Mental Health Awareness

Mental Health Awareness

The current statistics indicate that in every five citizens of the United States, at least one gets to experience a mental health disorder yearly. Additionally, less than half of these people get medical attention (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2018). This means that there is a gap between the need and the provision of care and even awareness that such care is necessary. Most people still make fun of mental illnesses with some terming the patients as being crazy. The seriousness of mental illnesses in the society is ignored largely because not many people are aware that depression can kill. Depression is the most common mental illness and people take it lightly by imagining that the patients bring it upon themselves. The society in the United States has advanced the way of life where one takes care of their interests first and then other people come a distant second. This makes it difficult to reduce the levels of depression among the American citizens. Depression patients need highly trained health care if they are to fully recover and not fall back into depression after some time. This means that incompetent health care is insufficient and is likely to lead the patients to suicide. The patients may get worse if not treated by a professional who understands their job. For instance, I have seen a patient kill their doctor because they felt that the doctor was judging hem during their sessions. The patient later committed suicide as a result of depression. Competence in health care for people with depression is a make or break situation. The sessions need to be effective so that the patients can get integrated back into the society and fit in effectively. It is good to treat people with depression with care and create a conducive environment for them to share their troubles whenever they feel the need to.

References

National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2018). Mental Health by the Numbers. Retrieved from National Alliance on Mental Illness: https://www.nami.org/leran-more/mental-health-by-the-numbers