Mental Health In America Essay

Thousands of American citizens suffer from one or more mental disorders, and unfortunately are ignored. These mental disorders are a wide range of conditions that affect mood, thinking, and behavior. In a country where mental illness is common, many suffering still feel as though they can not reach out for support. In the United States, there is a negative stigma around seeking help for the mentally ill, as it has always been easier to obtain physical health care, over mental health care. Treating the mental health crisis in America results in a decrease in unemployment, decline in substance abuse, and lowers the rate of incarceration.

Unemployment has detrimental impacts on mental wellbeing as it can cause stress, discouragement, and financial

Roughly fifty percent of people who struggle with severe mental health problems also will face some form of substance abuse. There are a wide range of mental disorders some of these include anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. “Depression is a serious problem that impacts every aspect of life. Left untreated, depression can lead to problems at home and school, drug abuse, self-loathing” (Dumke, Lisa Flores, et al). Many people struggling with mental illnesses will turn to drugs and alcohol to self-medicate by numbing their thoughts and feelings. Substance abuse can quickly turn into substance disorders and dependencies, if not treated correctly. “NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) estimates the cost of untreated mental illness is $100 billion dollars per year in the U.S. Further, those affected can face homelessness, substance abuse and suicide” ("Mental Illness Is Prevalent in America."). When recovering from these mental illnesses individuals may also recover from their substance abuse disorders. Which can be increasingly difficult for many to do, and explains why these patients deserve the appropriate medical care and

“There are approximately twenty percent of jail inmates and fifteen percent of state-prison inmates with severe mental illnesses” (Torrey and Satel). Individuals with mental disorders are often characterized to be vicious, threatening, and unpredictable. Mentally ill people are often more vulnerable to violent behaviors if they are unable to receive the appropriate treatment. Those who suffer with serious mental health problems are not all dangerous, and should be institutionalized before incarceration "Severely mentally ill people are the ones who are populating our jails, unfortunately because our system clearly has problems'' (Stepman). If the United States focused more on mental health treatment and prevention, there would be a decreased population in our prison