Final thoughts…

Raising awareness about mental illness is the first step in diminishing the discrimination that often comes with it.  Thank you so much for following our blog and joining the fight against Mental Health Discrimination.  To continue learning about this cause, there are many organizations you can follow that are dedicated to supporting those affected by mental illness.  The National Alliance on Mental Illness is one leading organization that raises money and awareness for mental health each year through walks, advocacy talks, conventions, and awareness events around the country.

As our nation grows in innovations and scientific discoveries, we learn more about how to better our society.  This includes deleting discrimination against minority populations. This includes those with mental illness, and it is our responsibility to not allow them to be forgotten.

How Changes Have Been Made in the Mental Health Community

In the article “Mental Health Stigmas Are Shifting”, it states that the stigma mental health has had seems to be shifting in a positive direction. Results from a survey on mental health says 90% of Americans stated that they believe mental health and physical health are equally as important, and value both the same. There has been a lot of progress over the years on how people view mental health and realizing the importance it plays in people’s lives. This survey also shows that people ages 18-24 have become increasingly more comfortable when it comes to seeking medical attention and are viewing it as a sign of being strong as they are able to have the courage to do something about it.

Aside from the stigma shifting, there are also various positive things being done when it comes to mental health. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is an association that advocates from support and services in schools. NAMI focuses on implementing programs by having trained mental health professionals come into schools and provide mental health care as well as provide different resources available for the children. Their goal is to provide assistance and support which would lessen the misperception that youths face when it comes to their mental health conditions. NAMI supports the Mental Health in Schools Act which provides federal funding to train and work with school staff on mental health and to create a more positive community when it comes to the mental health system.

There are many different organizations who are implementing the importance of mental health and why others should be educated as well as feeling comfortable enough to seek treatment. The MHA, Mental Health America, is an organization in which their goal is to have recovery for everyone, regardless of the mental health conditions people face. MHA fights to improve the system for those who face mental health conditions. They fight to ensure easy access to quality treatment, as well as reducing incarceration, homelessness, and discrimination. The MHA has and continues to focus on working toward a community in which mental health is prioritized and that those who face these problems feel encouraged enough to seek help towards a road to recovery.

Many people believe that there is discrimination and a stigma when it comes to mental health. However, many don’t realize the growth that has occurred when it comes to mental health awareness. There are constant shifts in the mental health community as well as programs and organizations that solely focus on improving services and support for anyone who struggles with mental health. People have come a long way with mental health and it continues to positively increase as other’s continue to be educated on mental health and the role it plays in someone’s everyday life.  

Professionals Do Not Take Mental Health Seriously

There is a stigma that mental illness is not taken as seriously as it should be. It is very commonly said that doctors do not take mental health as seriously in comparison to physical health. There are constant stereotypes for those who are affected by mental illnesses and could potentially be leading to many not getting the correct medical treatment they should be receiving.

There was a study back in 2016 that found that doctors neglect to follow up with their patients who have been diagnosed with depression as compared to those who have a chronic physical illness.Those who have physical conditions were treated appropriately as doctors would explain to their patients what their condition was, as well as how to treat it. However, those who suffered from depression, did not receive nearly the same amount of treatment.

As if mental health wasn’t pushed to the side enough, at least 14 studies have shown that patients who have a mental illness receive far inferior medical treatment then “normal” people. It is most common that those who suffer from bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and major depression are wrongly diagnosed and receive much less medical care.

State and federal governments are not helping these issues as budget cuts have led to people not receiving the care they should. This is a major issue for those who have low incomes. It is said that 1 in every 6 adults living at the poverty line have mental illnesses and are unable to afford treatment. Mental illnesses that are untreated in the United States “cost over $100 billion a year in lost productivity” according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Mental health is most definitely seen as a political issue and many political leaders are speaking out about it in order to change this negative stigma. Around 92% of people who have a physical health condition are treated accordingly, whereas only 26% of people with mental health conditions receive the right care. This is seen as a political issue because seeking treatment for mental illness is much harder to access than those seeking treatment for physical health conditions.

It is necessary that people continue to change the negative stigma associated with mental illness. Changing the attitudes of mental health could lead to doctors properly treating those who suffer from mental illnesses, making it known that it is just as important as physical health conditions. Continuing to educate people on mental health and speak out like campaigns such as “Time to Change” will allow others to fully understand the importance of mental health and seeking proper treatment. This could lead to doctors and governments taking it as seriously as it needs to be and properly addressing mental health and those who are affected by it.

Actually, People with Mental Illness are No More Violent than Anyone Else.

So far in 2018, 34 mass shooting incidents have occurred in the United States, according to data from the gun violence archive. This unsettling statistic has caused a general unrest in the country, and many people have scapegoated mental illness to provide an answer to this issue.  

However, the statistics on mental illness and the United States’ levels of mass shootings do not match up. Relatively, the number of people living with mental illness in the U.S. is equal to that of other prosperous countries around the world.   But there are significantly many more mass shootings in the U.S. than anywhere else on the globe.

Additionally, an academic study in 2016 found that only 4% of violence was caused by mental illness alone.   Using mental illness as an excuse for the high mass shooting rates in the United States is incorrect and contributes to the frequency of discrimination toward people with mental illness.

Not only are mental illness and violence not directly related, but people with mental illness are more likely to be victims of violent situations.  In fact, people living with mental health illnesses are 10 times more likely to be the victim of a violent crime.

When people with mild to serious mental illness do not receive treatment, they can quickly become ostracized from others, unemployed, and homeless.  This puts people who have a mental illness, and are no more violent than those without, in risky situations.

Regarding police brutality, people with mental illness are also statistically more at risk. People with mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed by police. Discrimination against people with mental health issues plus the lack of understanding about how to address people with mental illness contribute to these numbers.  Approximately 1 in every 10 police encounters involves a person with mental illness, however many police are not properly trained on how to approach someone who’s mentally ill.

Perpetuating the falsity that people who are mentally ill are dangerous or more violent than those who do not suffer from mental illness is completely backward.  This idea keeps society ignorant and biased towards the mentally ill, prevents those with mental illness from receiving the treatment they need, and puts them at a greater risk of being the victims of violence and being killed unnecessarily by police.  If we, instead, disseminate the idea that the mentally ill are no more violent than anyone else and simply require some medical attention, we can begin to diminish discrimination of people with mental health issues.