There needs to be a change in the way mental health is treated (or should I say not treated) in this country. Serious mental illness statistics are astonishing and continue to grow, that fact cannot be ignored. It is said that one of every five Americans live with some type of mental illness; depression, anxiety, panic attacks, bipolar, ADHD, the list goes on, some being a little more severe then others.
Take a look at some of the ways severe and untreated mental illness have affected our nation and you will clearly see the outcome of no support can be extremely terrifying. As we have seen in recent years, if left untreated it can ravage the brain and cause horrific, senseless tragedies. The awful symptoms can take an even-tempered sweetheart and create a violent and enraged individual. A serious mental illness can take over a person’s brain, and twist it in unimaginable ways.
It is alarmingly difficult to get help for a child with a mental illness. Much like someone who is blind must learn to read braille, or a person who is deaf must learn sign language to communicate, those with a serious mental illness must be taught coping skills to function and survive properly in society. Would we ever tell a person with diabetes to not take their insulin? Would a hospital turn away a cancer patient and refuse them the chemotherapy and treatments needed to fight the battle before them? Many of these children have lost control of themselves, and the control has shifted to the illness. The inadequacy of respectful and affordable help disgusts me.
Mental illness is, just as it sounds, an illness. It is a disease in the brain, the single most important organ in your body. It can be in ones chemical makeup, predisposed to it before they are born. It can be caused by traumatic experiences, and neurological disorders. No one should be refused treatment for an illness that they have no control over, especially today when we have actual proof of the harm it can cause..
What are you considering to be the cause of the outbreak of violence? Gun control laws are too lenient? Video games have become to violent? Parents are being to lax in discipline? These are the debates I am seeing all over the news. It is simple to start there, to place the blame on these factors. It takes Strength and courage to dig deeper, and to really investigate the underlying issue.
We have a moral responsibility to help all those who are sick. We need to stick together and need to be loud. We need congress to not just hear us, but to stand up and take action to fight for us. Fight for us parents who deeply love our children and want them to live happy and successful lives. Fight for the precious children themselves whose minds are in constant chaos. We must act now, more time wasted can have extreme consequences and getting no help is unacceptable. Our children are worth it and they deserve better.
Let me be clear, I am not saying what has happened recently all over the world should be excused. I am saying that the health care system has failed some of these children terribly, and just as they are being held accountable for their actions, the powers that be should be held accountable for not making mental health a top priority.
This is a discussion that should be happening more often. It should not be happening only when a tragedy occurs and people say why. With proper mental health checks and help for the children who need it, we have the chance to prevent more tragedies. If we can make a difference to help the children who are the future of America, why would we not be taking more steps to do that? Children cannot help themselves, we must take steps to assist them to be there very best them that they can be. They are suffering. It is a heartbreaking thing to watch a child live with. They cannot continue to fall through the cracks. I, personally, will not be ignored.
Just like people say “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people”, the same could be said for Mental illness. More often then not, a child who suffers with this does not go out and kill people. They are children with a huge heart, happy souls, and precious faces. I am just trying to get a point across, that if what is going on in the world today doesn’t lead a change to the mental health system, I don’t know what will.
It’s not just the person suffering from the illness who need educated, our entire population needs to learn more about it so it is no longer such a taboo topic. Those dealing with mental illness should not be led to isolation due to others ignorance. We need to understand that a child is much more than their illness and whatever they suffer from does not define them. It is a problem that affects us all in one way or another, and we all need to be more open to closing the gap on the awful stigma that surrounds it so people can be more comfortable with talking about it. This cannot continue to be a subject of judgment.
“Be the change you want to see in the world”
sentiMENTAL paRANTing 