Paige Masten

Mrs. Compton
AP English Language and Composition
3 June 2016
Innovation in Mental Health
Many define innovation as the introduction of new ideas, concepts, or methods in a
particular area or field; it can also be defined as progress. In many cases, innovation occurs in
order to solve a problem or fill a need, such as the need for reform, or change and improvement.
In the field of mental health services, innovation can occur for these reasons. Psychologists and
mental health counselors innovate in response to the need for improved mental health care and
measurable, positive outcomes for those who suffer from mental health disorders. However,
innovation in this field can be difficult due to the complexity of the issue; it is tricky to develop
technology that can intervene successfully in human behavior.
It can be argued that the biggest cause of innovation is conflict. Need and conflict go
hand in hand; conflict causes need and need triggers action, so people innovate in order to solve
the conflict and eradicate the need. More specifically, innovation occurs as a result of conflicts of
safety and attitude. When safety or happiness is in jeopardy, or when people simply feel unsafe
or unhappy in their environment, they subsequently innovate to adjust the situation. In his
Tucson Memorial speech, President Barack Obama addresses the need for reform during
problematic times by saying that the process of debating what might be done to prevent such
tragedies in the future (Obama 274) is essential. This emphasizes the idea that most innovations
take place as a step of prevention. People aim to not only resolve a conflict, but also to prevent a

similar conflict from happening in the future. Innovation is a way of life; prevention and
resolution are simply part of human nature.
Mental health services, specifically those that are psychological, focus on prevention by
working with individuals and groups to promote optimum mental and emotional health,
addressing issues such as addiction and substance abuse, stress management, and self-esteem. I
hypothesize that in this field, innovation is fueled by increasing mental health research and
awareness efforts in society, as well as medical, psychological, scientific, and technological
advancements. I believe people innovate in this field as part of a problem-solution effort to
preserve and protect the happiness and safety of themselves and others and to reduce the suicide
rates and other concerning mental health statistics that are constantly rising due to the wide range
of personal and societal pressures that exist in our world today.
Throughout history, the way mental health disorders are treated has undergone constant
change and innovation. Before the 18th and 19th centuries, mental health received little attention
due to a lack of knowledge and research efforts. During this time, the work of Sigmund Freud
played a major role in innovating and improving mental health care. While Freud made a
plethora of discoveries that revolutionized the study of the human mind, his most important
innovation was that of free association, a technique used in psychoanalytic therapy to help
patients learn about what they are thinking or feeling. Freud discovered that patients improved
when they talked to a therapist, particularly when the therapist actively participated in the
conversation. These discoveries revealed that such conversation can help patients to bring
troubling unconscious forces into conscious awareness (Harvard Womens Health 4), therefore
giving them the ability to adjust and improve what is negatively affecting their wellbeing. This

idea that talking about ones problems can have a positive effect on patients greatly influenced
mental healthcare in the 18th century; the development of new psychotherapeutic techniques gave
mental health professionals insight into how therapists can help to alleviate a patient's mental and
emotional suffering. Furthermore, the work of Freud and the subsequent progress made in the
mental health field show that innovation occurs when change is needed. Mental health services
were undeveloped due to a lack of knowledge and as a result, the happiness and wellbeing of
those who were mentally ill was at stake. This leads to innovation because according to Amanda
Leggett, Ph.D., and Steven H. Zarit, Ph.D., innovation occurs by targeting specific risk and
protective factors (Leggett, Zarit 50). However, it can be argued that Freud innovated solely as
a result of curiosity; it is possible that he simply sought knowledge rather than change.
In the 19th century, mental health care primarily focused on the treatment of mentally
disturbed patients through the use of confinement methods. Early therapies involved treating
patients with chronic psychotic disorders by putting them in psychiatric hospitals and asylums
rather than working with them to alleviate the illness. However, the Mental Hygiene Movement,
promoted by Clifford Beers in his book A Mind That Found Itself, triggered innovations in
mental health during the early 20th century. Beers publication contributed to a broader role of
treatment for all people having psychosocial problems (Kraft 477), according to psychiatrist
David A. Kraft, M.D., M.P.H. This revolution in the field of mental health services broadened
the repertoire of available treatment methods for mental health patients by increasing awareness
of mental illness and its treatment, therefore provoking change among those who were certified
to help. Due to a more widespread knowledge of effective treatment methods, psychiatrists now
had the ability to physically treat the severely ill in addition to the ability to use psychodynamic

therapies (such as those developed by Freud) to treat those suffering from psychoneurotic
disorders. The innovation of mental illness treatment methods also led to the establishment of
new professions such as clinical psychology and social work, which further unlocked the door of
possibilities in terms of treatment availability (Kraft 477). The progress made during the Mental
Hygiene Movement support the claim that innovation occurs as a result of a need for
improvement. Since innovations past centuries were few and far between, change was necessary
in order to be able to successfully treat mental health disorders.
Today, standard health care is the backbone of innovation in the mental health care
system. According to Deborah B. Gardner, Ph.D., R.N., F.N.A.P., F.A.A.N., innovation and
change in mental health rests on a vision of a more comprehensive health care system that will
also support mental health integration (Gardner 288). Nurses, psychiatrists, and psychologists in
modern-day mental health care continue to find ways in which they can improve and innovate
mental health treatment; current innovations strive to reach a goal of not only treating mental
illnesses, but also preventing them. 21st century problems such as cultural and geographic
isolation, economic hardships, and homelessness play a role in the development of mental health
disorders and also limit the availability of treatment for those who suffer from them. As a result,
mental health providers work to address social, economic, and cultural differences to truly
deliver a patient centered approach to the treatment and prevention of mental illnesses (Gardner
288). The integration of primary care and behavioral health in mental health care is also a
primary focus, as researchers over the past 25 years have found correlations between physical
and mental health-related problems. A final innovation in modern-day mental health care aims to
decrease the stigma of mental illness in society. Programs such as Make It OK, a program started

in 2013 by HealthPartners and Regions Hospital, encourages people to talk more openly about
mental illness and ask for help (Gardner 290). This program and others like it can alter a
persons understanding of mental illness, therefore eliminating the negative stereotypes
associated with mental health disorders. Innovations in the health care system and society with
regards to mental health have positively influenced the manner in which we view and treat
mental health disorders in our world today. The need for change is the biggest cause of such
innovations; they occur because current mental health services have not been successful in
securing the safety and happiness of patients, due in part to a lack of knowledge, awareness and
understanding in society.
Innovations in mental health over time show that the root cause of such progress is the
need for improved treatment and prevention of mental illness; this treatment and prevention is
necessary to ensure universal safety and happiness, relieve internal suffering, and keep people
from being a danger to themselves. Therefore, my hypothesis holds true because need clearly
drives innovation. Innovations such as the work of Sigmund Freud, the Mental Hygiene
Movement, and modern-day programs and improvements take place because the mental health
care system needs change and improvement in order to resolve conflicts of safety and attitude.
Innovation is possible in the field of mental health services due to the work of psychologists,
psychiatrists and mental health counselors who not only use research and discovery to find new
ways to treat mental illness, but also implement and perpetuate these methods in practice.
Hopefully, people in this field will continue to innovate to further improve mental health care.
Although much progress has been made, there is still a long way to go in terms of providing
wholly successful treatment and it is important that we collaborate to make sure we get there.

Society as a whole has the ability to transform the future of mental health everywhere,
specifically by decreasing the stigma associated with these disorders. With the participation of
both mental health care providers and members of society, the continued innovation and
improvement of mental health services is inevitable.