Mental Illness In America Essay

801 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Technology and mental health

A mental illness is a condition that affects a person's thinking, feeling or mood. One in five Americans are diagnosed with some sort of mental illness each year. But what exactly is mental illness? This illness can affect one's social life, work and family relationships. One half of all mental illness begins by age 14 and 75% begins by age 24. With warning signs and detection, mental illness can be treated and improved upon. What is America doing now to prevent mental illness? I think more could be done. Imagine A seventeen year old girl grabs her lunch tote, sits down among friends, and pulls out her cell phone at school. She is lost in a sea of people as she texts on her phone through her lunch period as her friends and classmates talk …show more content…

However, is a common thread between them. The text they sent out was HOME to 741 741. This is a crisis text line that does not discriminate against age, gender, or public status. Just like mental illness. Mental illness knows no boundaries. Their text immediately receives a reply from a trained crisis counselor. An anonymous conversation helps the texter go from a place of isolation and sometimes, fear and panic to a feeling of calm and provides hope to the individual after counseling. This is just one service provided in the country to people that suffer from a mental illness. One single outlet that is offered to help the know they are not …show more content…

The Crisis text line is set up to help people from all walks of life to text in discreetly from anywhere , anytime of the day. This ensures that they get the help they need to help them cope with a bad day, bad moment or in some cases, bordering on taking their own life. The crisis text line is just one avenue of many that can be sought out after one experiences what feels like a mental illness or a manic episode. The referrals that are offered to the texters are endless. There are many different avenues that a person can take depending on the needs and the accessibility in the area that they

Show More
Related

  • A History of Mental Care in America

    563 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mental illness plagues one out of four American citizens. Mental illness varies greatly from person to person. The spectrum of mental illness includes many illnesses including, depression and anxiety as well as some more serious illnesses such as Down syndrome. All mental illness plays a role in how this person is going to function in society. These individuals have unique needs and individual strengths that need evaluated for proper care.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Mental Health in Canada

    1572 Words  | 4 Pages

    Mental health can described as being the psychological state of someone who is functioning at a satisfactory level of emotional and behavioural adjustment; this refers to our mental and emotional well-being. Once hearing that someone is mentally unhealthy, or has a mental illness, usually their first reaction is one of concern, fear, or confusion.

    Read More

  • What is Mental Illness?

    1860 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...ducate, Support, most of all changes need to be made. The definition of mental illness is a list of things but they can be overcome.

    Read More

  • Mental Health Crisis in the African American Community

    1727 Words  | 4 Pages

    Mental illness is an increasing problem in America. Currently about 26.2% of Americans suffer from a mental disorder. A mental illness/disorder is a medical condition that disrupts a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, and ability to relate to others and daily functions. Mental illness can affect humans of any age, race, gender and socioeconomic status. However the care that is needed to effectively cure and help the people affected by the illness is not equal for everyone here in American, especially for African Americans.

    Read More

  • Mental Health Disparities Essay

    831 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mental health disparities, “the power imbalances that impact practices influencing access, quality, and outcomes of behavioral health care, or a significant disparity in the overall rate of disease incidence, prevalence, morbidity, mortality, or survival rate in a specific group of people defined along racial and ethnic lines, as compared with the general population” (Safran, 2011). Although there are many mental health care dipartites, I’m going to focus on the impact of poverty and lack of attention given to mental health. By advocating for a prevention, promotion, and intervention related to mental health, will aid in minimizing mental health disparities. Not only is it important to advocate on a macro level, but it is important to educate

    Read More

  • Mental Illness and Mass Shooting

    1777 Words  | 4 Pages

    Spencer, Susan. “Mental Health First Aid: A Concept Whose Time Has Come.” Worcester Telegram & Gazette [Massachusetts] 15 Jan. 2014: n. pag. NewsBank Special Reports. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.

    Read More

  • Addiction Is A Problem Of Addiction

    791 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mental illness refers to a wide range of mental health conditions, or disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior ("Mental Illness"). Mental disorders are commonly left untreated for long periods of time because of the stigma our society has placed on mental issues. This forces individuals with mental illness to self-medication, frequently resulting in addictive behaviors. Persons with mental disorders seek ways to ease their discomfort and suffering. Marijuana can be used to treat an individuals depression or to ease pain. Stimulants can be used to get an otherwise lazy person motivated.

    Read More

  • Mental Illness In Australia Essay

    1009 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mental illness in Australia is prevalent in younger generations from age 19 to 25. The women are affected more than the men are. Mental health problems are not adequately addressed in Australia. Hence, new steps and more focus is needed in mental care department (landstedt et al., 2016).The children in Australia are at a high risk of developing mental illness in adulthood. A survey was made to evaluate the reasons and prevalence of the mental illness in the children or from infancy. Since early childhood, there is a chance of 51.7% of mental illness. The reasons determined can be modified. The reasons include the behavioral aspect of the parents. Risk increases with smoking and alcohol consumption by the mother. This may result in mental illness

    Read More

  • Essay On Mental Health In America

    541 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mental Health treatment disparities amongst under-class white and African American women. Mental health used to be a taboo topic to discuss in public, or even to the people closest to you. Now it is becoming more acceptable to talk about some aspects of the once controversial topic. Everywhere people look now they are being constantly reminded about how important mental health awareness is, whether it be a suicide prevention hotline posters, celebrities raising awareness on social media, or even in movies. Mental Health is an upcoming social topic that is rightfully becoming more socially acceptable to discuss rather than sweep it under the rug. It is very important that awareness is being practiced whether it be for more common illnesses like depression , or something more serious like schizophrenia it is important that people are educated about mental illnesses so they know how to cope with them, and treat them Although the solution sounds easy it isn't because not everyone has equal access to mental health treatment.There are invisible barriers in the way for some people when it comes to access to mental health treatment. Race and class are two variables that are huge

    Read More

  • Homelessness In Relation To Homelessness Essay

    749 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mental illness is a condition that interrupts a person’s thought process, mood, emotion and ability to relate to others as well as daily functioning (Halter, 2014). Approximately 20-25% of adult homeless population suffers from some form of mental illness. Mental disorders prevent people from carrying out activities of daily living, such as self-care, household management, interpersonal relationships and maintaining a job.

    Read More

  • Mental Illness Essay

    1958 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are so many types of mental illnesses that affect people every day. When some people think of mental illnesses they think of the ones that would cause people to have physical symptoms as well, but that’s untrue, there are many more that you would never know anyone has if you were to see them on the street. As defined by the 2008 encyclopedia “a mental illness is any disease of the mind or brain that seriously affects a person’s ability or behavior. Symptoms of a mental illness may include extreme moods, such as excessive sadness or anxiety, or a decreased ability to think clearly or remember well.” A mentally ill person has severe symptoms that damage the person’s ability to function in everyday activities and situations. Every nation and every economic level can be affected by a mental illness. In the United States alone about 3% of the population has severe mental illness and to add to that number about 40% of people will experience a type of mental illness at least once in their lives. Some cases of mental illnesses can go away on their own, but some cases are so severe that they require professional treatment. There is so much more available to help people recover from their symptoms than in the past.

    Read More

  • Disaster Mental Health

    1076 Words  | 3 Pages

    Necessary Behavioral Mental Health intervention does not end at the point first responders have successfully contained the actual crisis. The ongoing need for Behavioral Mental Health services will continue for an extended length of time when a traumatic event such as that depicted in the scenario occur. A copious number of individuals will have ...

    Read More

  • Essay For Interest In Mental Health

    544 Words  | 2 Pages

    The human brain is a unique, complex and a beautiful piece of art; thus driven me to gain interest in Mental Health. I am obliged to have the opportunity to study a stimulating course. Being able to help individuals in need would be rewarding and fulfilling, I have always had a positive attitude towards caring for others. I believe I have the qualities needed to be a Mental Health Nurse. My communication skills are of high standard, I have patience and compassion which I developed during my work experiences.

    Read More

  • CIT Model Of Crisis Intervention

    1277 Words  | 3 Pages

    They not only have to handle such calls with a tactical and safe approach, but they have to handle these people with empathy and understanding. If someone poses as a threat to themselves or others, officers need to be able to gain control of the person without having to call a negotiation team and preferably with a low-lethality method. Interventions they may use include de-escalation, risk assessment, and lethality determination. Officers are also responsible to use good discretion when determining whether a person should enter the mental health system or the criminal justice system. With crisis intervention training, officers can prevent a number of mental health crises by understanding the nature of these calls and can develop better discretion, as well as develop patience and compassion. Sometimes it is better to be patient with a mentally ill person, rather than trying to clear the call as quickly as possible. Patiently managing a situation with a person suffering from severe symptoms of mental illness ensures not just their own safety, but others’ safety as well. Giving the person clear choices during the interaction will also help facilitate a positive and patient interaction. Patiently managing a mentally ill person can prevent detainment, which is a big goal of CIT. Too many mentally ill people are ending up in jails where they receive little to no treatment at

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Mental Illness

    2459 Words  | 5 Pages

    Mental illness is one of the growing illnesses in the United States. According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness”1 in 5 adults experiences a mental health condition every year. 1 in 20 lives with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. ” If the person has five family members, one of them could be diagnosed with mental illness.

    Read More

More about Mental Illness In America Essay

Open Document