Mental illness rife in US
p2pnet.net OT News:- About half of all Americans will meet the criteria for some type of mental disorder sometime in their lifetime, says an article in Archives of General Psychiatry.
But, "Most people with mental disorders in the United States remain either untreated or poorly treated," say researchers in another study.
Both reports are quoted in WebMD which says more than one in four US adults per year have some form of mental illness or substance abuse.
“Many of those cases are mild, but 14% of the population has moderate or severe mental illness,” it says, referring to an AGP article by Harvard Medical School’s Ronald Kessler, “and colleagues”.
The "exhaustive government-sponsored effort, based on in-depth interviews with more than 9,000 randomly selected Americans in 34 states, finds the prevalence of U.S. mental illness has remained roughly flat in the past decade," says The State, going on:
"Younger sufferers are especially overlooked, the survey found, even though mental illness is very much a disease of youth. Half of those who will ever be diagnosed with a mental disorder show signs of the disease by age 14, and three quarters by age 24. But few get help."
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See:-
WebMD – Mental Illness Common in the U.S., June 6, 2005
The State – U.S. ranks high for mental illness, checkup shows, June 7, 2005
June 7th, 2005 at 6:32 pm
Um, how does this qualify as a P2Pnet story? Just wondering. I’m a… gulp, American and the story’s inclusion does not offend or anger me, (the numbers and conclusions seem realistic) the story just does not seem to fit here…
June 7th, 2005 at 7:08 pm
Kinda explains a lot though, eh?! Maybe this is part of some overall plan to turn america into the first communist democracy… Just a thought.
June 7th, 2005 at 7:26 pm
Every now and then, when an item outside of p2pnet’s normal brief catches my eye, I post it as OT – Off Topic.
I believe it adds a little extra flavour and, since p2pnet is also a news source for Google and Yahoo, among others, exposes the occasional new visitor to views he/she might not otherwise come across : )
Cheers!
June 7th, 2005 at 11:51 pm
Uh, you’re not from around these parts, are ya boy.
June 8th, 2005 at 12:57 am
Or maybe it’s just because there is a “mental illness” that fits every slightly deviant behaviour these days?
Take your pick. Everything from being slightly moody to being gay is a mental illness now.
June 8th, 2005 at 3:16 am
“Most people with mental disorders in the United States remain either untreated or poorly treated,” say researchers in another study.”
I know it’s off topic but I agree with Jon. This hits close to my heart. I have a son in the 14% group who is 23 years old and may never hold a job other than sorting recyclibles. He has the same Common sense, intellegence, dreams and asperations as the rest of us and is totally aware of his conditions. he has three different developmental disabilities, was kicked out of college because they didn’t want to deal with it. The government backed up the college. We could never afford insurance to get him the help he needs so he’s been under the care of California and Oregon state mental health for most of his life. All the Oregon system allows is to keep him stablized even though there is treatment that’ll help him become a productive citizen. He spends many days in his apartment crying from frustration and it breaks our hearts. Worse is most people who run across him treat him like an outcast but quite a few recognize his issues and are very nice. It sickens me to see the wasted dollars the state and SSI uses just to maintain his lifestyle and not really help him. I’m glad Jon brought this to the forefront, it’s off topic but one of the most common but little known prejidecous of society. Sorry all for rambling.
Rick Fulkerson
June 9th, 2005 at 7:29 am
This OT discussion has triggered my interest. The father of a fourteen percenter says his son has three developmental issues. It seems to me that recognition and acceptance are the primary steps to recovery. Without additional specifics, I almost hate to ask the following question, but feel it must be asked. Why does he lie around his apartment crying, rather than taking the initiative to overcome his illness?
You say he has normal dreams and aspirations? What is he doing to work toward those goals? Again: without specifics, I donât like asking those questions, but this question, too, must be asked: if he is capable of the intelligence and physical requirements to do recycling work, what precludes him from seeking a higher paying job?
With the support of his family and with intelligent self-discipline, the young man should be able to start working toward the fulfillment of those dreams without (what I consider to be âworthlessâ) counselors or other bureaucrats working for the state with no real interest or empathy for their charges. Can he read? Is he capable of independent thought? The libraries are full of self-help and self-improvement books, which will not become miraculous cures, but should start him on a road to pride in achievement and an appreciation of his self-worth.
Let us hear more from the father. (And please rest assured that my interest is neither critical nor judgmental — I simply believe that where there is a will, there is way. Knock and it shall be opened. Ask and you shall receive.)
Bob Boyd
(The only reason I am anonymous at this point is that I cannot remember or locate my login password.
June 9th, 2005 at 3:08 pm
Maybe one of the reasons that “mental illness” is rife in America is because people hare are beginning to push back.Citizens of the P.S.A. have been losing freedom after freedom right after right for several decades now. Most people in America feel that they have no legal recourse when stomped on by “City Hall.” Ever hear of the expression, “You can’t fight City Hall?” Marvin Heemyer had a run with the Granby, Colorado City Hall, When he lost in court, he wiped out city hall.
http://www.fourwinds10.com/news/05-government/G-US-constitution/2004/05G-07-03-04-colorado-rampage-whores-and-tyrants-drooling.html
Or just do a search on Google for Heemeyer Granby.
Have people ever heard of going postal?
When non-violent revolution becomes imposible, violent revolution becomes ineviable.
June 9th, 2005 at 4:08 pm
Bob I recognize what you’re trying to say. he doesn’t lie around feeling sorry for himself if that’s what you’re implying. I won’t go into the nature of his disabilities just to say he is unable to process and understand emotional feelings. they build up to a point that he physically has to release and doesn’t understand why. he has severe (and I mean severe) Obsessive compulsive disorder, Asbergers Syndrome and Conversion Disorder. Not to mention a reading and writing delay. without medications his anxiety level would be so high he couldn’t function at all.
As far as trying to work toward those goals. believe me he has tried harder than anyone I know of. he went to college, got A’s and B’s but they kicked him out due to pejeduce. some students were uncomfortable around him and the administration pushed the situation out of control to where he couldn’t emotionally handle it. the students threatened a lawsuit against the college if he wasn’t removed and the college obliged. It’s a much longer story than that but those are part of the overall idea. He is always trying to meet people and because of his disabilities he is unable to have a job. he is working through the state agency’s (which are worthless other than keeping him in medication), therapy but his asperations currently exceed his limitations and that leads to his frustrations to the point where he perioadicaly breaks down crying. Getting the behaviorual therapy he needs will cost him around 6000 dollars. I don’t have that kind of money. he’s on SSI disability and he doesn’t have that kind of money and the state or federal government won’t pay for it so you tell me what is he supposed to do?
I won’t make a moral statement since I don’t know you but I’ll make an observation based on the scant information in your post just as you made an unfair and wrong observation based on the scant facts in my post. It seems to me that you have no idea how frustrating it is to work with the government for mental health care reasons. You seem to me to be one who thinks people should pull themselves up by their bootstraps. with no help from others. “Its not my responsibility.” He tries and keeps trying however society, narrow minded people, prejiduce of all sorts continutes to push him and others like him down. your response shows me that basicly you don’t know what you’re talking about. He can’t read very well past the third grade level, and yes he has done the self help tapes and yes we continue to support him in different voc rehab options and yes he continues to reach out to others and no he has limited physical ability due to health problems in his childhood. I am conviced he’ll make it one of these days but your seeming unsympathetic attitude toward the emotional strain of having to deal with things you’ll probably never experience is what he battles on a daily basis from nearly everyone he meets. He’s gone through in his 23 years far more than I have in my 47 years and yet he doesn’t give up. SYMPATHY, UNDERSTANDING, AND RESPECT is what these people need to help them emotionally while they work hard to get those things in life you and I take for granted. My wife and I have lived a very solitude life from friendships because of the narrow minded judgemental attitude of so called “helpful” people who have no understanding. We as a society want to sweep it under a rug and not deal with this. I see it all the time.
Rick Fulkerson
June 10th, 2005 at 10:36 am
Rick; I have spent more than six hours searching for a way to explain myself. For a large percentage of that time, I surfed the web, scouting Aspergerâs Syndrome sites and trying to learn as much about the condition as I can assimilate in so short a time. All my life Iâve had a remarkable facility with words (much like so many of those affected by AS), and I try to pride myself on my ability to select the proper word or phrase for any given situation, avoiding ambiguity or misinterpretation. However, there have been many times that I have failed to adequately communicate my intentions or my perspective to my listeners or readers. Such is the case, here. My interest in your posting was prompted by sincere empathy, and I did not intend to belittle or deride your son and/or his condition. To the contrary, I wanted to convey my concern but was restricted by a lack of information.
I hoped to show my hesitancy by saying that I hated to ask questions without having any knowledge to go on. I even concluded with a statement that my interest was neither critical nor judgmental. In my own self-defense, I can only say that, having very little information, I could not conceive of a situation where a young man with obvious abilities would sink into such depths of depression and (on the face of it) give up in despair of ever achieving his dreams and ambitions. I also tried to show my disdain and contempt for State run agencies by referring to bureaucratic counselors as worthless.
I, too, live in California, and I vividly remember the Reagan governorship. One of the things this man did was to close the mental institutions and dismember the meager system of public mental health services. (I am one of those who will NEVER find any hint of goodness or greatness in that blustering fool of an egotist). A very dear friend of mine was an in-patient who needed a considerable amount of care. Mr. Reagan effectively condemned him to a lifetime of anxiety and depression, with no hope of receiving needed therapy. (But that is another story, altogether.)
While browsing the various AS sites, one thing became conspicuous by its absence: the matter of treatment. There were suggestions for expensive psychiatric/behavioral therapies, sometimes in direct conflict with each other; and it became obvious (to me, at any rate) that each individual requires personalized attention. There were (as is so common in our greedy society) expensive therapies which handled GROUPS of patients at a time. I wonder if he truly needs the behavioral therapy that you mentioned. Once again I ask you not to misinterpret me, but it is true that we human beings sometimes develop a mind-set and convince ourselves that such-and-such is indispensable. In my first posting, the Biblical exhortations were not frivolous: I do not intend to bring religion or theism into this discussion, but from whatever level you approach it, unexpected results can be accomplished by the act of knocking on a closed door, or searching for the elusive, or asking help and guidance from whatever cosmic forces we believe in.
I found a compelling lack of references to pharmaceutical options. Yet, you say he is taking medications. I am wondering if they help. I am a firm believer in establishing chemical balances within the body. Back in the 1960âs, Readerâs Digest ran a series of articles on the human body; it was called âI am Joeâs ____â, and in each issue the blank would be filled in with such things as âliverâ, âheartâ, âspleenâ, and so on. When I read the one entitled âI am Joeâs Pituitary Glandâ, I was astonished to learn that if the gland were to secrete one billionth of an ounce less (of whatever chemical it produces), Joe would become lethargic, chronically fatigued, and drained of energy; on the other hand, if the gland were to secrete one billionth of an ounce MORE, Joe would become hyper-active, full of vigor, constantly alert, etc. What amazed me was that I had been formulating this concept for years, but was never any good at chemistry; so all I could do was believe in it and hope that someday I would be proven right. That day, I was proven right. The smallest imbalance in body chemistry could manifest itself in unusual behavior or unexpected results.
So â I am wondering if his medications give your son any relief. If so, would larger amounts have better results? If not larger dosages, perhaps greater frequency. Have the medications been fully researched? Do the doctors truly know their value? Etc.
I hope you donât mind the length of this post. I do not really imagine that there will be others to post on this topic. And by the way, I am 64 years old, never married, but one of my nephews is like a son to me; he is your age (that is to say, he is now 46), and he has a daughter aged 21. I am old enough to be your sonâs grandfather. I am retired. Because of illness, I was forced into early Soc. Sec. Retirement at 62. Later, I applied for Disability (yes, I do know what itâs like to get bogged down in the Social Security System and SSI, and so onâ¦); so here I am, at 64, almost an invalid, crippled and can barely walk, living on a very, VERY limited income (I had no retirement funds!) Five years ago, I was healthy, active, full-of-life â never imagined there would ever be anything wrong with me. I had never had a serious illness in my life; I had never been âunder the knifeâ, not even to have my tonsils removed, and I still have my appendix. The most serious illness to come my way was the Asian flu in 1972/73. I now have a list of diagnoses as long as your sleeve, starting with Congestive Heart Failure and running the gamut through Hepatitis-C and Liver disease (and Iâm not a drinker!) with numerous little disease and conditions on the side, like a well-appointed smorgasbord.
One last observation before I close this post. To some degree, yes, I do believe that a person should try to pull himself up by his own bootstraps â more often than not, it is all he has! But I also recognize that certain illnesses, diseases, conditions, and physical limitations cannot always be overcome by faith and faith alone (I am most certainly NOT a Christian Scientist!). Without reverting to further analogies and metaphors, I will say, however, that I have witnessed amazing things in my life accomplished by little more than will power and determination. A close friend used to tell me (long before the concept was promulgated by some sportswear company): âIf you WANT something to happen, MAKE it happenâ. The implication was that if you genuinely want it enough, you will do whatever you need to do to effect the outcome.
By no means am I the person you describe in your post, and I genuinely apologize for having been so inept in my attempt to convey my concern. I am certain my post must have agitated you, for your reply is so strongly worded. I hope I did not cause any hurtful anxiety. If you would prefer to reply by email, I am at bobinvegas@hotmail.com. I have several email addresses, reserved for different things; my hotmail is the one Iâve had the longest and I never worry about who has it. If a close friendship develops, I eventually switch to a totally private, exclusive email.
Please be assured of my genuine concern and best wishes for you, your wife, and your son.
Bob Boyd