Mental Health Screening: A Case Study

It is estimated that one in every five youth experience mental illnesses that interfere with their everyday routines (“NAMI”). Mental health in the United States is a growing epidemic that needs to be solved. Youth with mental illnesses may never know that they have one; screenings for mental health are not something a lot of people take advantage of. Schools are a place where youth develop the most. In order for this to happen, society needs to make schools feel welcoming and provide support for those who need help. While some people do not believe mental illnesses exist, schools should require mental health screenings in order to prevent future violent situations, educate their staff, and do more to make students feel comfortable.

One evidence-based intervention is designed by Screening for Mental Health [SMH], the program is called Signs of Suicide [SOS]. The Signs of Suicide program is an award winning program and it is also a nationally recognized program (). The Signs of Suicide program is designed for youth of various ages ranging from middle school and the way to high school (). This program helps students learn how to point out signs of depression and suicide in themselves or in their friends or family. This program recognizes the emotional distress that often follows the aftermath of a completed suicide. Suicide, according to the Signs of Suicide Program is both recognizable and treatable. A well-designed prevention program can educate the youth on how to spot the warning signs of depression, in people they love. The Signs of Suicide Program provides everyday risk management tools and information to judge, prevent and respond to signs of suicide ().

In the United States alone, approximately 20% of Americans experience a mental illness in a given year, and 1 in 25 Americans live with a serious mental illness that significantly impacts one or more life activities (NAMI.org, 2015). These disorders span across the lifetime, many starting by the age of 14, and mental health care is often the root of progress or hindrance for a person whose life is impacted by these unseen disorders. Though it is not always evident that an individual is experiencing mental illness, these complications influence the daily lives of millions of people worldwide, regardless of age, culture, race, religion, or other delineation. As a result, it is vital that this sector of healthcare be thoroughly examined for inefficiencies,

Mental illness is nondiscriminatory, can affect any person and transcends all social boundaries. As a result, the issues surrounding mental illness have become common discussion pints among policymakers dedicated or required to formulate solutions around providing the long-term care needed by many patients. Healthcare reforms and changes to the systems that provide services to those living with mental illness and funding for services to the facilities providing care have become major social issues (Goldman, Morrissey, Ridgley, Frank, Newman, & Kennedy, 1992). The reason for this is primarily how it can affect a market economy and how much of a burden diseases of the mind can be in a country such as the United States. According to the 1991 Global Burden of Disease study conducted by the World Health Organization mental health burden accounted for “more than 15% in a market economy such as the U.S.” (The Impact of Mental Illness on Society, 2001). The study also states that for individuals over the age of 5, varying forms of depression are the leading cause of disability. A more recent study indicates that mental illness in general is found in more than 26% of the United States adult population, of which 6% are severe and limit the patient’s ability to function (Martin, p. 163. 2007).

According to the Unite for Sight organization, “In 2002, of the estimated 450 million people worldwide living with mental or behavioral disorders, 90 million were drug or alcohol dependent, 25 million suffered from schizophrenia, and 150 million had depression” (Unite for Sight). Mental illness is something that today’s media and government does not want to address, which is seen repeatedly in “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner. More and more people are being diagnosed with a mental illness and this trend needs to come to an end. People need to understand the various aspects of mental illness. While treatment of mental illnesses has improved over time, the effect they have on the individual and the people around them has not.

Most parents take their kids for a physical at a pediatrician to check whether or not he or she is healthy before they go to school. Some parents also vaccinate their child before school starts to prevent them from getting sick but do parents ever get their child evaluated for mental health illnesses? Mental health screening has become a big controversy in the United States especially since not even one state is providing high-end services for mental health illness in schools. Mental health screening is a key part for every child because 50% of chronic mental health conditions begin by age 14 and 75% begin at the age of 25. Mental health screening allows for early identification of the problem and it also helps by getting that significant

Numerous people suffer from mental illness’ around the world, for instance, it is estimated that 1 in 5 Canadians will experience at least one mental illness in their lives. Being one of those millions, Jenny Lawson was diagnosed with both, depression and social anxiety, at an early age of 28. after she had left her job at Human Resources for a small corporation when she was pregnant with her child. Consequently, this lead to

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 topic of mental illness had become a recurring theme in my life during 2015. Health and wellness of the mind was a topic never brought up in my household during my childhood and well into my adolescence. My father always reminded me “Ashley, were black. We don't get depressed or anxious, we just face our problems head on because we’re naturally strong people.” Constantly hearing this gave me the false notion that mental

Lori Schiller’s story of her struggles battling mental illness is frightening yet inspiring. Lori’s childhood was incredibly normal if not better than the norm. She grew up in a very affluent, wealthy family that were also very loving and supporting. Lori was also a straight A student that was accepted to some of the best universities in the country. Many people have the notion that mental illness only happens to children from bad families or the homeless but Lori proves that stereotype

The moment a broadcast interrupts the ongoing program over the radio or television announcing there has just been a shooting at an elementary school may weigh heavy on ones heart. Whether you have children or do not have children, it is a very heart breaking story to hear about such young lives being lost in such a tragic way. To hear the stories from the ones involved, who had to hide their students from the shooter, or tried to keep those poor crying scared babies quiet, or even watched small innocent children shot to death right before their eyes is absolutely gut wrenching. Research has been done on school shooters in the past and they have all showed signs of mental illness even signs of violent behavior. If a program was to be put into place to test students for mental illness the students who did have a mental illness could then be monitored and it would lower the school shooting rates. Early detection of mental health issues in students will decrease school shootings.

When assessing the Moore family the life course perspective addresses the families overall experiences rather than assessing and assigning them a mental health diagnoses. When assessing the family for a mental health diagnoses, it was more of a stretch to fit the family member into a diagnoses rather than the diagnoses being a clear and true diagnoses for the individual. This potentially leads to inaccurately assigning a mental health diagnoses that may unjustly follow the individual throughout the remainder of their life. Using the life course perspective and life cycle stages to identify and explain the individual’s current struggle provides an understanding of any potential external and internal risk or protective factors that govern the

After her experiences during her two-year confinement at the mental institution, Kaysen was able to get a clear sense of how people are diagnosed. She realized that we need to protect women and social norms when diagnosing because of her own experience and the experiences of those around her. “Normal” behaviors of women at this time were often seen as things that needed treatment and medical help. When she was first being seen by doctors, it was a time when mental illness and cognitive impairment were seen as basically the same thing. Women were particularly targeted when discussing mental illness, even though their “symptoms” did not match up. Women’s rash behavior was often categorized as a mental illness. For example, hysteria in women was seen as them being over dramatic and having attention seeking behavior. Charles A. Reed did a study of women’s nervous systems and concluded that were controlled by their bodies and reproductive system, not their mind. Women’s behavior at this time was often dismissed as a mental illness, even if it was a “normal” personality trait they showed.

“In psychiatry, Doctor -unlike, perhaps, the world of sexually transmitted disease clinics- there is no such thing as a cure. There is only adjustment.” Neil Gaiman’s quote on psychiatry in the world perfectly explains why “43.8 million (American) adults experience mental illness in a given year” (“Mental Health By the Numbers”). Mental illness is something not to take lightly. In my personal experience, mental illness can be life-changing. My older sister suffered from serious depression, and still suffers from anxiety.

It has been reported that the number of people with mental disorder is increasing in our communities at an alarming rate. Environmental and social changes are among the most mentioned causes of the accelerating rate of mental illness in society (Häfner, 1985). Despite the prevalence, about one fifth of the adult population will battle with mental illness every year ("Facts and figures about mental illness," 2014) and the acknowledgement of authorities mental illness is still given less attention then is needed to treat the problem successfully. Health bodies need to be putting more resources into this area as