preview

Public Health Concern Within The United States Essay

Decent Essays

2016 reports state that there has been a 4 percent increase of American adults suffering from mental illness (18.53 percent) when compared to 2015 (18.19 percent) (“2016 State of Mental Health in America - Adult Data”, MHA). Mental disorders have been a continuous public health concern within the United States, one of most chronic, disabling, costly, and recognizable being Schizophrenia. Contrary to popular belief, this mental disorder is rather common, an estimated 1.5 percent of the United States population being diagnosed within their lifetime (“What is Schizophrenia?”, SRF). Although treatment provided by specialty services may be highly effective, only 44 percent of Americans diagnosed seek treatment. In order to encourage that number to rise, the United States government needs to update the costs per treatment, increase the effectivity, and inform the population of the demands it deserves in order to achieve effective recoveries. Schizophrenia has been defined as a biological disorder that affects an individual 's emotional, behavioral, and cognitive abilities. Recent reports state that nearly half of all individuals diagnosed with serious mental illnesses have not seeked out treatment. Those who are mindful of their illness do not consider treatment for many reasons, including the fact that 20 percent of individuals feel that it is “too expensive” (“Schizophrenia Facts & Statistics”). “The overall U.S. 2002 cost of schizophrenia... was estimated to be $62.7

Get Access