Mental illness is something that millions of people suffer with on a daily basis. It is common knowledge that millions of people suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in the United States alone, yet millions remain undiagnosed. Many factors affect the treatment of the mentally ill, not just in the United States but around the world. From the Stone Age to the present day the problem of mental illness has existed, it’s the way it was treated that has changed. Throughout history there have been many influences on the stigma, treatment and available assistance associated with mental illness as well as the formation of social policies and services to address these issues around the world (Karger & Stoesz, 2010).
There are many social services available to the mentally ill but many stipulations on who can have access to these services. Along with services there are many social policies instilled in order to protect and conserve the rights of the mentally ill. With all of these available services there are still setbacks in affordable healthcare that prevent the mentally ill from seeking and gaining effective treatment. As discussed in the video, the lack of affordable healthcare and coverage for those who suffer mental illness is causing those with mental illness to have shorter lifespans and prevents those from being functioning parts of society. This is in part to the lack of mental health professionals and the high cost of human resources (Vikram Patel: Mental health for all by involving all, 2012). I believe that with an increase in providers and services that are less restricted based on income or insurance coverage those who need services would be able to gain access more easily and with less judgment.
Undoubtedly these changes would be costly; I think that the federal and state governments should expand their Medicaid and Medicare policies to cover mental health in its entirety. The idea the mental health and general health should be treated equally is imperative in the improvement of care for the mentally ill. With the decrease in stigma associated with mental illness and the heightened awareness I believe that today more people would be willing to have an increase in taxes in order to expand this coverage.
References Vikram Patel: Mental health for all by involving all (2012). [Motion Picture].
Karger, H. J., & Stoesz, D. (2010). American social welfare policy: A pluralistic approach. Allyn & Bacon.