Mental Illness And Seeking Help - 1896 Words

Mental Illness and Seeking Help Over twenty one million adults in america battle some sort or form of mental illness. Fifteen million of those adults suffer from depression. The other six million of those have to deal with some sort of other psychotic disorder, such as schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder (Bernstein 1). In a country where mental illness is widely known about and accepted as a problem, why are there so many who still do not seek treatment and help for their condition, and what can we do to help? Depression is defined as a mood that is abnormally low. Those with Depression may feel depressed mood most of the day,may experience significant weight loss or gain, disinterest in former activities, insomnia or hypersomnia,†¦show more content†¦Getting them to a doctor can be a step in the right direction. While Depression is the illness that impacts the greatest amount of people, there are more socially difficult and hard to deal with mental illnesses, such as Schizo phrenia and Bipolar Disorder. While depression can be met with denial by the patient, Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder can be met with Anosognosia. Anosognosia is an impairment of the frontal lobe of the brain. It leaves a person with an inability to understand that they are sick. Anosognosia occurs in about 50% of those with Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder (Bernstein 1). This can make it extra difficult to get someone with these diseases help. The fact that they may not be able to realize it is a disease, along with mental breakdowns and episodes of mania, can make both easier and harder to get them treatment. If there illness is advanced enough, they could be forced into treatment, while if they are still able to function somewhat normally, treatment can be met with hostility. Those with bipolar disorder can receive help by the same mechanisms listed in the first paragraph, though they may take longer to persuade than those with depression. Schizophrenia treatment often has t o be forced upon the patient, but with treatment, patients are able to function at a level that allows them some contact with reality even while hallucinating. Adolescence is a hard time to