The major forms of treatment for mental disorders are psychotherapy and medical treatment. Psychotherapy included psychoanalysis, client-centered therapy, and therapy and support groups. Medical treatments including chemotherapy and shock treatment are used in only the most severe cases. Also, since insurance companies are limiting the number of annual mental health visits, patients are choosing the cheaper treatment. However, only psychiatrists can dispense drug prescriptions.
Some medical treatments require long hospital stays.
The Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act set up a sophisticated support system to aid newly released patients, many of whom needed considerable help in relearning the skills of everyday life and social interaction. The cornerstone of the system is the halfway house, a small, privately run residential community, usually located in an urban area, in which ex-patients are helped to make the transition from the hospital to normal life. Congress is preparing to pass legislation that would reduce some of the disparities in insurance coverage for mental as opposed to physical illness. The legislation will require that if an employer s health insurance plan offers mental health coverage, it may not impose more restrictive limits on spending for mental illness than on spending for physical illnesses like cancer and heart disease. Lesbians come out at a later age, find it easier to conceal their sexual preference, and view their relationships in terms of emotional attachment.