By Ryan T.
In great societies, all people, no matter what, deserve happiness and that is what our society should yearn for. Mental health is one of if not the biggest issue that Americans face in today's modern society. Did you know that more than 1 in 5 adults
in the U.S. live with a mental illness and about 1 in 25 adults in the U.S. live with a serious mental illness says the CDC. That means that millions of people in the U.S. alone deal with a debilitating mental illness that can lead to people harming
themselves or others but as a strong and united society, we can come together to help everyone.
Mental health issues come in all forms whether it's anxiety disorders, behavioral and emotional disorders, depression, and many more. Even though mental health can be found in many people, the struggle to diagnose it has been noticed by many Americans. Bringing attention and awareness to mental health issues can lead to millions of Americans being able to manage and thrive with not just issues but extensions of who they are in their lives. Not identifying people who have mental health issues can lead to incidents where people unnecessarily get injured but in recent years, police have been undergoing extensive training to understand and recognize when people have mental health issues to not unnecessarily escalate small situations that can be handled in a matter of minutes into a situation that puts people lives at risk but I think more can be done in both of these types of situations.
Numerous studies have shown that the fundamental years where mental health issues develop are our years as kids. With this, I propose that more mandatory action be taken in schools to spread awareness of mental health issues. As a student, I took a health class where mental health issues were brought up and it was discussed but I feel that it was not enough to help us as kids fully understand the damage that mental health issues can have on our lives.
For us as kids, we need more thorough and explicit teaching about mental health issues. For cases involving police and suspects that have mental health issues, I feel that the recent act of mandatory training to recognize and handle people with mental health issues was a great first step to face this issue but there is still a long way to go before this issue can be fully resolved. I would say that having a mental health consultant stationed at each precinct will greatly reduce the amount of incidents that occur therefore making a safer environment for everyone.
These may seem like simple solutions but in reality, it’s so much more complicated. The only way these solutions can find life is if we as people of the U.S. advocate for them and participate in our country’s democracy by voting and promoting for politicians who share the same values as us.