Should mental health treatment be a greater social concern?
In the U.S. it is estimated that in any given year 1 in 4 adults will be diagnosable for one or more mental health disorders (Kessler, Chiu, Demler, & Walters 2005, "Prevelance, severity, and comorbidity of twelve-month DSM-IV disorders" in *The Archives of General Psychiatry*)
Furthermore, approximately 1/2 of the national population "will meet hte criteria for a DSM-IV disorder sometime in their life" (Kessler, Berglund, Demler, Jin, & Walters, 2005, "Liftime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders" in *The Archives of General Psychiatry*)
SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) also found in 2008 that just over half (58.7 percent) of adults in the United States with a serious mental illness (SMI) received treatment for a mental health problem. It has also been observed that the mental health care system is inadequate for meeting the demand upon its services.
Should the U.S. be taking its mental health situation more seriously? Should mental health care and treatment be receiving greater attention as a social concern than it currently is?
Yes
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No
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Mental health care should be a priority of the state and be fully covered by state funds. Mental health issues are one of the leading causes of morbidity, resulting is days off work, losses of tax revenue, and incur a plethora of social service costs. Timely and effective intervention would offset these costs thereby boosting the overall budget in the long-term. Side: Yes
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I think it's a waste of money. If you know you're going to have a mentally disabled child then YOU pay every cent for services for that child. That is not our job. If they are unfit to exist in modern society then they should be removed from it and institutionalized for life. Abort it, or pay every cent to keep it under control. Now of course im speaking of severe mental illness. Certainly not for low spectrum autism or simple social disorders. Theres nothing wrong with those. But if you have someone that is a braindead vegetable or a psychopath, they need to be removed. Theyre a waste of money and effort. They have nothing to return to society so they dont deserve societys help. Side: Yes
I think you might be confusing mental illness and disorder with mental disability? They are medically distinct, with the former being a consequence of brain chemistry and function while the latter are physical and developmental conditions. Also, psychopathy is a rather misunderstood condition. A small proportion of those diagnosable for psychopathy are anti-social or violent, and many are actually contributing members of their communities and work as surgeons, attorneys, politicians, and so forth. More importantly, for those diagnosable with a disorder that does inhibit their participation in society not treating them and providing care exacerbates the situation for them and society. Mental health treatment also includes civil commitment for those who are a danger to themselves or to others, but the current system is largely inadequate for pursuing this objective. Side: No
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mental health treatment should be a greater social concern. Mental health is an integral part of overall well-being, and it affects individuals, families, communities, and societies as a whole. waterproofing contractor Side: No
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