I pay $120.00 every time I see my therapist.

The brain is a part of the body right? It's unfair.

Religion is the reason I need to see a therapist. LOL

Yes of course it should. The brain is a part of the body.

My health insurance at work does cover it. Luckily, I haven't needed it yet.

Yes. My religious/spiritual views don't factor into it, though.

No, because there are too many religious nuts; it would put the price up for everyone else

Higher premiums for theists? Or just policy denied on grounds of pre-existing condition?

Yes.

The brain is part of the body, after all...

absolutely