System Engineering a Better Mental Health System

The Mental Healthcare System is in crisis globally. The inability to provide proper and necessary mental healthcare treatment has impacted people economically, financially, socially, physically, and emotionally. The first objective of this paper is to provide insights into the current deficiencies of the Mental Healthcare System illustrating the cause and effects of broken Mental Healthcare systems. The second objective is to offer suggestions for future Mental Healthcare models with reference to John P. Clarkson's System Engineering approach for developing and designing healthcare models and the International Council of System Engineering (INCOSE) Co-Design model. The main thrust is to focus on the Systems, Design, People, and Risk aspects of system designs. The third objective is to provide a survey of current and future technologies (Robotics, Blockchain, and Machine Learning), and innovative applications such as the Metaverse and Connected Mental Health in the mental healthcare industry. The fourth objective is to offer a vision of future of mental healthcare systems with patient-controlled service, modified social contexts, virtual mental healthcare, and partners with the poor. Lastly, introduce a systematic model for designing and developing large-scale enterprises as a roadmap for future developments in mental healthcare systems. This model incorporates Program Management, Project Management, and System Engineering into a three-tier model. Researchers, practitioners, educators may find the content valuable and useful for open dialogues, future planning, and discussions in system engineering, engineering in society, design of complex systems, public policy, mental healthcare, program management, and project management.