- Make SAMHSA more focused on mental illness, not mental health
SAMHSA spends so much money and resources on those who don’t need it as much as others. If we could direct the mass funding to programs that focus on the mentally ill, the mental health industry would be much improved. The definition of a person with a serious mental illness or disability is, “Those mental illnesses that met the criteria of DSM and… resulted in functional impairment which substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities” (National Survey on Drug Use and Help). There are many people and programs receiving funding or help that do not fit this definition. If we narrow the amount of people receiving care, it is a win-win. The programs that benefit the seriously mentally ill will receive more funding, which in turn may convince state or government programs to stop trying to get people out of treatment because it costs too much. But that’s a whole other issue.
- Divert SAMHSA funding away from ineffective programs
This solution goes hand-in-hand with the last one. If we get rid of programs directed towards the whole population, AND those that are ineffective, targeting those with mental illnesses or not. For example, a program may target those with a mental illness, but it may not be effective. SAMHSA as a whole should remove those programs. This, again, leaves more and more funding for those that do work. Said funding could also go towards research or towards building a new nonprofit. Furthermore, the criteria that would decide a program’s effectiveness should not be based on meaningless data, such as happiness, peace of mind, or liking the program in general. Instead, it should be based on data that can be accurately measured and that represents true progress in a person’s life. These include decreased jail time/arrests, less homelessness, and the reduction of those hospitalized.
- Make the media aware of SAMHSA’s ineffectiveness
As of now, the nation seems to trust SAMHSA and likes to recommend it as a resource. For example, a true crime podcast I recently listened to mentioned SAMHSA as a place to go to in need. What we really need to do is make the country aware of SAMHSA’s shortcomings. This will not only help to improve SAMHSA, but will also help bring truly effective programs to light. These programs should be the ones receiving the funding. Some examples of programs that are effective and dedicated to those with mental illness are the International Mental Health Research Program, the Broad Institute, and the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation. When we realize that SAMHSA is not only ineffective, but a black hole of funds, we can start to make the journey to helpful, proven programs.
Out of My Mind 