Mental Illness And Poverty

Improved Essays
There are several contributing factors to an individual living in poverty. Mental illness either genetic or from trauma, affects the way an individual relates to other people, their ability to learn in a class room setting, gain and maintain employment, raise a child, maintain a residence, or have normal interactons with other members of society. Many choose to self-medicate with drugs and/or alcohol. Those who do take medication prescribed by a doctor, may start to feel better, and stop their treatment. Mental illness such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are used as a punch line. “She acts all bipolar” “He is mental, he is all scizo over there” This blame placed on the victim of a situation they are not in control of can cause those …show more content…
Drug use can cause mental illness. Negative and traumatic experiences can also cause mental illness. We are extremely aware of PTSD in soldiers, fire fighters, and law enforcement personnel right now. Not many people realize rape victims, can also suffer from PTSD. PTSD can change the way a person thinks, feels, and perceives reality. Many individuals who suffer from PTSD can be considered mentally ill. And like those born with mental illness, they are also susceptible to drug and alcohol abuse. This can lead to loss of income, family, housing, and support. In the case of the soldier there are strong opinions on both sides, “They signed up.” To “These are the individuals who protect our nation, we need to help them.” While it is true, they did sign up for a job, this in no way should give society permission to forget their efforts. Programs have been put in place to protect veterans, and there is therapy offered to fire fighters and law …show more content…
It is almost neglectful to not start teaching boundaries as soon as a child is younger. I believe a program should be created and offered to parents of school aged children to better understand and become knowledgeable about sexual assault who is at risk and how a conversation with a child could set a tone moving forward. This program should focus on individual boundaries, and talk about victimization. While I recognize this would be expensive, and time consuming, and not every person has the capacity to rape, there is not a lot of support for those who are. Which is why many times it goes unreported, for fear of retaliation, or being blamed. They should be taught early; it is never the victims fault. While some may say, this information is too graphic for a child, we live in a society where parents take their children to rated R movies, allow them to play call of duty, and Grand theft auto. If we are allowing children to view violence and sexual material, why are we not allowed to discuss rape with them at a younger age? Why are we not allowed to bring awareness to a younger crowed and discuss the outcome of a sexual assault on a victim? Teenage girls are more at risk of sexual assault. There is a great documentary on Netflix right now, is called “Aubrie and Daisy” I encourage anyone to watch as it is the true story of two different sexual assaults. It should be a basic human right, to live in a society where you are not at risk

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