Mental Health in America

Mental health has to do with people's thinking, feelings and actions in their lives. It includes the way you handle stress, establish relationships with others and make decisions on a daily basis. People with mental illnesses are unable to handle the daily stresses of life and are filled with negative thoughts. These feelings are not easy to put away. At some point, if they are not controlled, the severity could be enough to impede or obstruct your daily life.

According to statistics in the United States, one person for every five families suffers from a mental disorder such as depression, phobias, extreme anxiety, manic depression and schizophrenia. The illnesses can affect children, adolescents and adults. Since these illnesses do not just go away on their own, people have to get medical treatment through medication and therapy. Treatment will depend on the severity of the disorder.

One of the major mental disorders in America, although not the most common, is schizophrenia. It is a deviation of reality, which effects the functions of the five senses. It causes hallucinations, a false experience that seems to be real, paranoia, extreme anxiety or panic, delusions, thought disorders and confused verbal communication. Schizophrenia has been considered for many years as one of the mental illnesses that can cause incidents of violence. It is true that people with this disorder have violent behaviors, however current studies have demonstrated that violent crime is more associated to schizophrenic people that have substance abuse problems.