The Mental Health Crisis in America

Recognizing Problems; Working Toward Solutions

Part 2. Offering Hope Through Engagement

Abstract

This column is the second in a series summarizing the 2-day Centennial Conference of the Austen Riggs Center. The conference framed problems in access to care and in the nature of the care being provided that are part of a mental health crisis in America, and then worked to propose solutions. This column addresses problems with the nature of care provided, proposing psychodynamic perspectives that offer hope through engagement. Such approaches play a role in “bending the curve” to improve mental health outcomes.