Most troubling, perhaps, is the criminalization of mental illness in the United States. A graph and chart showing the percentage of inmates with and without mental health problems in state prisons in 2006 ( right). According to some estimates, a quarter of homeless Americans are seriously mentally ill.ĭarren Rainey, who suffered from schizophrenia, died in 2012 from burns to over ninety percent of his body after prison guards locked him in a shower for two hours with 180☏ water ( left). ![]() Only 3-5% of violent crimes can be tied in some way to a person's mental illness, and people with mental illnesses are ten times more likely to be the victims of violence than the general public.Īnd while the relationship between mental illness and poverty is complicated, having a severe mental illness increases the likelihood of living in poverty. The mentally ill are far more likely to be the victims of violent crime rather than the perpetrators. As many as a third of individuals with a serious diagnosis do not receive any consistent treatment. Individuals with severe mental illness such as schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, or bipolar disorder (about four percent of the population) live on average 25 years less than other Americans. The effects of mental illness on life quality of life and health outcomes are significant. Department of Health and Human Services reports that one in five Americans has experienced issues with mental health and one in ten youth have suffered a major bought of depression.Ī vigil for increasing mental health care at Cook County Jail in 2014 (photo credit: Sarah-Ji). The metrics we have don’t paint an encouraging picture. This pattern raises the question of whether the American mental health care system is in fact broken. Whether Nikolas Cruz’s mental illness was a factor in the shooting is still being investigated, but the ease with which we talk about a defective mental health system is juxtaposed with a paucity of concrete solutions. Their solutions, however, are few to none. A graph depicting mass shooting deaths in the U.S. ![]() Nikolas Cruz-the suspected gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL-being arrested ( left). In the wake of a mass shooting such as the one in Parkland, FL, commentators, pundits, and politicians all gather around to talk about the country’s broken mental health system and suggest its connection to the violence. A familiar scene plays out again and again in American public life in the 21 st century.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |