Healing A Broken Mental Health System: Dr Kim Chronister On 5 Things That Can Be Done To Fix Our Broken Mental Health System
An Interview With Stephanie Greer
Greater insurance reimbursement rates for providers as an incentive to accept insurance and to stay at clinics.
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 Dr Kim Chronister.
Dr Kim Chronister is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. She currently works in private practice in West Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, CA. Her specialties include treating mood disorders, anxiety, substance abuse, and eating disorders.
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?
Growing up, I played a lot of sports including swimming, soccer, baseball, and tennis. I learned to love writing early on in life and enjoyed the outdoors very much. I started off attending business school later on and switched my major to psychology. I enjoyed working my way through my doctoral program as a personal trainer.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite life lesson quote is “To give life a meaning, one must have a purpose larger than self.” -Will Durant. Positive psychology research has shown that one of the major components of contentment is meaning and purpose. I have found that the times of my life that I have thrived had a lot to do with focusing on meaning and purpose (giving back or career or both).
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?
In my opinion, the mental health system in America being broken means that both the quality of mental health care and the access to mental health care in America is lacking to a degree that is unnecessary. Research shows that on a national level in the U.S., the country is likely to continue to see a shortage of mental health professionals through the year 2025 which means there are still not enough providers to access. Psychiatrists are particularly hard to find with waiting lists and only approximately 56 percent of psychiatrists accept commercial insurance. Also, many mental health facilities are understaffed, run down, and overcrowded. Finally, low reimbursement rates lead to poorly paid workplace leads to high turn over rates. The issue with this is that clients can become extremely discouraged when the lose their provider with whom they have built relationships and trust.
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?
In today’s world, what seems to be working is the spread of positive messages in mainstream and social media regarding mental health help. People are more open than ever in America to mental health care as the old stigma attached to seeking mental health care has decreased significantly especially in younger generations. I also see that states that offer insurance that covers free healthcare like California create expansive opportunities for people who otherwise could not afford mental health help. Finally, telehealth has made it so that people can access providers and choose from providers across their entire state instead of being limited to those in their city or small town.
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 . Greater insurance reimbursement rates for providers as an incentive to accept insurance and to stay at clinics.
2 . Additional funding to increase staff and maintain the upkeep for mental health facilities.
3 . Increase in the amount of days allowed by Medicare for psychiatric inpatient care.
4 . Increase in community outreach programs that educate about mental health in colleges, schools, homes, libraries, YMCAs etc.
5 . Career counseling and outreach to high school students regarding how to become psychiatric nurse practitioners and psychiatrists.
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?
If the items on my list were implemented tomorrow, we would see the following: increase in students entering psychiatric nurse practitioner or psychiatry programs; better upkeep and properly staffed mental health facilities; less turnover of therapists as there would be better reimbursement which would likely result in clients continuing to access their providers that they already trust.
What is a project you or others are working on today that gives you hope? How can our readers learn more about this work?
A project that gives me hope is a marketing campaign by IEHP. They consist of educational campaigns that encourage insurance members to access mental health services.
How do you see technology shaping the future of mental health care and its accessibility?
Telehealth has significantly increased access to care for those who are too depressed, too anxious, and too physically compromised to come into session. Also, people can widen their options for mental health providers due to telehealth which has been extremely impactful.
In your view, how do social factors like poverty, education, and culture affect mental health care and its effectiveness?
From my clinical work, I have seen that poverty has a negative impact on people accessing mental health care as many people believe they would not be able to afford sessions or rides to session as a result.
In light of the growing mental health crisis among young people, what innovative approaches or interventions have proven most successful for children and adolescents?
Mental health awareness campaigns on social media have created significant decreases in stigma around accessing mental health help in the U.S.
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. 🙂
If I could have a private lunch with anyone in the world it would be Magic Johnson. As a former professional athlete and business man and philanthropist, I believe he is highly influential in communities and that he would both advise and listen to new ideas regarding implementing ways to increase education about accessing mental health in underserved communities.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
IG: @drkimchronister
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: Dr Kim Chronister On 5 Things That Can Be Done To Fix Our… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.