The Pros And Cons Of Mental Health Issues

75% of youth in correctional facilities for delinquency are not in for a serious violent felony crime (Ross). Many minors in such facilities are held because their families cannot take care of them. Drug use, often stemming from the parents, is prevalent in teens detained in juvenile detention. Additionally, teen pregnancy and sexual abuse are common among the incarcerated young adults. Most of them have some level of a psychiatric disorder, however, a small percentage of them actually receive treatment. An unhealthy home environment, drug addiction, and mental trauma all contribute to the cycle of juvenile detention. In fact, 66% of youth who have been arrested will become repeat offenders within 24 months (“21 Juvenile Repeat Offenders

Mental illness is one problem that will most likely never go away. Our population gets bigger by the day and more and more people are being diagnosed with mental illnesses every hour. Even with this being true, we are continuing to shut down mental health facilities, decrease funding, and so on. Instead, we leave these people to their own. With the large

Throughout the centuries mental illness has been treated by countless treatments. Modern treatments have created an argument over which treatment options are best. the most debates treatments today are medication and therapy. the argument of medication versus therapy as treatments for mental illness is fairly new. Yet, proponents of both sides have strong arguments stating the advantages of their treatment option. proponents of medication believe pharmacogenetics, tailored treatments, and medication's ability to treat severe disorders makes medication the better treatment option. proponents of therapy believe drug addiction, suicide prevention, and need adaption establishes therapy as the better treatment choice.

Forget all the stereotypes of mental illness. It has no face. It has no particular victim. Mental illness can affect an individual from any background and the black community is no exception. African Americans sometimes experience even more severe forms of mental health conditions because of unmet needs and barriers to treatment. According to the Office of Minority Health, African Americans are 20 percent more likely to experience serious mental health problems than the general population. That’s why UGA third year Majenneh Sengbe is taking action as the co-founder of her upcoming organization Black Minds Daily.

Mental illness is an increasing problem in America. Currently about 26.2% of Americans suffer from a mental disorder. A mental illness/disorder is a medical condition that disrupts a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, and ability to relate to others and daily functions. Mental illness can affect humans of any age, race, gender and socioeconomic status. However the care that is needed to effectively cure and help the people affected by the illness is not equal for everyone here in American, especially for African Americans.

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).

Many studies have found that in isolation, juveniles are “denied or deprived access to various services, including psychological care, educational programming, and recreational or physical activity” (Rademacher, 2016). These deprivations can cause physical, psychological, and mental harm the individuals. From a surface level perspective, being denied time out of the cell for exercise can have negative effects on development of bones and muscles, which is important to a growing child. Restricted access to educational programs or textbooks can slow an individual’s mental development. Psychological harms can include increased anxiety, nervousness, confusion, depression, psychosis, etc. (Rademacher, 2016). Although it is easy to see how these things are bad when considered separately, it is still important to see how the different factors play into each other. For example, elevated levels of depression and anxiety can lead to physical effects such as self-mutilation and suicide attempts. It has been seen that “juveniles placed in solitary confinement in juvenile correctional facilities represent approximately half of all incidents of self-harm and suicide” in those facilities (Rademacher, 2016). It is important to note that these cases include individuals who would not have considered suicide prior to isolation. Therefore, feelings evoked as a result of solitary confinement can lead to suicidal

The United States has the highest prison population in the world, with over two million incarcerated (World Prison Brief, 2016), of whom many are juveniles. It is well documented that youths who enter this system are more likely to suffer a host of negative health and lifestyle outcomes, such as alcohol/drug abuse, high school dropout, and mental health problems. Such phenomena occur in stark contrast with the aims of the US juvenile justice system, which supposedly intends to help offending youths re-assimilate back into society as productive citizens. As previously mentioned, incarceration often leads to poor mental health, which when combined with the conditions of confinement significantly raises the rates of suicide and

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 Health is a state of social, emotional and psychological well-being. Mental health affects every part of our life and determines our ability to function, handle stress and make decisions. Throughout life, we have good and bad experiences which affect how we handle situations. The Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act of 2015 was passed on September 30, 2015. The purpose of this act is to improve programs ordered by the Department of Health and Human Services to increase awareness, prevention and early identification of mental illnesses. Some challenges that affect mental health care in America include lack of knowledge regarding healthcare and insurance, lack of funding, no minimum standards, and lack of access to medication.

Mental illness is not getting the proper attention it needs. The United States should provide more funding to the mentally ill, for research, and medical purposes. Over fifteen million people are diagnosed with a mental illness every year. Many of them have difficulties to afford the treatment they need. Some do not even know that they have a mental illness because they never had a reason or even the finances to get checked. A mental illness can be detected at a young age. One with a mental disorder can suffer from depression and suicide, by receiving support from family and friends can help prevent this. By providing test at public schools could help detect an illness at a young age and give them the proper treatment needed to overcome their illness. Many who have a mental illness are unemployed, and have financial issues. By not receiving the proper treatment can result in harm to themselves or even others. The government is not giving the proper amount of funds for research and treatment. Some take advantage of the system and are the cause of the amount being so low. Mental illness is not getting the appropriate funding it needs to provide proper care.

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

“Although there is limited research on the effects of isolation on incarcerated youth, the existing studies have found that it is correlated with high rates of suicide as well as with post-traumatic stress disorder ("PTSD"), depression, and future criminal activity” (Birckhead, 2015, pg.10). In support Hayes (2009) review of suicide deaths in confinement, almost 70% of youths died by suicide in the juvenile justice system had a history of suicidal behavior, with 45.5% having made a prior suicide attempt. Interviews with many juveniles put in solitary confinement say you can lose your mind and harming themselves or attempt suicide. A juvenile states "It's an awful thing, solitary. . . . It crushes your spirit and weakens your resistance more effectively than any other form of mistreatment" ( Simkins, Beyer, Geis, 2012, pg.250). This quote of a juvenile in confinement shows solitary confinement can literally take away your life and cause

The environment in adult facilities is immensely different from juvenile facilities. Rehabilitation options are limited in adult facilities. It is hard for children to fit in with adults, or even be respected. Lack of attention and bullying are both major problems for juveniles in prison (Human Rights Watch). Juveniles in prison have a 18x greater risk of committing suicide, due to lack of supervision (Juvenile Forensic Evaluation Center) However, juvenile facilities provide higher quality education, adequate health care, and better security. 70% of juveniles are held under locked situations, rather than staff secure settings (Juvenile Forensic Evaluation Center). This decreases the amount of violence between juveniles and the staff. Since depression is a common health issue, juvenile facilities often have treatment available. Giving a juvenile the resources to help, can really benefit them at this

One in five adults has a mental health condition, that's over 40 million Americans; more than the populations of New York and Florida combined (Mental Health in America, 2017). More Americans have access to health care services by the Affordable Care Act. Access to insurance and treatment increased, as healthcare reform has reduced the rates of uninsured adults. The greatest decrease in uninsured adults with mental illnesses was seen in states that expanded Medicaid, but most Americans still lack access to care; 56% of American adults with a mental illness do not receive treatment (Mental Health in America, 2017). Even in Maine, the state with the best access, 41.4% of adults with a mental illness do not receive treatment (Mental Health in America, 2017). There is a serious