Releasing the stigma of mental illness
Mental illness is a diagnosis that people are ashamed to admit having ties to. An unfortunate stigma has been attached to having a mental illness and it is causing devastating harm to not only those with mental illness but to society as a whole. People affected by mental illness are less likely to seek treatment due to the discrimination the mentally ill community receives. Jail and prison systems are overrun by mentally ill inmates who would better benefit from treatment than incarceration. The ignorance of mental health also causes major discrepancy between the benefits for physical illness for mental illness. By bringing awareness and education to the uninformed, society can rebuild the reputation of being mentally ill.
Fear is a major issue for those with mental illness. This fear is common on both sides of the fence. Violence towards, as wells as mistrust of, the mentally ill are common. The mentally ill already have fear of their disease and when the stigma of mental illness comes down upon them, they have to battle more fear to prove themselves capable and safe. Families are known to disown a family member because of mental illness. When, as a society, are we going to take the steps to bring equality forward for the mentally ill? The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports that “nearly two-thirds of all people with a diagnosable mental illness do not seek treatment.” That is two thirds of people who could be suffering from mildly to severely that are not seeking treatment due to the way society views mental illness. It is against Civil Rights laws to discriminate against the mentally ill and yet the stigma is so severe that many aren’t even taking a chance to be judged.
The United States has been overwhelmed with mentally ill inmates since the closure of the asylums in the 1970’s. The stigma that is forcing people to refuse treatment is the same stigma that is causing the overrepresentation of mentally ill within the jail and prison systems. States that have begun using a “mental health court” for mentally ill offenders have reported a significant decrease in not only the readmission of mentally ill inmates in incarceration, but in costs surrounding the mentally ill as well. Psychiatric therapy and drugs are quite costly and can have devastating physical side effects. By incarcerating the mentally ill, the jail and prison systems are having to absorb the costs of something that was budgeted into the mental health funding, rather than the justice system funding. This means more taxes paid from society. Because inmates are barred from Medicaid, many mentally ill do not receive treatment while jailed due to lack of funding. Many times the treatment given in jail would be considered inadequate to treatment given on the outside. Once again, education can help us make strides in closing the gap for mentally ill who are being incarcerated.
Because mental illness is something that a person cannot see on the outside, it causes many doubts. Some naysayers say that mental illness is something that is just a character weakness or flaw. What the naysayers do not understand is that being afflicted with a mental disorder is no more in their control than getting cancer or heart failure. The discrimination from the sigma means that insurance companies limit mental health benefits and that charitable funding is lacking. According to NAMI, around 61.5 million people experience mental illness within a one year span; of those 61.5 million, 13.6 million suffer from serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder. 13.6 million is approximately the same amount of people who are fighting cancer. NAMI refers to a National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimate in which it reported that for every research dollar spent, 15 cents is allocated to AIDS, 10 cents on cancer, two cents on heart disease, and less than one cent on schizophrenia and other severe mental illnesses. Yet, as NAMI also refers, a World Health Organization (WHO) study showed that no less than four of the top ten causes of disability worldwide are severe mental illnesses. The discrepancies are vast and steps can be taken to conquer the chasm.
No matter how you view mental illness, the facts remain that it affects everyone. Education is key to repelling the stigma of mental illness. Now is the time to release the stigma of mental illness and continue towards better resources and better equality for those who suffer mental illness.
Works Cited
Duckworth, Ken, M.D. "Mental Illness Facts and Numbers." National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Mar. 2013. Web. 26 Apr. 2015. <http://www2.nami.org/factsheets/mentalillness_factsheet.pdf>.
"Cancer Prevalence: How Many People Have Cancer?" Cancer Prevalence: How Many People Have Cancer? N.p., 20 May 2014. Web. 26 Apr. 2015. <http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancerbasics/cancer-prevalence>.
"Policy Topics." NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2015. <http://www2.nami.org/Template.cfm? Section=Issue_Spotlights&Template=%2FTaggedPage%2FTaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=5&ContentID=35406>.
"The Facts of Stigma in Mental Illness." National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.