Proposal: Economic Shortcomings in Regards to Mental Health

1)  What is the broad topic you’d like to focus on?

• How economic displacement effects mental health treatment and how that contributes to an increased suicide rate.

2) What are some of the specific artifacts you might study (e.g. speeches, images, or instances of public discourse)?

• Case Studies
• Personal and peer commentary/analysis
• Economic theory
• Healthcare Reform in the US
• Note: Don’t really have specific articles yet

3) What are the main questions you’d like to answer?  What do you hope to learn from the project?

• How does a person’s economic status fit into the opportunities a person has for mental treatment in the cases of series mental disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder etc. etc.?
• Is it economically feasible for the state to provide more funding for mental paitents that do not necessarily have the funds for treatment?
• What are some ways we as a country can improve mental healthcare outside of economic considerations?
• Are we doing enough for those wth mental disorders or are we ignoring it?

4)  What, in your view, makes the project/artifacts/questions significant? Why do you think this is worth studying?

• Personally, I feel like that it’s absolutely disgusting that a person’s economic status can prohibit someone from getting the help that they need regardless of what the ailment is. Are we so wrapped around the idea of materialism and the supposed value of money that we’re willing to sit by and watch other people destroy themselves simply because they dont have the funds? It’s a significant topic in that we’re still focused on the economics of a situation where people’s lives are at stake and often times it’s this lack of personal funds that keeps people from getting the help that they need and often times to suicide. It’s difficult to look at ourselves as a nation and not feel guilty in some way when these types of things happen knowing that in a better economic system (or at least a more compassionate one) that, that person may have gotten the help that they needed.  One kind of has to wonder how important money and economics really are when we’re faced with the demise of another individual… another human being.
• Another thing to consider in regards to mental health is what role it plays in horrible tragedies such as in Newton, Aurora, The Boston Marathon Bombings, The Virginia Tech Massacre, The Colombine Shootings etc. etc. We’re so quick to bring up the topic of gun control or increased security but the fact that these individuals commited extremely terrifying crimes were mentally deranged in some sort, remains largely unspoken. How many tragedies could we have avoided if these people got the help that they needed?  Even if we widen the historical scope and consider the most notorious serial killers of the last 50 years (Ed Gein, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy etc. etc.) there’s a similar patter of individuals being mentally unwell. It just seems odd to me that we often times will blame these horrific conflicts on a lack of security or on a piece of metal but we seem to be ignoring the fact that these individuals were mentally sick but no one seems to want to talk about that. Maybe because it’s not an easy fix? Perhaps bringing up pro-gun or anti-gun agendas are an easier way for people to perpetuate their own political dogma; it’s easier for politicians to talk about in any case. However, I feel like that the lack of attention towards the issue of mental health and how effective more efficient treatment would be in preventing future tragedies like the ones listed above.