Mental Health in the U.S.
The New Asylums
The Media's Take on Mental Health
Hidden Pictures
Crazywise
The way madness lies
If they were free they could get better treatment
Institutions closing pushed many individuals into prisions
Prisons cannot handle the mental health crisis
They do not have the skills to work with the individuals with severe mental health disorders
Individuals want to get better, some feel prisons make them better, others feel prisons make them worse
Inmates begin to get better and used to a treatment and then are transitioned to a new location and have to start all over again
Lack of social support from family and loved ones adds an additional toll on the individuals illness
Distinction was made between physical and mental sickness, making the public believe a mental illness does not affect the individual like a physical illness
People with mental illness are 10X less likely to be victimized than people without an illness
There is a belief that people with mental health disorders cannot live normal lives
50% of people do not want someone with mental illness in their workplace
Medication, therapy and strong social support enable individuals with mental health disorders to live life and even thrive
Famous people and Hollywood Stars speaking out about their own struggles with mental health disorders has helped remove the stigma of mental health struggles
Cultures can be against medication and use traditional healing practices to take away the "curses"
Familial mental health impacts the family members as well
Different cultures view mental illness as a curse, a shame and often there is much stigma towards these individuals
Shame
Isolation
Marriage can be a way of getting a person out of the cultural shame associated to mental illness
Often causes people to hide away, even in their own families
80% of people with mental illness go without treatment
Hospitals are a last resort for treatment in many countries
Family members sacrifice their own life in order to help their loved ones
Individuals with mental illness are often highly intelligent or gifted
The individual is going to choose what they want to do, regardless of how their case worker feels or even loving, supportive family
These sensitivities to their world can be the very things that keep them from being able to fully live
Medication affects everyone differently
Homeopathic approach
Seeing hallucinations
Fears, death, isolation
Some of the first side effects are "suicidal ideations"
Brought peace and serenity, instead of the mental health system which has failed numerous people because they are looking for a mold to fit the person into. In terms of what "diagnosis" they carry