Mental Illness Research Paper

If access to care and more information about the benefits of receiving care were to make an appearance, more people would be inclined to seek treatment for their disorder. Treating mental illness will lead to a healthier and happier mind & body, help people make good life choices, and will create an overall better quality of life. If we want the effects of mental illness to decrease, something needs to be done to increase access to care so that everybody can get their mental illness treated.

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,

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.

Mental illness costs Americans $201 billion a year between hospital visits, prescriptions, and therapy visits. (Health Affairs). As high as the costs those costs seem to be, 56% of Americans with a mental health issue are still not receiving proper treatment. (Psychology Today). The number of people left untreated does not have

The American mentally ill population faces numerous barriers to acquiring basic services that those without mental illness receive daily. Advocating for the mentally ill population gives a voice to those who cannot voice their problems or may not know how. Mental illness is often misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed. Individuals who are not properly diagnosed cannot receive necessary medical treatment which can help them live normal lives. When needed medical treatment is not made available, those who suffer often end up homeless, and frequently cycle in, and out of the judicial system because their

Mental health issues, a shadowed problem in the U.S, has affected millions across the nation. In the United States, there are many problems with its mental health service. People with mental disorders are in an inferior area with hospitals being shut down, they usually end up homeless, and sometimes they even end up in prison. Consequently, the U.S pays a large amount of money to go into holding these prisoners who could have been in mental hospitals. In addition to mental hospitals being closed, some people do not receive treatment or help towards their problems.

Mental illness refers to all diagnosable mental disorders defined as “health conditions that are characterized by alterations in thinking, mood or behavior (or some combination thereof) associated with distress and/or impaired functioning.” (Williams & Torrens, 2008, p. 221) With one in every five American adults experiencing mental illness, the resulting economic burden exceeds $300 billion per year to include approximately $100 billion in direct health care expenditures, $24 billion in disability benefits, and $193 billion in lost earnings. (Insel, 2008) This estimate is conservative as it excludes the components of incarceration, homelessness, comorbid conditions, early mortality and the incalculable costs to families that absorb much of the financial and emotional burdens of these illnesses. Despite the fact mental illness contributes over 6% to the nation’s health care spending; the United States (U.S.) mental health system has historically lacked integration with physical medicine and public policy support. (Insel, 2008)

Mental health issues, a shadowed problem in the U.S, has affected millions across the nation. In the United States there are many problems with its mental health service. People with mental disorders are in an inferior area with hospitals being shut down, they usually end up homeless, and sometimes they even end up in prison. Consequently, the U.S pays a large amount of money to go into holding these prisoners who could have been in mental hospitals. In addition to mental hospitals being closed, some people do not receive treatment or help towards their problems.

Unbeknownst to many, mental illness is very prevalent in society today. The National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) performed a study on the prevalence of mental illness among adults. The results were 32.4% of adults admitted to having some kind of mental illness within the last 12 months (Bagalman & Napili, 2014). However two thirds of these people do not seek treatment. Treatment is not sought out because of the stigma mental illness has (Thompson, 2011). People do not want to be labeled as needing medication for their illness. Mental illness can be treated and psychotic breaks prevented if people did not have a

Helping those battling serious mental illness is not just an issue of humanity; reform will make the mental health system more effective and cost-efficient.

About 43.8 million people are diagnosed with a mental illness per year in the U.S. Mental health treatment has become an important subject due to events of criminal cases, such as shootings, which are led by individuals who show signs of mental illness. Mental illnesses are as serious a condition as any physical health condition, however, they aren’t covered as such. There are many promising features about a mental health reform, however, it is difficult to present them when they are also opposing arguments. The policy towards a mental healthcare reform has been emphasized throughout America, though, there is yet to be a solution.

Mental illnesses are a serious problem worldwide, however, they often go untreated. This happens for a number of reasons such as stigma, lack of knowledge and counties personal failures to protect and provide for those who are in need. In order to protect those suffering from mental illnesses. Proper treatment and accommodations of mental health victims are often not provided, leading to further problems with these victims.

One in five Americans suffer from a mental illness (SoRelle). In a country where mental illness is common, victims are still afraid to seek help for their disease. More often than not, this is due to the negative stigma that surrounds it. Unfortunately, the refusal to garner help for mental illness can lead to negative consequences that are entirely preventable. Although there are negative stigmas that surround it, untreated mental illness leads to incarceration, suicide, and homelessness.

According to Chamberlin, in the past society deemed mental disorders for the “feeble-minded” and effectively scared them into exclusion (254). This made acquiring treatment difficult for the mentally ill. For example, in 2008, 10 million Americans did not receive the proper mental health care that was needed (260). If mental illness is left untreated, it could possibly be attributed to such life difficulties as unproductiveness at school, meager employment rates, poverty, and even imprisonment (254). Furthermore, psychological disorders are more common than people may think. According to Chamberlin, one out of every two Americans has a possibility of having a psychological disorder during their lives (253). Additionally, one out every five American adults is diagnosed yearly with a mental disorder (Marsh 1011). In short, not all mental illnesses are dangerous, and they should not be isolated from the world.

As many as 450 million people in the world are plagued by mental illnesses such as