Dear Future President,

Addressing mental health is something that Americans need to do. Mental health disorders and education all carry a negative stigma, but millions of people are affected by disorders across America. About 43 million adults experiences mental illness in a year. Many millions of children and teenagers suffer illnesses too, the most prevalent of which include schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, autism, and bipolar disorder. These people come from any and all demographics. Moreover, some people deal with their issues by turning to substance abuse, a dangerous path to travel down that is hard to return from. The issue of mental health is real and all over America. Ignoring this problem makes it much worse, which is what too many people do daily.

Spreading the existing attitude towards maintaining mental health is detrimental for the whole country. Too many people think of mental illness as disgusting or shameful, and that the people suffering from mental illness are to blame for it. Efforts must be made by a strong leader to change both the policy and the stigma of mental health. Plenty of research has been done to show that environmental and genetic factors lead to obtaining an illness. The American people must be educated about the true nature of mental illnesses. A strong president must advocate and support this education, clear understanding, and support for individuals with mental illnesses.

A strong president should initiate new and strong policy addressing this problem. Individuals should be fully supported and treated like people, as opposed to being forced into cruel institutions. People must be protected from harm and given all the help they need to become better. This means installing long-term plans, insurance policies to cover treatment, and the facilities and healthcare professionals to do this. This cannot be done without a strong leader.

As someone who suffers from severe depression and whose family contains people with autism, personality disorders, and schizophrenia, I know all too well the reality of mental illnesses. No matter how hard people think it is to deal with someone with an illness, it is so much harder to live with it. Even with a supportive family, if one is lucky enough to have one, the right treatment and the right societal understanding is necessary to get better. Every American has a life worth living. Every American deserves the best possible life. Every American deserves a president who works hard to make this happen.