By Dr. Christine Cauffield<\/p>\n
As CEO of one of Florida\u2019s seven managing entities providing behavioral health care to more than 320,000 uninsured or underinsured Floridians, I\u2019m thrilled to see the priority that House Speaker-designate Sam Garrison has committed to give mental health as a \u201cfirst-tier issue\u201d during his speakership over the next two years.<\/p>\n
At a recent Florida Chamber Leadership Conference, Garrison repeatedly referred to behavioral health as much more than just a health care issue, but rather as a public safety, workforce and infrastructure problem as well.<\/p>\n
Garrison\u2019s comments sync with new research showing how much pressure Florida families are under right now. Today\u2019s families are navigating much more than most of us realize, according to a report from Common Sense Media.<\/p>\n
What may look like a collection of separate struggles is really one interconnected story about a generation under pressure, the report shows.\u00a0The country\u2019s mental health crisis is often tied to socioeconomic factors impacting our economic security such as housing costs, low wages and medical expenses.<\/p>\n
We cannot fully address the mental health crisis without talking about economic pressures. Access to safe housing, adequate health care, stable income and quality childcare are not just financial issues; they are our mental health infrastructure. We know from decades of research that poverty is one of the strongest predictors of mental illness.<\/p>\n
We need to recognize that living wages, affordable housing and accessible health care can all be mental health interventions. Clinicians can do important work in the therapy room, but we can\u2019t therapize our way out of systemic problems.<\/p>\n
More than half of respondents in the Common Sense Media\u00a0survey said they feel they\u2019re just one crisis away from financial disaster. Chronic financial stress is one of the most under-acknowledged mental health crises we have. It\u2019s not just feeling worried; it physically changes how the brain functions. When you\u2019re in a constant state of financial scarcity, your nervous system stays in survival mode. You can\u2019t think long-term, you can\u2019t regulate emotions as well, small problems feel catastrophic.<\/p>\n