Healing A Broken Mental Health System: Jaime Blaustein of The Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center On 5 Things That Can Be Done To Fix Our Broken Mental Health System
An Interview With Stephanie Greer
Continued public discourse normalizing mental illness / promoting mental wellness, building upon what started in early COVID-19.
The current state of the mental health system is a conversation that echoes in the halls of policy-making, the corners of social advocacy, and within the private struggles of individuals and families. As we continue to witness an unprecedented need for robust mental health support, the shortcomings of the existing system become more glaring. It is within this backdrop that we seek the insight of those who are at the forefront of behavioral health. In this interview series, we are talking to behavioral health leaders, policymakers, mental health practitioners, advocates, and reformers to share their perspectives on healing our broken mental health system. As a part of this interview series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Jaime Blaustein.
Jaime Blaustein is Co-Founder and CEO of The Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center. Prior to this role, he was an investment banker at Credit Suisse in its Global Industrials coverage group in New York City where he was responsible for advising clients in the basic materials sector on strategic matters, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, leveraged buyouts, restructurings and various debt and equity financings. At the center, Jaime leads the “Career Launch Program,” which equips patients with the skills and support necessary for success in all areas of life post-treatment, especially in their careers.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we start, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your background and your childhood backstory?
I took more of an unconventional path to where I am today than you might imagine. Growing up, I was a “good kid”; I got good grades, participated in many extracurricular activities, and was even a leader among my peers. Still, things took a significant turn in the coming years as I fell into drug and alcohol addiction. Along with this came a host of problems leading to multiple stints in and out of rehab, arrests, and even overdoses.
Toward the end of 2013, I finally surrendered and began taking the necessary actions to get sober and mentally well. My clean date is Christmas Day of that year. Over the next decade, I became focused on mental wellness and helping others experience recovery while also seeing my career take off. I went to business school at Duke and entered the investment banking world. It was during this time that I reconnected with my co-founder, Ben Brafman, and began the journey of The Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
When we straighten out internally, the external world suddenly begins to work with us.
When the right “me” shows up, the right job, partner, siblings, etc., shows up. Our internal condition drives our external circumstances — both because our perception of the external is healthier and because the world actually responds to the positive energy we are putting out there. Life feels “lighter,” and we begin to feel like we are swimming with the current, not against it.
This was relevant in my life because, before getting sober and mentally well almost 11 years ago, I tried to do the opposite — thinking that if I fixed the outside, the inside would be OK. It wasn’t until a mentor came into my life to show me the opposite was actually true. When I invest my energy into doing the work needed to shed fear, jealousy, resentment, and self-seeking behavior, I naturally feel better. But then, ironically, the world starts to drop blessings in my lap, seemingly unrelated to this internship shift on the surface. But the truth is that they are related, of course.
When I finally heeded this advice, what happened was what I was promised — first, feeling better about myself, being more useful to those around me, maintaining healthy relationships, and the noise in my head quieting down. Then, with time, external successes that would’ve been impossible otherwise (career successes via Duke MBA, investment banking, starting SBMHC), relationship successes, etc.
Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. It is often said that “the mental health system in America is broken”. What does that statement mean to you? From your perspective what is “broken” today?
It is urgent that we address the broken parts of our system, particularly the issues of access to quality care for lower-income households. The current dynamic is as follows:
Top providers — psychiatrists, therapists, nurses, etc. — are individuals who typically want two things: to make a difference in helping treat mental illness and to earn a living for themselves. They feel, as do most people in society, that the higher their credentials and experience, the more they should be compensated. The result is that these providers often lean into private, for-profit mental health companies that can meet their salary demands. These are companies that typically accept private pay or private insurance.
Those who don’t have private insurance or the ability to self-pay, typically have government insurance (Medicaid) or no coverage at all. The rates covered by Medicaid are so long that, in order for the business to stay viable, mental health facilities need to stay extraordinarily lean in terms of their cost structure. This means fewer staff and/or lower paid staff. It results in those with government insurance typically having options, but those options are overcrowded, understaffed, and with a generally lower quality of care.
Regarding the un-insured, the jury is out on exactly how practically accessible government options are for this group. Differentiating what is ‘technically’ available and supported by government programs, and what is practically available given how reality typically unfolds, is important when assessing to what extent lack of insurance is a driver of the problem.
But the bottom line is that all of this results in a dynamic where lower-income folks in our society are limited to treatment options that are not the most conducive to getting better.
What is the solution? Logically, two things would mitigate this problem: 1) Medicaid paying high rates for providers, which would drive more qualified professionals to jobs that treat this population, and the facilities themselves would be able to afford more staff, 2) Greater access to Medicaid/government insurance for the non-insured.
What about any bright spots? Do you think there are any elements that we get right in today’s world that we wouldn’t want to reverse unintentionally?
Not so much a bright spot, but I would say that the greatest headwind to the mentally ill is not the ‘system’ as much as the mental illness itself. We are dealing with a cunning behemoth in many cases. Typically, these illnesses tell folks they don’t have an illness. It is very challenging for a broken brain to fix a broken brain — or at least taking itself to get help on the way to it getting ‘fixed.’
Some bright spots would include the increase in providers over the last decade (I don’t have data to support this but, anecdotally, that’s what it feels like), mental health finally taking a front seat in the public discourse (think outspoken celebrities like Simone Biles, etc.), and the increased focus of HR at some of America’s largest companies at mental illness (particularly since the pandemic).
In your opinion, what are the 5 most impactful things that could help heal the broken mental health system? These could be on any level including training, workforce, policy, culture, equity etc.
1 . Increased Medicaid rates covering mental health services, enabling facilities to hire more and better-qualified providers.
2 . Mental health coverage being treated the same as physical health coverage in the eyes of all private/public insurance policies.
3 . Mindfulness/mental health being incorporated into the public school curriculum. It is amazing to me that we haven’t revisited this over the years. For example, one could argue mental wellness and personal financial management would provide youth with significantly more value than chemistry and art history. I think there is still a place for these more niche subjects because broad exposure in school partly gives kids the information they need to decide what they will ultimately pursue career-wise. However, the practical value of mental wellness/mindfulness in schools is far more paramount.
4 . Continued public discourse normalizing mental illness / promoting mental wellness, building upon what started in early COVID-19.
5 . Increased training within companies, schools, and organizations.
If there were ways to somehow control technology (screen time), the overprescribing of certain medications, and the contents of legalized marijuana — these would all move the needle significantly as well.
If all of the items on your list were magically implemented tomorrow what change might we see in the world? What are the signs (big and small) that would show us that the system is being healed?
We would see a more well-adjusted society as a whole. We would see less depression and anxiety first and foremost — this is the low-hanging fruit. It’s sad to say that the average person has some degree of these in today’s society. Positivity would breed positivity, so I believe it would have an exponential (not linear) impact. The results would be seen in suicide rates, mental health hospitalizations, spending on mental illness, social productivity, and a number of other data points.
What is a project you or others are working on today that gives you hope? How can our readers learn more about this work?
I am focused on delivering the best quality care that I possibly can and shouting from the rooftops that places like SBMHC exist. We are looking to expand so that we can help more people without sacrificing quality of care. We are looking to plug in with the other folks out there doing great work with the best motives and intentions so that we can direct folks to the best fit possible. Beyond that, there are a bunch of non-profits with fantastic mental health-focused social missions, the influence of AI and technology to help promote mental wellness, and the increased focus in society overall on mental wellness.
How do you see technology shaping the future of mental health care and its accessibility?
Technology can play a role on both sides of the equation as it relates to helping vs. harming. I outlined some of the drawbacks of technology. I think the biggest is through social media’s skewed narrative, which increases a feeling of separation that many (especially young) people have. This, combined with excessive time spent looking at a screen, ultimately reduces quality of life on the whole.
But clearly technology can do good. I think of the many non-profits that execute on impactful mental health-focused social missions. I also think of the innovative platforms and apps that make it easier to seek help. Some of these utilize AI, which can certainly add value to the impact of technology on mental wellness. Some of the more global concerns about AI are valid, but I don’t see those critiques being any more valid when applied to mental health than any other area of society. There is no denying the fact that AI is infiltrating every industry today. Although there are many questions about how it is being used, there are many use cases in which AI is doing good, and mental health treatment is no different.
In your view, how do social factors like poverty, education, and culture affect mental health care and its effectiveness?
Poverty objectively creates life circumstances that can make life seem more ‘hopeless’ and, therefore, exacerbate underlying mental health conditions. However, we’ve seen firsthand that socioeconomic status and mental wellness are not always directly correlated. The primary way it shows up is in access to quality care, as described above.
In light of the growing mental health crisis among young people, what innovative approaches or interventions have proven most successful for children and adolescents?
A broad approach utilizing what we call the “5 lanes” — clinical, psychiatric, spiritual, medical, and physical — is critical. It’s essential to cast a wide net among all of the modalities in each of these ‘buckets’ and to hone in quickly on those that are ‘moving the needle.’ Additionally, normalizing therapy starting at a young age — even if no acute condition exists — helps in this effort and provides coping strategies as somewhat of a ‘preemptive strike.’
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them. 🙂
This is a tough one; I could list ten or so names. I’d widdle it down to two: Elon Musk and Eminem. Elon — love or hate him, one could argue he’s among the most influential people in the world and certainly one of the most innovative. I’d be interested in diving deeper into how his brain works, whether I agree or disagree with his views. Eminem — my generation grew up on him, and he has had his own mental health journey. The trajectory of his life has been most interesting and, like Elon, I’d like to see how his brain works through conversation.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Our website — https://sylviabrafman.com/
The Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-sylvia-brafman-mental-health-center/
The Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/sylviabrafmanmentalhealthcenter/
Jaime Blaustein LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaime-blaustein-53807445/
Thank you for your time and thoughtful answers. I know many people will gain so much from hearing this.
About The Interviewer: Stephanie Greer, PhD is the Co-founder and CEO of Akin Mental Health — a company dedicated to guiding families on their journey supporting a loved one with mental health challenges like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and severe depression. Stephanie is passionate about this topic from her own personal experience growing up with a mother who struggled with bipolar 1 disorder and found a path forward to overcome the obstacles and live well. Stephanie’s professional experience includes a doctorate in neuroscience as well as design research roles at Hopelab and Apple. Stephanie brings this personal passion together with her world-class science and technology background to support families across the US in their personal journeys supporting loved ones with mental illness. To learn more about Akin Mental Health and join our community, visit us at akinmh.com.
Healing A Broken Mental Health System: Jaime Blaustein of The Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.