From 1997 forward I vowed to learn as much about mental health as I could, becoming a mental health advocate. So please allow me this “mental health public service moment:”
• Mental illness should be taken seriously, but through education, training and treatment can be well controlled. Unfortunately, nationally and in almost every state in the union, mental health is under-funded, if it’s funded at all.
• One in four adults, 57.7 million Americans experience a mental health disorder in a given year.
• It is estimated that 25% of the homeless population have a diagnosable mental disorder.
• More than half of all prison and state inmates report mental health problems.
• Fewer than 1/3 of adults and ½ of children with a diagnosable mental disorder receive mental health services in a given year.
• Left untreated, the mentally ill frequently self-medicate through substance abuse (drugs and/or alcohol).
Tagged: health journey, mental health, prison ministry
