The Untreatment of Mental Illness

Most people at some point in their lives will experience varying degrees of emotional unrest, but at any set time within a year one fifth of the American population will suffer from a diagnosable mental illness. The exact causes are still unknown, but a mixture of environmental, biological, and psychological factors greatly impacts the severity of mental disorders. The key to treating mental illness first begins with identification, yet many people never get to that point or even suspect they may have a mental disorder. Furthermore, untreated mental illness can have damaging consequences for the individual, their family, and society.

One of the primary reasons suffering from mental illness don't seek help is a lack of financial resources. There are alternatives to help with the costs of therapy and medication for those lacking the means to directly pay for them, but this still often causes people to not seek treatment. Shame also plays a big part in an individual's reluctance to get help, and one might feel guilty of their feelings. The thought of going to a therapist and being on medication might induce even more feelings of guilt, even worthlessness, at their own temporary inability to function normally. Guilt and shame at admitting what some people may consider "weakness" causes some to feel as thought they cannot seek help because they feel it is too embarrassing and may feel they will be ridiculed if they do so. Lastly, is general apathy about treating one's problems. One doesn't have the energy or desire as a result of their illness or mindset, and therefore they do nothing to remedy their situation. For whatever reason, apathy toward such an important issue solves nothing and only causes one's illness to progress.

Aiding with the treatment of mental illness is the support from an individual's family. One reason that cause a lack of assistance from a family is that a family may not even chose to believe that one of its members might be suffering from a mental illness, and may think that a problem genuinely doesn't exist and consequently find no need to be concerned or supportive. By ignoring the warning signs, the distressed family member goes unacknowledged and more harm is done and constant unawareness could lead to suicide. In the same way, families that consciously disregard that family member may have a serious mental illness can cause the same problems. If the issue doesn't get properly addressed, or the family simple refuses to deal with it; consequently treatment is not sought. Families that try to take matters into their own hands and try to "fix" it on their own, on the other hand, may aggravate a mentally ill person's condition in a different way. The family may try to take on the illness together, without the help of conventional treatment, and will most likely find that the real problem continues to go unsolved and that the core problem is overlooked. Even though family members may have good intentions, ignoring or trying to mend the issues a family member has often creates more problems, and due to the complex nature of mental illness is best left to a therapist.

The impact of societal pressures and standards has formed a stigma about mental illness and has led to a belief that it isn't a real, treatable health condition. This only further creates an unnecessary feeling of hopelessness for those who suffer. The notion that a lot of mentally ill people are raving, psychotic lunatics imposed by movies and other mediums has formed a societal taboo that causes people to feel added guilt and might help solidify any idea as to if they are "crazy" or not. Additionally, society ignoring and the existence of mental illness contributes to unemployment, homelessness, and a monetary loss from afflicted workers. Misdiagnosis by doctors, on the other hand, also contributes to the problem on a different level. Whether a patient is treated for the wrong illness or being prescribed the improper medication, both often aggravate the condition rather then help it. If society attempted to destigmatize mental illness, the general public would have a better understanding of mental health issues and encourage individuals to seek help more readily.

In any case, one should never hesitate to seek help for mental illness. It's quite possible to lead a productive and healthy life while learning to live happiliy and safely. The author Celia Green once wrote, "There was, and still is, a prevalent attitude that we only want to know about normality, and if a thing is associated with mental illness, that is good enough to write it off." This quote perfectly depicts one of the many distorted attitudes about mental illness. Ignorance only hinders development, and untreated it can lead to wasted lives, substance abuse, and even suicide. There are many myth and misunderstandings about mental illness which have caused individuals, families, and societal norms to form that reinforce reasons why it goes untreated and causes people to not get help when it's needed.