America's Silent Killer

Mental Illness

Personally, I don't have a history of mental illnesses, but I have watched friends and family struggle with different mental illnesses.  Their battle isn't pretty, and it often goes on far too long before anyone sees the signs and offers help.  It seems that this delay in help is partially due to the stigma around mental illnesses, and also due to the general lack of knowledge.  Mental Illnesses aren't talked about; not in High School health classes or science classes, and rarely in college classes.  When more people are dying than in previous years due to mental illnesses, why isn't there more discussion on this topic?  What will it take for people to finally view mental illnesses as a real disease and not some made-up excuse?  

Photo via Wikipedia

Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the United states suffer from mental illnesses, and 56% of them don't receive any treatment (Mental Health America, 2017).  For those who seek treatment for their illness, many qualified professionals downplay or all together ignore their symptoms - discouraging people from seeking treatment elsewhere.  

In March, Time magazine published "Record Numbers of College Students Are Seeking Treatment for Depression and Anxiety - But Schools Can't Keep Up".  This article featured a fellow student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and her experience was especially eye-opening for myself.  To hear of her struggle with the Health Center and other students' similar encounters at different U.S colleges should be enough to make people realize the inadequacy of college health centers.  

This inadequacy circles back to the stigma and lack of education regarding mental illnesses especially when there are doctors and health care providers who state, "With the right kind of care, people with serious mental illness can integrate back into society" (Dr. Dawn Velligan, a professor and clinic director).  America citizens needs our doctors and professionals to start seeing the severity and validity of mental illnesses so that the public will, too.