Mental Illness

     The other day I stumbled across an article written by a functioning schizophrenic. My first reaction was amazement. How could someone with a life-altering mental illness function so well? Then as I read the article I realized I was making a very basic common mistake in psychology. Not treating the individuals like individuals. The basic premise behind psychology is that every individual has different needs. And furthermore there is no such thing as a general treatment that can applied to every individual. It is a case by case science that has trends. I assumed that the best treatment for someone hearing voices inside their head was institutionalization but his story is a case example of why individuals with mental illnesses need to be evaluated individually. Mental illnesses and how we treat them are a key topic in psychology as psychologists strive to better mental health for all.

A quick definition of a mental illness:  A condition that disrupts the happy state of the mind and makes functioning daily more difficult.
   
The following graph with statistics provided by the National Institute of Mental Health shows how common mental illness is among adults.

The numbers are a little surprising. millions with schizophrenia, millions with phobias and millions who are bipolar. It's stunning that there is a large chunk of the American populace that struggles with severe mental illness

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 in 4 americans of age 18 or older in a given year struggles with a mental disorder and 1 in 17 have to daily live with an illness of the mind such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or severe depression. These numbers clearly illustrate that mental illness is a massive problem. 

Recent mass shootings such as the one in Newtown, CN have brought mental illness to the forefront of the political discussion. There is no question that we could be doing more to help the psyche of America. The NAMI posted a telling stat: less than a third of adults with treatable mental health disorders receive treatment. Perhaps the road to a mentally healthy America starts with a culture change. Many of us individually frown upon seeking mental health treatment as a weakness. If this attitude changed, we would definitely see a positive change in American mental health. Sometimes, it's not entirely up to the individual to seek treatment. As citizens, we should watch our loved ones for signs of illness and be supportive in helping others to get treatment.

Treatment for mental illnesses can take many forms. There is psychoanalysis or talking through problems which is an effective way to combat most illnesses. Another option is medication. Some illnesses can be lessened by the use of drugs to stabilize chemicals and in turn moods. Institutionalization, while it gets a bad rap, is probably the most time effective way of mentally healing, or stabilizing an illness whether temporary or permanent.

The most important thing with all treatments of mental Illness however is personalizing the treatment. Some people need to talk, others need to feel loved, some need to feel a part of something by working. The important thing with mental health is that we don't give someone the wrong treatment because we lumped them into a category. Diseases of the mind are far more complicated than a broken bone or a deep laceration. The healing has no predictable time range and there is no such thing as standard treatment.