“They Do Not Get the Care That They Need”

Abstract

Abstract This chapter describes the health care experiences of people with serious mental illness (SMI) and the inequities they face as they try to access, use, and engage in medical treatments. The chapter presents the constellation of challenges this population faces when they interact with the health care system and how medical care often fails this population when they try to get the care that they need. Results and case studies from several qualitative studies examining the health care experiences of people with SMI and the experiences of medical and mental health professionals are used to illustrate how issues, such as stigmatizations from medical providers, mistrust, fragmentation between the health and mental health service systems, and poor quality of medical care, shape the health care experiences and contribute to health care inequities and poor health outcomes.