Dear Future President,

11/2/16

Mental health is something that we don’t talk about. I believe this is an important issue because there are so many people being affected by different mental health issues that we don’t talk about. We need to talk about it so we can start working to help them make their lives easier.

There are so many people in the United States that suffer from some sort of mental issue, this is a quote from Thomas Insel a representative of The National Institute of mental health. “Our best estimate of the number of adults with any diagnosable mental disorder within the past year is nearly 1 in 5, or roughly 43 million Americans. Although most of these conditions are not disabling, nearly 10 million American adults (1 in 25) have serious functional impairment due to a mental illness, such as a psychotic or serious mood or anxiety disorder. Fully 20 percent—1 in 5—of children ages 13-18 currently have and/or previously had a seriously debilitating mental disorder.” This is just the number of people who were able to get diagnosed. There are so many that don’t have the resources to even be diagnosed by a doctor. If this many people are being affected then we should learn more and do whatever we can to help.

We are not providing the help to the people suffering on a daily basis. The National Alliance on Mental Illness has found out an estimated 26% of homeless adults staying in shelters live with serious mental illness and an estimated 46% live with severe mental illness and/or substance use disorders. They are not given an equal chance to find jobs, a home, and getting the medication they need. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness Only 41% of adults in the U.S. with a mental health condition received mental health services in the past year. Among adults with a serious mental illness, 62.9% received mental health services in the past year. Just over half (50.6%) of children aged 8-15 received mental health services in the previous year. We should do more to reach more people.

My brother has Autism, Depression, Anxiety, and is in the process of seeing if he is going to be diagnosed with schizophrenia. This is just a list of things he has. He is much more than that but once people see that they are immediately dismissive. Their lack of knowledge on his conditions makes them ignorant. My brother is the smartest and sweetest boy I have ever met. I am a senior in high school but I am already the next legal guardian to my brother if anything were to happen to my single mother. I will be taking care of him with no money, no support, and no idea what to do. By opening up the conversation to mental health and people having understanding then we can start to help them. Health Care should cover the therapy people with mental health issues have to pay out of pocket for. People who can’t afford therapy are forced to feel secluded and are not getting the treatment they need. People with mental issues also deserve the chance to get a job without being discriminated against. Medication should not be so expensive to the point the people who need it can’t get it. Living with a mental health issue shouldn’t cost so much, especially for people who don’t have the money.

Future president, the cost to live with a mental health issues shouldn’t cost a whole life. Medication to help them survive shouldn’t be coming out of their own pocket. We should be doing everything we can to make their lives easier. Therapy should be paid for by health care because it is a mental injury just like health care covers a physical injury.

Sincerely,

Betty, WA