One in four adults, approximately 61.5 million Americans, experience mental illness in any given year. One in seventeen, about 13.6 million, live with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder (Drug Abuse and Mental Illness Fast Facts). Many may not realize the large number of people who deal with mental illnesses, nor do they understand mental illness. The lack of knowledge about mental illness leads to misconceptions about the connection between mental illness and violence.
Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Mental illnesses usually strike individuals at important times in their lives, often …show more content…
Of those that reported suffering from mental illness 25 percent had been mentally ill during the previous year and 6 percent had experienced a severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, within the past year (Misconceptions about Madness and Mayhem). Disturbingly, substance abuse and dependence, anxiety disorders, and nonpsychotic depression are far more common than severe mental illness (Misconceptions about Madness and Mayhem). Those suffering from a mental illness may use a combination of both counseling and medication to help relieve their symptoms. In order for counseling and medication to produce the best results, the illness must be detected early. The earlier it is detected the better the chances are for recovery. Early detection allows access to the treatment and recovery support necessary to reduce major symptoms, prevent more symptoms from forming, and help with a quicker …show more content…
The President stated, “We need to identify mental health issues early and help individuals get the treatment they need before these dangerous situations develop (Now is the Time).” With that in mind, the President has proposed a new program called Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education (AWARE) with a goal to reach 750,000 young people with mental illness and refer them to treatment (Szabo). The plan notes that 75 percent of mental illness appear by age 24. AWARE would direct $15 million to train teachers and other adults to detect and respond to mental illness in children and adolescents, as well as another $40 million to help school districts and other community institutions make sure young people get help they need (Szabo). Currently less than half of the children and adults with diagnosable mental health issues receive the correct help they need (Now is the Time). President Obama said, “We are going to need to work on making access to mental health care as easy as access to a gun (Now is the Time).”
Somehow the American public seems to find comfort in explaining away vicious acts of violence by attributing them to mental illness. Unfortunately, the American public doesn’t understand mental illness and so they rely on misconceptions to help them cope with these
Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Mental illnesses usually strike individuals at important times in their lives, often …show more content…
Of those that reported suffering from mental illness 25 percent had been mentally ill during the previous year and 6 percent had experienced a severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, within the past year (Misconceptions about Madness and Mayhem). Disturbingly, substance abuse and dependence, anxiety disorders, and nonpsychotic depression are far more common than severe mental illness (Misconceptions about Madness and Mayhem). Those suffering from a mental illness may use a combination of both counseling and medication to help relieve their symptoms. In order for counseling and medication to produce the best results, the illness must be detected early. The earlier it is detected the better the chances are for recovery. Early detection allows access to the treatment and recovery support necessary to reduce major symptoms, prevent more symptoms from forming, and help with a quicker …show more content…
The President stated, “We need to identify mental health issues early and help individuals get the treatment they need before these dangerous situations develop (Now is the Time).” With that in mind, the President has proposed a new program called Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education (AWARE) with a goal to reach 750,000 young people with mental illness and refer them to treatment (Szabo). The plan notes that 75 percent of mental illness appear by age 24. AWARE would direct $15 million to train teachers and other adults to detect and respond to mental illness in children and adolescents, as well as another $40 million to help school districts and other community institutions make sure young people get help they need (Szabo). Currently less than half of the children and adults with diagnosable mental health issues receive the correct help they need (Now is the Time). President Obama said, “We are going to need to work on making access to mental health care as easy as access to a gun (Now is the Time).”
Somehow the American public seems to find comfort in explaining away vicious acts of violence by attributing them to mental illness. Unfortunately, the American public doesn’t understand mental illness and so they rely on misconceptions to help them cope with these