>>Mental Health Issues/Policies

The US Surgeon General, David Satcher, has declared that one in five Americans will become mentally ill at some point in their lifetimes. According to the National Mental Health Association (NMHA), 54 million Americans have one or more mental health disorders.

Mental health disorders can affect anyone, regardless of cultural ideation, but the ways in which mental health symptoms are perceived and treated are influenced by many factors. The stigma of diagnosis and/or treatment for a mental illness prevents many people from seeking or obtaining much needed help. The cost to society, of untreated or under-treated mental illness, is incalculable.

According to NAMA, some of the symptoms of clinical depression include a persistent sad, anxious or "empty" mood; excessive weight gain; irritability; restlessness and fatigue; feeling "slowed down", guilty, worthless, helpless, hopeless, or pessimistic; or sleeping too much or too little.

Anxiety disorders, on the other hand, can include panic disorders, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorders. In addition to the symptoms of clinical depression, there may be the additional intense fears of things or situations. (1)

Federal surveys report that serious mental illnesses affect 5.4% of the general American public, but almost 16 % of those who are incarcerated. According to Mary Zdanowicz, director of the Treatment Advocacy Center, a non-profit organization based in Arlington, VA, "America's jails and prisons are now surrogate psychiatric hospitals." (2) There seems to be a growing consensus, among mental healthcare providers, that the needs of the mentally ill are often unmet.

The solution, unfortunately, continues to be elusive. On December 18, 2001, a proposal sponsored by the US Senate, to eliminate disparities in health insurance coverage of mental and physical illnesses, failed to pass. Below are some sites, which comment on many of the issues those with mental illnesses face, in their battle to attain optimal functioning. As I said earlier, the solutions remain elusive, but this conversation is worth having.

http://www.nami-wami.com/

http://www.athealth.com/Consumer/Disorders/Disorders.html

http://psychcentral.com/

http://mentalhelp.net/

http://www.suzannegold.com/newauthorstatement.html

http://www.sagetimes.com/

http://www.schizophrenia.com/

http://www.psych.org/

http://www.nmha.org/infoctr/factsheets/14.cfm

http://www.state.sc.us/dmh/erasing_stigma.htm

1. Essence Communications, Inc. (2001, December). Things Fall Apart. Essence Magazine. Denolyn Carroll: Author. Retrieved, December 19, 2001, from Mental Help net on the World Wide Web: http://mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php/type/news/id/3976

2. The Washington Post Company (2001, November). Mentally Ill Need Care, Find Prison. Washington Post. Branigin, W. and Smith L.: Authors. Retrieved December 19, 2001, from washingtonpost.com, on the world wide web:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A10740-2001Nov24?language+printer