Many of the violent events that have occurred in our nation’s recent history have a common theme; the offenders have a history of mental illness. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration reported that in 2012 approximately 43.7 million (18.6%) American adults had a diagnosable mental illness in the previous year with 9.6 million (4.1%) considered to be serious mental illnesses.1
Many people who experience mental illness will never hurt others but will consider or commit suicide, a leading cause of death in the US. Many others will be tortured by their illness throughout their lives. Often, friends, family members and professionals can look back over affected peoples’ struggles with their illness and point to missed chances …show more content…
However, it did not provide long-term funding, leaving the states to assume that responsibility.3 Unfortunately, the states have not recognized the importance of funding community mental health services. Mental health care has consistently been one of the first things to experience cuts when the states need to balance their budgets. The recent recession in the US that lasted from 2007-2009 highlights this trend. In the four years that followed the recession, the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) estimated that “states cut $4.35 billion in mental health services, while an additional one million people sought help at public mental health facilities during this …show more content…
With better funding, policy changes and a push to improve how society views mental illness in an effort to change stigma- people may finally have the resources available for effective treatment. The final area of focus should be with the mental health of young people.
Focusing on mental health in young people presents interesting opportunities. It is a time that dictates the future not only for the individual, but also for society as a whole. It is a time for education, building social relationships and entering the job market. However, the narrow age range of 12-24 years is also the time of onset for “most disorders likely to persist into adult life, including depressive and anxiety disorders, psychoses, substance use, and eating and personality
Many people who experience mental illness will never hurt others but will consider or commit suicide, a leading cause of death in the US. Many others will be tortured by their illness throughout their lives. Often, friends, family members and professionals can look back over affected peoples’ struggles with their illness and point to missed chances …show more content…
However, it did not provide long-term funding, leaving the states to assume that responsibility.3 Unfortunately, the states have not recognized the importance of funding community mental health services. Mental health care has consistently been one of the first things to experience cuts when the states need to balance their budgets. The recent recession in the US that lasted from 2007-2009 highlights this trend. In the four years that followed the recession, the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) estimated that “states cut $4.35 billion in mental health services, while an additional one million people sought help at public mental health facilities during this …show more content…
With better funding, policy changes and a push to improve how society views mental illness in an effort to change stigma- people may finally have the resources available for effective treatment. The final area of focus should be with the mental health of young people.
Focusing on mental health in young people presents interesting opportunities. It is a time that dictates the future not only for the individual, but also for society as a whole. It is a time for education, building social relationships and entering the job market. However, the narrow age range of 12-24 years is also the time of onset for “most disorders likely to persist into adult life, including depressive and anxiety disorders, psychoses, substance use, and eating and personality