Sanity and Substance

As Americans it becomes natural to undermine those with a mental illness. As a fact, many adults and children deal with mental illness each and everyday. There are many stories that have been told to Americans about depression, anxiety, along with bipolar disorders, with the outcome usually being a negative consequence. For the 1 in every 5 citizens that deal with a mental illness each year. Americans have neglected the fact that many adults and children deal with mental issue(s), the citizens that refrain from getting help; their well being can suffer detrimental effects, there is not a lot of awareness either taught in school, or in public perspectives, American’s stigma has perfected their

From there, the article talks about how mental illness is a global problem and how societies all over the world see it as a burden. Because of this, mental illnesses have become a chronic disease, especially in the United States; this because nothing is being done to help those affected. The article has a focus on creating strategies to help resolve or improve the problems there are with mental illness. The author looks at past resolutions and asks people who are actually going through this themselves in order to better understand what society can do to help alleviate some of the pain and

The evolution of mental health treatment in America has been a long and arduous road with many ups and downs. In many ways, attitudes towards the disease towards mental illness help shape the evolution of treatment. In addition, trends in treatment and cultural understanding of mental illness influence national policy. In Mad in American author Robert Whitaker discusses the mental health care system its history, evolution, and the current state of mental health care in America. Whitaker explores the ethnicity of practices and questions the safety and efficacy of psychiatric

For the most part, ADHD is deemed a faux mental disorder by the majority. If ADHD centers just on common reckless behavior, everybody

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).

This overdiagnosis is mainly in elementary aged children. Parents will bring in their kids that are only acting out and being hyper because of lack of discipline. According to Dr. Daniel F. Conner, who is a psychiatry professor at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, says that while there is scientific information out there about ADHD, many of us really don’t understand it (Reynolds 2). This is why there is such an over diagnosis, or misdiagnosis of ADHD, especially in children. Many parents think that it is mostly a behavioral thing and as soon as their kids start acting out, they rush them to the doctor. The doctor then just prescribes ADHD medicine to make it quick and the parents leave happy. This is not always the case with ADHD. It is much more than just a behavior thing, there are many things that ADHD actually is and that lies in the

Mental health disorders are a problem not only American’s face. It is a worldwide problem that today we still are unclear of what causes these disorders. “Mental health can be defined as a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well being” (Oxford Dictionaries, 2016). Mental health disorder can affect children all the way to the elderly. Stigma and discrimination can add to the suffering for mental health patients. It often leads to potential clients turn away and never find help because of the labels people put on

There are many different mental illnesses and ailments and just as many medications to treat them. The problem is that sometimes the medications are not correct for your disorders due to similar symptoms. This leads to problems with the patients who need help, but the patients are not getting the right medications and treatment they need.

America is branding people like cattle. No, this is not a physical mark seared onto skin by the government, but it is still an invisible mark on our own people that sets them apart and makes the government recognize people based on differences instead of recognizing the similarities that can bring us together. Mental illness has been branded as one of these differences. Yet, mental illness is simply “a condition that impacts a person's thinking, feeling or mood and may affect his or her ability to relate to others and function on a daily basis” including depression, bipolar disorder, OCD, schizophrenia, and autism as some of these conditions (Conditions 1). Therefore, the American government must break the stigma of mental illness and

The misdiagnoses of ADHD is problematic because it causes people to take medication that they didn't need in the first place. It labels young children for something they never had and could cause self- esteem issues. And also makes it hard for the mis-diagnosed to find out what's really wrong with them. Americans need to be more aware of the vast misdiagnosing of ADHD because it's a growing problem and it needs to be

Imagine living in a world of constant chaos with having no relief from hearing voices, hallucinations, mood swings (highs and lows), anger, confusion, violence, and erratic sleep patterns. People with serious mental illness continue to deal with a few or all the symptoms listed. According to the Kim Foundation “An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older or about one in four adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. When applied to the 2004 U.S. Census residential population estimate for ages 18 and older, this figure translates to 57.7 million people” (thekimfoundation.org). Many times these people see no end in sight causing them to become destructive and violent towards family,

The DSM 5 criterion for ADHD is “ a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development.” It was at first thought to be a type of mental retardation, until it became clear that those effected by symptoms where not stupid but in fact highly intelligent. However they stubbornly refused to conform to societal rules not due to lack of comprehension but due to what seemed to be a lack of self-control and general disregard for rules. George F. Still did a great amount of work in coming to understand the connection between these behaviors and neurological impulse in the early 19th century. Massive amounts of research was done in an effort for the medical community to explain the bizarre and socially inappropriate behaviors of different individuals.“ the history of compiling these symptoms into a formal diagnose represents an increasing drive to medicalize unconvential childhood behaviors” (Rafalovich) Understanding of ADHD has developed a great deal in the pass 100 years from being thought of as “imbecility”, to “minimal brain damage” to the present diagnosable psychological condition it is today. In fact it was not called Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder until 1980, in DSM-III (a diagnostic reference book for physicians). This is shocking considering the number of people that are diagnosed every year with a disorder that is

A huge percentage of Americans suffer from various mental illnesses. 1 in 5 adults in the US, or 18.5% of the population, will experience mental illness in a given year (NAMI). With these mental illnesses come so many difficult questions. How can we improve the lives of Americans struggling with mental illnesses? What happens if these Americans become harmful to themselves or others? And how can we help and keep their families involved? The American government as well as several organizations have been trying to tackle these issues. Congressman Tim Murphy created a bill called the Helping Families in Mental Crisis Act (H.R. 2426) that seeks to “fix the nation’s broken

The pharmaceutical companies are wonderful at marketing. They play a big part in the overdiagnosis of mental disorders. By mislabeling disorders they are able to keep their profit flowing so they don't have to worry about sources of money. Self diagnosis is often incorrect and puts a barrier between what is real and what is not. Without overdiagnosis pharmaceutical companies would soon begin to lose profit.

A man freezes to death in the early hours of the day, a young woman overdoses in a alleyway, a vulnerable teenager struggles to find food. These stories all have something in common which fuels their suffering: an untreated mental illness. As time goes on, the number of people with mental disorders increases; consequently, the long-term effects are becoming more apparent. America is particularly notable for its lack of accessibility in comparison to other nations, despite studies showing the benefits otherwise. With the psychiatric industry itself to blame, a minute amount of people actually receive the treatment they badly need to live. Social detriment follows mental decline in a traceable pattern: untreated mental illness in society presents