Adequate Mental Illness In The United States

Our progress in learning the causes and treatments for mental illness has been steady as we build on the medical model of mental illness, which Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman (2010) describe as a model that, “views emotional and behavioral problems as a mental illness, comparable to a physical illness (pp. 341). Only in modern times have we been able to effectively treat mental illness with behavioral therapy, social support, medicine, and other research-based programs. However, there is still much work to be done in regard to access, proper facilities, policy and a host of other challenges that affect this issue.

Due to the State of California cutting back on spending towards people with mental illnesses it affected a lot of people. Some of the people with a mental illness could no longer cover the costs to care for themselves and ended up becoming homeless because of it. Mental health is a serious concern in communities that needs to get resolved or worked on rather than cutting back funding for this issue. In California alone “more than 2 million children, adults, and seniors are affected by potentially disabling mental illnesses every year in California” (mhsoac.ca.gov). There should be adequate funding to make sure that people diagnosed with a mental illness and can

Mental illness is an issue that impacts all prison systems throughout the United States. The wellbeing of inmates is a long debated issue. There is much improvement that can be done in the prison systems to help rehabilitate and treat inmates while they are incarcerated to better prepare them for a successful reintegration into society. An examination of the current rehabilitation and treatment programs for inmates diagnosed with psychological illness will assist in identifying failures in within the program. Proper implementation of these services can improve an inmate’s chance of successfully reintegrating into society after incarceration and ultimately lower the cost of running a government funded prison. This essay will cover the prominence of mental illness in prison, drug treatment programs that are used to address mental illness in the prison system, continue assistance or continuation of programs for released inmates, the opportunities that exist for rehabilitation, and a proposal for a rehabilitation program. The purpose of the research is aimed at improving the circumstances of the inmates to receive assistance while incarcerated that they may not receive while free.

Mental illness is a major burden on society that is not given enough attention or resources, especially in the United States. The continued neglect of these needs concerning related conditions dates back to the beginning of history, while diagnoses and the need for adequate care have only continued to rise. These inequalities in the United States mental health care system create enormous ethical challenges for these individuals in receiving health care. “In 2007 about 11% of adults (23.7 million) in the United States experienced serious psychological distress, such as anxiety and mood disorders, that resulted in functional impairment that impeded one or more major life activities” (Sundararaman, 2009,

The mental health care needs of many children and adults have been overlooked for quite some time. Nearly one in five adults experience a mental health issue at some point throughout their lives, yet due to the challenges in accessing and obtaining affordable health care, many have gone without adequate treatment (Mental health by the numbers, 2015). According to SAMSHA (2013), 2/3 of America’s 45 million adults suffering from mental illnesses, and 90% of our country’s 21 million adults struggling with substance use disorders go without treatment each year (SAMSHA, 2013).

In today’s society there is a greater awareness of mental illnesses. With this greater awareness one might assume that there would be a substantial increase in government involvement or funding in the area of mental illness treatment. Unfortunately this isn’t the case in the U.S. today. There are hundreds of thousands of people with mental illness that go untreated. These potential patients go untreated for many reasons. These reasons are discussed in the Time article “Mental Health Reform: What Would it Really Take.

What comes to mind when you think of mentally ill people? Is it depression? Or is it the asylums that “crazy people” are thrown into? What if I were to tell you that that's still a problem? Does having mental illness disclude people from the rest of humanity? Are their rights as Americans taken away from them because of their mental state? Every one in twenty five adults in America have lived with a mental disorder at one point, so why is their treatment not taken seriously?

How can we improve the treatment of mental illness in the United States? Take into consideration that the public does not want higher taxes. Explain. There is a five-point plan to improve our nation’s mental health. The first is to increase treatment, prevention and recovery services. We live in a world that is reluctant to make the proper investments that are so needed so we can provide effective, prevention, treatment and recovery services for people who suffer from mental illness. These investments would improve care plans and save us money by preventing costly crisis care and even hospitalization. The second one is to expand our mental health workforce. Shortages burden a fragmented mental health system. I feel that having people

Anxiety disorder is a common mental in illness in the United States. This disorder is affecting about 4o million adults18 years or older. This is about 18% of the United States population. I know you probably heard of OCD, but what is it really? Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is an anxiety disorder that is known for having uncontrollable and unwanted thoughts. Someone with OCD may tent to perform repetitive behaviors. A person with OCD may recognize that their obsessive thoughts and compulsive thoughts are uncontrollable. They can’t not stop it may feel like something is taking control of their bodies.

Millions of Americans suffer from a mental illness throughout the years, and a majority of them are not getting an adequate treatment. Individuals who experience a mental illness are found in populations such as the homeless and jails. Between one-fourth and one-third of the homeless population suffers from a serious mental illness (Folsom, Hawthorne, Lindamer, Gilmer, Bailey, Golshan, Garcia, Unutzer, Hough, Jeste, 2005) and at least 16 percent of inmates in jails and prisons suffer from a mental illness (treatment advocacy center 2010). The care for the mentally ill in mental institutions has been significantly cut down throughout the passing years.

“While there are many experts in the psychoanalysis of individuals, there seems to be little active authority or understanding in the matter of the persistent shared madness in everyday life. It's as if collective mental illness doesn't exist except in the vernacular and in contemporary folk myth, where it remains trapped and politically useless.” A quote from Michael Leunig.

Mental illness is common in more than 7% of the world. The top two mental illnesses in America are depression, and generalized anxiety disorder. The brain is changing in more than 7% of the world. I don’t think the brain can be changed by just one single thought. The brain is made up of so many different parts that it would have to have multiple different aspects to change in order to switch from a normal to diseased brain.

Mental health is a fundamental aspect of our well-being as well as being a determining factor in obtaining a healthy lifestyle. However due to genetic, psychological, biological and environmental influences contributes to an imbalance of one’s mental health. Thus causing mental illnesses which include major shifts in mood, thinking and/or behavior. Because of the stigma that mentally ill people are “crazy and dangerous” results in discrimination among this community. What many failed to realize is the commonality of the diagnoses and how being label mentally ill can be beneficial. According to New York Daily, about 42 million American adults suffer from mental illnesses, enduring conditions such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and bipolar

“In the aftermath of the 2008 recession, states were forced to cut over $4 billion in public mental health funding. With funding in free-fall, jails, prisons and nursing homes became the de facto places to warehouse people with serious mental illnesses.” This is not the place where mentally ill people should be, they need to be in places that specialize in helping them. Many police are not trained in how to recognize mentally ill signs, and they end up responding inappropriately. “The number of people with serious mental illnesses who are incarcerated or homeless is three to five times higher than in the general population. There is a wide range of empirical evidence that shows, with appropriate treatment and community supports, people can recover, achieve their goals, and contribute to our society.” “People with mental illnesses have unique needs, and their overrepresentation in jail, prison, and other ill-equipped settings is a national tragedy. The toll it takes on them, their families, and our nation’s commitment to fair treatment for all is immeasurable.” To help the mentally ill and the families of them, we need to have more funding going towards institutions to get them the proper care to be

Many fail to realize what can be a symptom or cause of a person's mental illness. In the article, “Mental Illness Is a Global Crisis”, the author, Michelle Chen writes, “Across the Global South, treating mental illness is less than a priority in communities that are often struggling just to provide adequate vaccination coverage, or to contain HIV infection”. Although containing infections is important, treating a mental disorder is a high priority as well. Seeking help for having a mental illness is hard to find today especially in lower income areas. With mental illness affecting 1 in 5 people, treatments for having a mental illness should be easier to obtain.