The Pros And Cons Of Mental Illnesses

As defined by experts, a mental illness is a clinically significant behavioral or psychological syndrome or pattern that occurs in an individual and involves changes in thinking, emotion, behavior, interpersonal interactions, daily functioning, or a combination. The causes of mental illness are complex and vary depending on the theories associated to the different biological, psychological, and environmental factors. The etiology of mental illness is based on five broad models: biological, psychological, behavioral, cognitive, and social.

Mental illness is a term which is used when a persons mind is affected in some way by a group of illnesses (Ministry of Health [MOH], 2012).

It is often a result of a person’s childhood, a tragedy, or even a death. “Mental illness, could also be called a mental disorder, is an anomalous behavior pattern that causes suffering and an inability to function in your regular ordinary life. Medical researchers have shown that psychiatric disorders are diseases of the brain, and then should be treated medically. Mental illnesses can arise from many causes, including both biological and situational. Most doctors use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder in order to diagnose mental illness.

Access to mental health care is not as good as than other forms of medical services. Some Americans have reduced access to mental health care amenities because they are living in a countryside setting. Others cannot get to treatment for the reason of shortage of transportation or vast work and household tasks. In some areas, when a

According to the World Health Organization, mental illness will affect approximately 25% of people at some point in their life (“WHO Qualityrights”, n.d.). Despite that, the current mental health care system in the United States is inadequate. Many aspects of the system need improving, especially the barriers to service. In fact, approximately 20% of individuals are left without necessary treatment for their mental health disorder (“Mental Health”, 2016). Mentally ill individuals have difficulty accessing necessary mental health care services for various reasons; insurance, socioeconomic status, and mental health stigma can all function as barriers to treatment. Insurance discrimination can make it difficult for individuals to find treatment (Han, Call, Pintor, Alarcon-Espinoza, & Simon, 2015). Gaps in insurance coverage can also be a barrier, as they disrupt the long-term treatment process (Gulley, Rasch, & Chan 2011). Socioeconomic status has been found to negatively affect appointment scheduling (Kugelmass, 2016). Finally, stigma in our society can also stop people from seeking out treatment that they need (Bathje & Pryor, 2011). The mental health system in the United States is not capable of caring for the mentally ill, as insurance, socioeconomic status, and perceived stigma all act as barriers that prevent people from receiving the treatment they need.

The inadequacy of access to treatment has been slowly improving. However, 55.8% of adults with a mental illness received no treatment (Mental Health in America Access to Care Data , 2017).

According to stateline.org, “In 2014, 43.6 million adults had a mental illness... Fewer than half of these people received treatment” (Ollove). Mental health disorders are a growing epidemic in the United States. Tens of thousands are diagnosed each year, however few decide to seek treatment. Costly medications and treatment options are often to blame, as they are difficult for patients to afford. Mental health care coverage should be included in all health insurance plans because mental health disorders should be treated the same as any physical illness, it benefits society as a whole, and many mentally ill patients cannot afford necessary medication or care.

Mental illness is a medical condition that disturbs a person’s way of thinking, feeling, their mood, and the ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Whereas serious mental illness includes major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder.

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.

And so, state and local policies have the biggest impact on access to mental health care. Therefore, decisions within these policies will reflect changes that support constituencies are suffering from mental health problems. For example, states that have active laws supporting an implementation of mental health parity laws and the Affordable Care Act show more improvements in access to insurance, treatment providers, treatment types, and sufficient finances to cover costs (Mental Health in America - Access to Care Data). In addition, providing accessible screening tools and encouraging primary care physicians to screen mental health problems are vastly necessary in deterring untreated mental illness (Mental Health in America - Access to Care

To understand what mental illness is you have to know what it means. Mental health is the state of our well-being. Mental health has to do with the mind. According to thefreedictionary.com mental health is “a state of emotional and psychological well-being in which an individual is able to use his or her cognitive and emotional capabilities, function in society, and meet the ordinary demands of everyday life”. Mental illness are behavioral, psychological, and emotional disorders that effect the mind. Mental illness is not something that should be avoided. There many different types of mental illnesses. There are also mental healthcare services that can help people with their mental illnesses.

The disease burden of mental illness is among the highest of all diseases. It is estimated that per year, 18.1% (43.6 million) of U.S. adults ages 18 years or older suffer from mental illness and 4.2% (9.8 million) suffer from a seriously debilitating mental illness (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2016). More people are seeking treatment, however the shortage of mental heath workers and cuts in federal funding are causing many to fall through the cracks. New and alternative approaches to treatment are needed to mend these cracks in care delivery (Van Lith, Schofield & Fenner, 2013).

Mental illness is a multi-layered part of an individual which impacts thinking, mood and behavior. Normally mental illness causes distress in social, work or family relationships. Mental illness pathology can be rooted in different areas of each individual such as genetics, environment, the biology of the brain, interpersonal and sociocultural factors.

Lack of access to mental health care and treatment is one of the top ten reasons that many mental health conditions go untreated. Many private and group health insurance plans only include minimal mental health care coverage or do not incorporate mental health care coverage at all. Over half of adult citizens of the United States of America, who possess a mental illness, do not obtain mental health care treatment. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, one out of every five adults in America have endured their own mental health difficulty, and one out of every twenty-five American adults suffer from a severe mental illness, such as major depression, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder. (Top 5 Barriers to Mental Healthcare Access, Social Solutions.com, 2017)

Mental illnesses are health conditions that can affect behavior, emotion, or thinking. Mental illness causes distress or problems for the social aspects in someone's life. Mental illnesses can affect anyone; it does not matter your gender, age, ethnicity,