The Impact Of Mental Disorders On Mental Health

Problem Statement: The World Health Association defines ‘good’ health as: “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” However, in the United States, access to care and funding for mental health care are grossly neglected and underfunded in comparison to other aspects of health care.

Mental health care in the United States is a growing problem and continues to be one. Not only is it very expensive, but many health care insurances don’t have mental health coverage or

Millions of Americans are impacted by mental health each year. Mental illnesses can impact one’s employment, physical health, education, and relationships. Many treatment services are available, yet people do not seek the care they need. Serious mental illness costs America $193.2 billion in lost earnings each year (NAMI, 2017). Mood disorders are the third most common cause for hospitalization for ages 18-44. Adults living with a serious mental illness, on average die twenty-five years earlier compared to others, but they could have been treated. It is obvious there is a problem in America regarding mental health, but it used to be much worse.

Statistical data reveals that 25% of adult Americans have a mental illness and more than half of the U.S. population will develop a mental illness at some point during their lifetime (CDC; APA). "Major Depressive disorder is a leading cause of disability for ages 15-44. Major depressive disorder affects approximately 14.8 million American adults or 6.7 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year” while anxiety affects …40 million…adults ages 18 and older…” (NIMH; APA). Comparatively, cardiovascular, diabetes, epilepsy, obesity, cancer, and asthma, and other chronic diseases are surfacing with increased frequency among the mentally ill (CDC; APA). The aforementioned finding elicits question about medical care

In the United States, the topic of mental health tends to be overlooked because of the negative stigma behind mental illness. Also, mental illness is not generally seen as a public health issue because it does not fit the narrative of epidemiology. However, mental illness is a topic of public health because mental illness can be prevented and treated. Mental illness is the central cause of many risky behaviors around the United States, such as gun violence, drug abuse, unhealthy eating, and suicidal tendencies. The damage does not stop there. Having mental illness causes risky behaviors, and then those risky behaviors cause even more health problems, for example, unhealthy eating leading to hypertension. Helping prevent mental illness and keep

When people think of the many health issues that plague our corner of the world they usually focus on the more physical problems such as cancer, high blood pressure, and the deadly heart disease. However, the population living with mental illness is growing and becoming more visible; even celebrities and government officials are afflicted. The list of mental illnesses goes on and on, but some of the more common are anxiety disorders, addiction, bipolar disorder, Dysthymia, and Major Depressive Disorder.

7). People who suffer from mental illness have different behaviors than others. Therefore, people in society are often concerned and seek to learn what the problem is. However, they aren’t as concerned on the validity of the information. Consequently it is important how mental illnesses are defined because that is what society will use to base their actions off of (Hinshaw, 2007, p. 8).

Mentally disordered women that are incarcerated have different needs than their male counterparts do. According to Sun (2010) research done by the Bureau of Justice Statistics show that there are an increasing number of mentally disordered inmates in correctional facilities. Although the plight of mentally disordered women in prisons in no better than that of their male counterparts, harsher sentences, especially drug offenses cause overcrowding in women’s prisons. These inmates are a diverse group with a wide range of treatment needs. In many occasions these inmates have more than one diagnosis as evidenced by research. Research indicates that many women going into correctional facilities not only have substance abuse problems but mental disorders as well. They are also more susceptible to environmental stressors. Overcrowding and noise, can aggravate existing mental disorders or hasten the development of new ones (Sun, 2010). According to Stuart, Wormer, and Bartollas, (2011) in the general population, women with substance use disorders are more likely to have mental disorders compared with their male counterparts. The most common disorders in these women are posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics 2006 special report on mental health problems among prison and jail inmates, female inmates reported higher rates of mental health problems than male inmates in state prisons. Major depression and

The prevalence of mental disorder has increased over recent decades and gained greater public concerns (Polanczyk, Salum, Sugaya, Caye& Rohde, 2015). Due to no biological marker available to indicate the presence of mental disorder, words such as disease mongering, over diagnosis, over treatment are associated with the current epidemic of mental disorders (Cosgrove& Wheeler, 2013). Some people doubted the current diagnosis of mental disorder and pointed out the existence of over diagnosis (James et al., 2014). They hold the view that the psychiatrists and the pharmaceutical industry should be blame for the current ‘epidemic’ of mental disorder. Many researches and organizations are dependent on the pharmaceutical industry, which may

Mental disorders account for about 25% of disability in the USA, Canada and Western Europe and are the leading cause of premature death. The lifetime prevalence for impulse control disorders in the USA in 25% and 21% for mood disorders, and one in 10 children in the USA has a mental disorder that causes impairment. Psychiatric illness cost to the USA annually is about $150 billion annually, excluding research costs.

According to the World Health Organization, “Mental illness accounts for more disability in developed countries than any other group of illness including cancer and heart disease” (OsGood 2). Mental Illness negatively affects all aspects of a person’s life. Mental illnesses prohibit people from completing daily tasks to interacting with others. Mental illnesses contribute to the person’s inability to sustain a healthy home and work environment, defiance towards rules and regulations that prevent violence or crime and The person’s lack of communication skills when making an interaction with others.

World Health Organization (WHO, 2014) defines Mental health as a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully and is able to make a contribution to his or her community. Whereas Mental illnesses (MI) are characterized by alterations in thinking, mood or behavior associated with significant distress and impaired functioning (Health Canada, 2012). MI affects people of all ages, educational and income levels and cultures. Example of MI includes depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors. According to Center for addiction and Mental Health (CAMH, 2009) 2% of the total population in the world are affected by serious MI. Moreover, Public Health Agency Canada (PHAC, 2012) claims that 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a MI in their lifetime and remaining 4 will have a friend, family member or colleague who suffers from mental illness. It is a well-known and accepted statistic 20% of people with mental disorders have a co-occurring substance use problem (PHAC,2012).

Rising mental health issues is a national problem. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 in 5 adult Americans experience a

Health is described and explained in many various discourses, which are socially constructed. The concepts of ‘health’, ‘mind’ and ‘body’ are different depending on the time and place, but all cultures and cosmologies play an essential role in the experience of being a human. Psychological well being is a very important concern for all individuals, communities and also health services, not just because of the cost with psychological ill-health but also the loss of life for those who are affected by their relatives. Psychological well being aims to focus on the individual’s feelings and also other features of psychological functioning. There are multiple factors for situations, which can affect an individual’s health; these factors include personality, biological environmental factors and many others. The DSM-IV concludes that depression is a mood disorder; it is also known to be the most common mental disorder.

Mental illnesses greatly affect the lives of those they attack. However, those who are free from the captivity of mental illnesses are generally unaware of the destruction caused by them. Mental illnesses, such as anxiety and depression, take hold of people’s lives and determine the way they go. Unfortunately, mental illnesses are not taken seriously. Many believe that mental illnesses are “just a phase” that people will naturally recover from. In today’s society, anything that is “abnormal” is suppressed. Sadly, this is true for mental illnesses. Those suffering from mental illnesses are “hidden,” in a sense, from the “normal” world. Mental illnesses are viewed as abnormal, and those that hold this view wish to restrict those with mental illnesses from