Letter To Adequate Mental Illness

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ear Borough President Adams:

I am a registered nurse who currently lives and works in Brooklyn New York where I have spent the majority of my adult life. I am currently working in the departemtn of acute Psychiatry at an academic medical center. I am writing to you to express my gratitude for all of the work you have done in regards to health care matters and to ask you to support the execution of better and more effective management of mental health disorders. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), it is estimated that 1 in 5 adults in the U.S experiences mental illness which accounts for 43.8 million which is 18.5% of the U.S. populations. It was also reported that 1 in 25 adults in the U.S. experienced a serious form of mental illness which interferes with activities of daily living. Mental illness does not only target adults, it was estimated that 1 in 5(21.4%) adolescents ages 13–18years old experienced a profound mental illness (2016). mental illness and substance abuse have surpassed diabetes, strokes and HIV as the leading cause of non-fetal illness across the world (whiteford et al., 2013). The World Health Organization (WHO) defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. …show more content…

Mental illness is accompanied by a stigma and interferes with almost all aspects of one’s life. The type, severity and duration of the illness vary from one individual to the next. The delay or absence of treatment for patients with mental illness has serious consequences. mental illness costs the U.S. government an estimated $193.2 billion annually in lost earnings. (Insel, 2008). According to Colton & Manderscheid, mental illness and physical illness is one of the same and both conditions should be provided together within the healthcare system

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