This is an ethnographic study with the purpose of gaining insights into the current state of mental healthcare access in rural regions of the United States.

Locating gaps in availability to high-quality care for mental health treatment in rural and low-income communities is the chief goal of this research.

The recognition of these gaps will help to develop future policies, services, educational resources and clinical options to assist and encourage those who do not have equitable access to high-quality mental health services. This research seeks to create positive change to promote empowerment in communities with limited treatment access.

Additionally, his research project also seeks to explore the personal life experiences of those who are diagnosed with schizophrenia and/or schizoaffective disorder, and those who care about diagnosed individuals, especially people in rural and under-served communities.

This project also aims to destigmatize mental illness and mental healthcare treatment.

First goal: Find creative ways to provide access to significant online mental health education resources, and local resources for rural communities; also including elements to promote destigmatization. This will begin the early stage of the research and development necessary to move forward with the focuses.

Ethnographic interviews and online surveys will be used to collect the data. The online surveys are not as accurate but encourage more people to be involved. The socio-demographic and health attributes provide individual characteristics. The conceptual framework includes all applicable socio-demographical features: geographical location, age, gender identity, ethnicity, employment, wages, job, education, marital status, and households. Other inquiries will focus on discovering the experiences of diagnosed individuals living with schizophrenic and schizoaffective disorders, and similar inquiries for caretakers. So far, the website has surveys and I am in the gradual process of adding a variety of materials.

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