the face of mental illness

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I looked up the definition of what a mental illness is, and an online dictionary states that; “mental illness refers to a wide range of mental health conditions, including disorders that affect the way you feel, the way you think and the way you behave” (mayoclinic.org). There are over 300 different mental illnesses that included schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, Anorexia nervosa, and Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and it goes on and on. Everyone has felt anxiety or depression before, so it shouldn’t be hard to imagine what it would be like to have these illnesses the only difference is that the illnesses last a lot longer and have the ability to become more intense. There are so many that have to deal with mental illnesses, an "estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults” (nimh.nih.gov) which is a startling number. There are approximately 313.9 million Americans, which would mean around 82 million are suffering. They are your brothers and sister, mothers and fathers. They are all around us.
When dealing with a mental illness, people usually go down one of three paths. One way is they seek the help they need. The second way could be that they hide it or deny having one, this is usually because of the stigma we have around the mentally ill. Third, they don’t even know that they have a problem. “People don’t hesitate to tell acquaintances about a trip to their dentist or physician, but most stay quiet about their therapy appointment,” said Ryan Howe’s, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist (psychcentral.com) and professor which really makes you think about the way we make mentally ill people see themselves as lesser bein...

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...mmon than You Think." MyPlainview.com. N.p., 20 May 2014. Web. 02 June 2014.
Santos, Fernanda, and Erica Goode. "Police Confront Rising Number of Mentally Ill Suspects." The New York Times. The New York Times, 01 Apr. 2014. Web. 02 June 2014.
"Schizophrenia - Penn State Hershey Medical Center." Schizophrenia - Penn State Hershey Medical Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2014.
Staff, Mayo C. "Mental Illness." Definition. N.p., 03 May 2014. Web. 02 June 2014.
"The Story of David Berkowitz: The Son of Sam Killer." Answers.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2014.
Torrey, Fuller E., Dr. "Ronald Reagan’s Shameful Legacy: Violence, the Homeless, Mental Illness." Saloncom RSS. N.p., 29 Sept. 2013. Web. 02 June 2014.
Walsh, Elizabeth, Thomas Fahy, and Alec Buchanan. "The British Journal of Psychiatry." Violence and Schizophrenia: Examining the Evidence. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2014.

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