Accessibility To Mental Illness

In our current society, many believe that barriers to mental health treatments are “limited availability and affordability of mental health care services, insufficient mental health care policies, lack of education about mental illness, and stigma” (Unite for Site, 2000-2013). If those barriers exist for

Individuals with a mental health illness tend to experience discrimination due to misinformation, assumptions and stereotyping. Many people in our society are not educated on the subject of mental illnesses and often have misconceptions about the conditions and what affects these pre conceived ideas can have on the individual suffering from the

The provision of mental health services in the U.S. is a social justice issue that affects vulnerable populations in a variety of ways, including: limited access to quality mental health programs, especially in rural areas; the stigma associated with seeking mental health help; and discrimination against those with mental health issues. The far-reaching implications on our current system and policies of mental health care mean that it is a pervasive issue in the United States. According to the Scientific American, “Mental health care is one of the biggest

There is so much that can be done to create more access to mental health care but we need to start somewhere. To reduce the effects of untreated mental health care, access to care needs to become available to everyone. Having care and access to that care is essential in treating mental illness and to help provide a better life to those suffering from mental illness. Access to care needs to increase so that everyone in the world has a fair shot at receiving help. It's time to take a stand and increase the access to mental health

"Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias shame us all."

The lack of treatment for mental illnesses — due partly from the stigma with which it is associated with — comes with a number of public issues: economically,

An interesting study published in 2004 (Sanders Thompson et al) linked discrimination to mental illness and worsening of existing symptoms. They found that the impact of discrimination in all areas not only created feelings of isolation and helplessness commonly linked with depression, but also impacted upon help seeking, service utilization and treatment outcome. When it is considered that mental illness can be linked to unemployment, time off work, homelessness and other social issues, it is evident that a political appraisal of the causes of mental illness would be beneficial in terms of the country’s’ budget. The question of the existence of mental illness and its’ causes also concerns political thinkers in reference to social policy.

These people deserve the time of day. This will help boost the confidence of any person and make them want to do better.

One in five adults--nearly 60 million Americans, which is enough to fill Madison Square Garden almost 3,000 times over-- suffer from a mental disorder. Statistically, many people in this room probably suffer from some sort of mental illness-- diagnosed or not. Many of my friends and family suffer with mental illness, myself included. Most of the time you feel like there is nothing to do about your symptoms. If you’re brave enough to step out into the sun and seek treatment, you may encounter a very interesting and unfair stigma that is chained to mental health. Being affected by mental illness myself, I decided to explore the anchor that weighs down progress for mental health awareness.

In a given year, one out of every four American adults will suffer from a mental illness. Therefore, it would be logical to hypothesize that you or someone you love may be affected by mental illness at some point in your or his or her lifetime. A meta-synthesis of 144 quantitative and qualitative studies consisting of 90,189 participants highlighted that 52% - 74% of Americans and Europeans with mental disorders do not receive treatment. This is problematic for many reasons, as untreated mental illness has devastating and even deadly consequences. A 2014 study conducted by the RAND Cooperation found that approximately 90% of subjects with mental disordered reported being stigmatized and discriminated against in the past year. A 2014 World Health Organization study relived that every 40 second someone commits suicide, which amounts to over a staggering 800,000 suicides every year. Now, take into consideration the families, friends, and loved one’s who suffer the devastating loss of their loved ones whose death could have certainly been prevented. The harsh reality is mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, husbands and wives take their life every single day.

If we take mental health and illnesses seriously and not as a joke, others would be willing to go out and seek help. A lot of people call others retard or stupid just because they are slower than people without a disability. People with mental diseases may be a bit slower, but being called a retard puts those people down and makes them not want to seek help. After all, who would want to seek help if they will then be called a retard. According to professionals.reachout.com in Breaking down barriers to help seeking, “Stigma and embarrassment… [are] The most frequently reported of all the barriers”. People care what others think about them. Why should those without mental barriers prohibit those with barriers from seeking proper treatment because

Mental health conditions are highly stigmatized even in spite that they are extremely common. The amount of people who have a mental health condition is over Forty million and more than the populations of New York and Florida combined (“The State of Mental Health in America.”). In fact, in 2014 about one in five American adults experienced a mental health issue, one in ten young people experienced a period of major depression, one in twenty-five Americans lived with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression (“Mental Health Myths and Facts”).

Mental health—and the stigma that comes along with it—is a very important issue, one of global importance. Shah and Beinecke explain that 450 to 500 million people suffer from mental illnesses (15). Just considering the amount of people who suffer from mental illness is enough to prove that this is a global issue. Despite the large amounts of people who are affected by mental illness, only one third of countries have some sort of program to help (15). This shows the lack of concern for those who suffer from mental illness. Stereotypes affect many people, and those with mental illness are no exception. Everyone has their own preconceived perspectives and notions of mental health, and many of them are uninformed and unjustified. It is up to us to start changing our viewpoints on mental health.

Mental illness stigma is more prevalent than discrimination. As noted before, stigma is the biggest barrier facing people suffering from mental illness. When a person is judged looking at the disease he or she is suffering, then that person is part of a stigmatized group (Tzouvara & Papadopoulos, 2014). A person who faces stigma is likely to experience shame, a sense of hopelessness, or feeling of being misrepresented. This research paper will seek to suggest some of the ways of overcoming stigmatization,

As I gain more experience in public health, I hope to be involved in mental health advocacy, policy and education because few physical ailments can rival the devastation that psychological illnesses can have on an individual’s life. My experiences have shown me that public health has the potential for both the prevention of psychological disorders and the eradication of existing stigma. My objective is to collaborate with researchers from multiple disciplines,