Mental illness

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In the United States 2,193,798 people are held in Federal prisons, local prisons and local/county jails. In local prisons 64.2 % of the inmates have a mental illness, 56.2 % in Federal prisons and 44.8 % in state prisons. Most of the inmates could have prevented their stay at the prisons if they were provided help for their illness, however they were not and they still have to serve their sentenced time. The inmates locked up are abused daily by other inmates or even the officers in charge. They cannot help they have illness and it is not fair that they have to suffer a punishment worse than they already have to. They are tormented and the abuse does not help their situation, the agitation can even make their condition worse, and the treatment for their illness is low quality if there is any at all. They are given harsh punishments or can even have their sentence made longer. Many people go about their lives not knowing that they have a mental illness. Some like anxiety and panic disorders are easily spotted some are not if they aren’t talked about you would never know that the person was diagnosed with anything. Some commonly known illnesses would be: ADD/ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), OCD (Obsessive compulsive disorder), PTS (Post Traumatic Stress disorder), autism, depression, and eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia. The lesser known illnesses include: SAD (Seasonal Affective disorder), Schizophrenia, Bipolar and Personality disorders, anxiety and panic disorders. There is also an increase in dual diagnosis, in which the person is diagnosed with both a mental disorder and substance abuse (Alcohol and or prescription or non-prescription drugs). It is estimated that 26.2 percent of the American Populati... ... middle of paper ... ...n it already is. Many jails and prisons do not have the funds to supply the inmates with treatment for their mental illness, and what little they do have barely causes a dent in the problem. Many who need medication cannot afford it. It is unfair and should be brought to state’s attention to get help for these people. They get raped or they get bribed with things they want like coffee or snacks. They do not get any special treatment even if it is symptom. The guards treat them just like any other inmate they are in prison with, but they are not normal people they need special care and they are not being properly cared for in the prisons. They are treated terribly, but whether they are in prisons or out on the streets they are still getting judged, tormented, taken advantage of and they commit suicide. The ones who cannot afford help live their whole life suffering.

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