Healthy People 2010—Conference Edition

Chapter 18 Mental Health and Mental Disorders

Interim Progress Toward Year 2000 Objectives

Four Healthy People 2000 objectives focus on individual behavior in coping with the symptoms of mental disorders: controlling stress, seeking help with personal and emotional problems, obtaining treatment for depression, and using community support programs for severe and persistent disorders. The least progress was achieved on objectives indicative of chronic stress exposure; that is, controlling stress and seeking treatment for depression showed the least progress. Objectives that involve seeking help for personal and emotional problems that result from disabilities, particularly those associated with severe and persistent mental disorders, showed the most progress. Five Healthy People 2000 objectives focus on the development of service delivery mechanisms for early recognition of symptoms and interventions, as well as reductions in the negative consequences of mental disorders. A slight decline in the proportion of nurse practitioners who typically inquire about the parent-child relationship has been documented (from 55 percent to 51 percent). In addition, large declines have taken place in nurse practitioners who typically inquire about their adult patients’ cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning (from 35 percent to 19 percent for cognitive functioning and from 40 percent to 26 percent, emotional or behavioral functioning). Some offsetting increases in treatment and referral activity are reported (from 20 percent to 22 percent for cognitive problems, from 23 percent to 33 percent for emotional/behavioral problems).

Six Healthy People 2000 objectives focus on the distress and dysfunction that accompany the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral symptoms of mental disorders. The age-adjusted suicide rate in the total population has slightly declined and by 1997 already had met the target level; white men aged 65 and older began the decade at highest risk for suicide (44.4), had declined below year 2000 target in 1994 (38.9) and had declined further by 1997 to 35.5.

Note: Unless otherwise noted, data are from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, Healthy People 2000 Review 1998-99.

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