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
We shall begin with a bit of its history, as well as what schizophrenia actually consists of. The word schizophrenia is less than one hundred years old, and means “the splitting of psychic functions.” It affects only about one percent of the world’s population, however those it does affect are comprised of all races and cultures, and socio-economic factors have no effect on who developments schizophrenia. It typically has an onset of late adolescence to early adulthood. BOOK CHAPTER 18, P.467 If a person reaches the age of thirty without being diagnosed with schizophrenia, that person has
Q1: Understanding the cases/differences: What was the average number of new HIV cases in Scott County in 2013? What was it in the first six months of 2015? What are the demographics of those diagnosed in 2015? (Describe them)
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.
The United States health care public safety net system largely provides healthcare services to the uninsured and the under insured. However, this vulnerable population still cannot access adequate care and compared to the privately insured population, the uninsured receive less preventative and specialty health care services. The need for safety net providers to improve the delivery and access to care has led to increased funding through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) as well the expanded community health centers (CHCs) (HealthCare.gov, 2010). Following the passage of the PPACA and increased federal support for the CHCs, the American public health care system witnessed significant changes. Some of these changes include increased access to healthcare, restructurings of private health coverages and containing Medicaid and Medicaid ().
With the huge diversity and changeability of human biology, it is impossible to imagine a reality without some mutations, changes, or issues in the organs and tissues of humans. Thus, it rightly follows that medications and pharmaceuticals have been created in an effort to counteract the various ailments and illnesses that people can experience. However, as time has gone on and these pharmaceuticals have become more and more high-tech, regulated, and trusted, they have also become incredibly commercialized. Worse still, medications have become incredibly expensive and can be unattainable for some people.
Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that affects millions of people and it should not be underestimated or ignored.
While many of the health risks that besiege Americans are fought by creating a vaccination or an antibiotic that can be administered to all who are infected, one of the greatest health risks facing America’s nation today is sadly an epidemic, not just of a physical nature but often times also with behavioral origins, and whose eradication has been one of the most difficult our nation faces. Obesity in the United States has increased with alarming rates over the last few decades, which has impacted our nation on several levels, including the financial burden from the continuing rise in healthcare costs and the diminishing quality of life – as well as the diminishing quantity of life – that many Americans face as obesity is comorbidly linked to a number of debilitating health conditions. According to data obtained from the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the CDC and other federal and state agencies have labored diligently on several fronts to reduce our country’s obesity problem, and the latest statistics indicate that certain populations are benefitting from their campaigns.
I believe that the United States is clearly taking action and are a part of the problem against the nation’s leading public health threats obesity, tobacco use and HIV/AIDS. These issues affect just about every racial and ethnic community, especially those who have limited health care. Yes, the public is well educated with the media and public service announcements about prevention of these health issues, but what about the problems that still exist and how much more can be done to intervene altogether.
Approximately 22% of the American population suffers from some kind of mental disorder at any given time. (Passer and Smith, 2004) Schizophrenia is one of the most serious of these mental disorders, and there are many different kinds of treatment. While all mental disorders offer diagnosis and treatment challenges, few are more challenging than schizophrenia. It is both bizarre and puzzling, and has been described as “one of the most challenging disorders to treat effectively.” (Passer and Smith, 2004, 534)
Public Health in The United States Health is being in a perfect state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing. According to the Bloomberg 2017 healthiest country index. The United States rank 34th out of 163rd in healthiest countries. Which is bad for a global superpower. One of the factor, why The Us is rank 34th, is because of the obesity epidemic.
1) How is public health financed in your state, province, or country? How does the current budget crisis impact Public Health and Community services in your area?
The United States has encountered numerous problems throughout its history. An ongoing problem that has affected millions of Americans is poor health. Poor health can be defined as two things: unstable mental state or unstable physical state. The United States of America has experienced both of these characteristics with its citizens. Americans have been hit hard with these health issues for decades. America is one of the unhealthiest countries in the world and many people do not understand why. There is a strong correlation between mental health and physical health. One health issue can lead to another, which in-turn, makes people feel as if they are trapped in a horrific cycle of living in poor conditions. This causes people to feel insecure about themselves emotionally and physically, creating disgust in themselves. One of the most challenging objectives for individuals is engaging in physical activity. This is the reason why health is an issue in America. Individuals who lack physical health can eventually lead to depression and other psychological issues and vice versa.
In America, obesity is found in relatively every community. Several factors contribute to this problem, three of them are dietary options, genetics, and inactive life styles. According to the National Center for Health Statistic, since the 1970’s the rate of obesity has doubled in children and adults. Unfortunately this public health problem, in America, is ongoing.
Millions of Americans across the country face health issues, but refuse to acknowledge them for different reasons. Some can’t afford health care; others ignore warning symptoms, and most just live everyday without paying attention to their bad habits. Society is constantly changing as time moves forward, which means health awareness is not too far behind. Medical communities are continuously working hard to keep up with health behaviors across the country. Before technology took the lead telephone surveillance was the best way to contact citizens in regards to how they maintained their health. Now that older measures are becoming less of an option health workers are developing more modern techniques when trying to collect data. It’s seems more people are interested in knowing how to live longer, but
One of the growing public health problems in the United States today is the spread of the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, among the American population. Beginning in the 1980s, the U.S. public health system has been working vigorously to come up with effective methods for preventing the spread of this debilitating virus. HIV has persistently stayed within the human population due to the continual transmission of the disease. Before widespread transmission of HIV, the two most transmissible way of contracting the disease was either using unsterile needles for drug use or by unprotected sex with partners who were infected – most of the infected individuals in the 1980s were those who were or had been in homosexual relationships.