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Persuasive Essay On Mental Illness

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Persuasive Essay On Mental Illness
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Posted on March 26, 2013 by Maya Evanitsky
Here is an interesting editorial discussing the restrictions Congress has put forth on firearms dealers: http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/03/21/gun-sellers-inventory-tracing-nra-editorials-debates/2007619/

Now, onto the main event!

The Mental Illness Stigma

Imagine if our society blamed people for being diagnosed with cancer, claiming it was their life choices that had led to such a terrible disease. Sounds horrifying, right? Imagine putting that added burden, that shame, on someone who is fighting for their life. This happens every day though, not to victims of cancer, but to victims of mental illness. Despite …show more content…
Those who suffer from mental illness or suspect they have one avoid seeking treatment for fear of being labeled “crazy” and out of shame (“Stigma and Mental Illness”). Less than one third of adults with a diagnosable mental disorder receive mental health services per year, as reported by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Furthermore, some with mental illnesses isolate themselves or are abandoned by friends and family, experts say (Ungar). This is due to the stigma and shame that surrounds mental illness, mostly the idea that mental illness is somehow a character defect caused by the person’s upbringing or their attitude. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, people would rather tell employers that they committed a petty crime and served time in prison rather than admit to being admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Thus, people would rather be thought to be a convicted felon, than someone who suffered from a severe mental illness that required treatment, yet committed no crime. It is this attitude that makes it difficult for people with mental illnesses to seek treatment, and for physicians and doctors to discuss mental illness with a …show more content…
This is shown by the general feeling of discomfort felt by most Americans around people with mental disorders and the lack of federal funding for mental hospitals, along with the media’s focus on mental illness as a factor in crime (Ungar). Despite the prevalence of this stigma, there are various tactics that can be used to reduce it and change the general public’s attitude, such as protests, education, and contact. The only way that the stigma can truly be eradicated, though, is to treat mental illnesses like what they are: an
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