Just as a note before I begin my rough draft, I am still working on my background paragraph (I have been struggling to find the exact information I need) and conclusion. I also still need to do the citation style.

 

Title: Establishing Facilities for US Adults with Mental Illness

Intro:

A survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) division of the United States Department of Health & Human Services in 2018 showed that approximately 19.1% of the US adult (18 years and up) population experienced any mental illness such as mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder (AMI) during the 2018 calendar year.(https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/cbhsq-reports/NSDUHNationalFindingsReport2018/NSDUHNationalFindingsReport2018.pdf) This percentage includes 23.9% of adults (with AMI) who had serious mental illness (SMI) and 7.2% of adults who had a major depressive episode (MDE). In fact, MDE is, sadly, the second most common mental health disorder prevalent in US adults each year(right behind anxiety which an estimated 48 million–or 19.1%– of US adults suffer from each year). (https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/cbhsq-reports/NSDUHNationalFindingsReport2018/NSDUHNationalFindingsReport2018.pdf) These numbers correspond to 1 in 5 adults with AMI, and 1 in 25 adults with SMI (https://www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-by-the-numbers). While these numbers may seem shocking, they aren’t all that different from the percentages SAMHSA has gathered over the past decade (Figure 48?).

https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/cbhsq-reports/NSDUHNationalFindingsReport2018/NSDUHNationalFindingsReport2018.pdf

And, even if you are not directly impacted by AMI, you probably know someone who does, possibly in your own family. If we were to step back and look at the broader picture, it is remarkable to see just how much mental illness shapes the world we live in today. Providing a place for adults with mental illness will make for safer streets, will improve the criminal justice system, and improve millions of US adults’ quality of life. Also, by providing a place for adults with non-severe mental illnesses to talk either one on one or in a group environment would be a great help to those in need. It may also help stop mental illness from getting worse.

 

Background Paragraph: (subtitle) The History of Mental Facilities

• Was there ever a place for adults to go?
• Statistics (if any) about the amount of help for adolescence vs Adults
• Why were places closed down?
• What has happened over the years since then?
  • What happened when the patients were released?
  • Lead into next paragraph…

 

Mental Illness in the Homeless Population

 

Establishing and re-opening mental hospitals would provide for safer, cleaner streets across the country. Now more than ever, we see and hear on the news about the increasing homeless population in major US cities including New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Francisco (https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2020/01/14/the-american-cities-with-the-highest-homeless-populations-in-2019-infographic/#d5de6114a9c2). The homeless population has a lot of negative impacts on society. Homeless Encampments  –or groups of homeless people living together in a group (https://popcenter.asu.edu/content/homeless-encampments-0)–) lead to a great amount of harm both for the environment, communities, and society. Some of the issues caused by these homeless encampments include “chronic public intoxication, panhandling, loitering, trespassing, shoplifting, drug dealing,… and disorder at laborer sites” (https://popcenter.asu.edu/content/homeless-encampments-0). This impacts all members of society who have to deal with these issues every day, such as businesses that have a homeless encampment set up around their stores. These encampments also endanger their communities through the biohazardous materials (such as blood, vomit, human waste, and other bodily fluids), needles, amongst other materials displaced around the area due to these set-ups. Encampments also are terrible for the environment as the homeless leave behind fires (which often lead to wildfires), damage in wilderness areas and parks, “fouled water,” and an abundance of trash (https://ecobear.co/homeless-encampment-cleaning/impact-of-homeless-encampments-on-the-environment/). Lastly, on a more individual level, these people are struggling with severe health issues and they need help. No one should have to live the way these people are. Lives would be forever changed. What if I told you that the largest, most common population of homeless persons (by 24,475 people) is those with severe mental illnesses. A total of 20.1% documented homeless people suffer from severe mental illness, according to the HUD 2018 Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Programs Homeless Populations and Subpopulations  survey done by  the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (https://files.hudexchange.info/reports/published/CoC_PopSub_NatlTerrDC_2018.pdf). And this is just those who were counted in this survey and categorized under “Severely Mentally Ill,” meanwhile there are more than likely more cases that were not counted. Through constructing facilities and hospitals for those with mental illness, the documented 111,122 homeless people would have a place to go to get treatment for their disorders, would have a shelter over their heads, and would have the chance to improve their lives forever (https://files.hudexchange.info/reports/published/CoC_PopSub_NatlTerrDC_2018.pdf). Clearing them off the street would give them a place to go (providing them with a better quality of life), would make for a safer environment in cities where homelessness was a very prevalent issue, and it would make streets/sidewalks/cities a cleaner place with less litter. It would also provide them with proper treatment for their AMI and would bring healthy, working adults back into the work environment which will improve the economy.

 

 

Mental Health and the Criminal Justice System

 

Our criminal justice system is notorious for its inequitable treatment of defendants and criminals with mental illness. In fact, “2 million people with mental illness are booked into jails each year. Nearly 15% of men and 30% of women booked into jails have a serious mental health condition” (https://www.nami.org/learn-more/public-policy/jailing-people-with-mental-illness). Placing these people in jail prevents them from getting treatment for their mental illness which, combined with the stresses and victimization of being in jail, leads to their AMI conditions to get worse (https://www.nami.org/learn-more/public-policy/jailing-people-with-mental-illness). What makes things worse is that after these individuals are released, they “no longer have access to needed healthcare and benefits” because of their criminal record (https://www.nami.org/learn-more/public-policy/jailing-people-with-mental-illness). In addition, when looking at this situation through a psychological perspective, incarceration of those with SMI/AMI is not going to help treat these people and help them return to society.

 

In addition, those with AMI are likely to

 

“not make bail, face longer sentences, not make parole, cycle through the system and/or commit suicide. This perpetual cycle is expensive and requires the channeling of critical funds to correctional facilities rather than toward programs or community health infrastructure that would support rehabilitation and access to mental health services that could drastically alter a vulnerable individual’s life” (https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/advocacy/federal-affairs/criminal-justice).

 

So why hasn’t this cycle ended? Because there is nowhere else for these people to go. Opening facilities would not only end this cycle (therefore saving the government money in the long run) but would improve millions of lives and give them a real second chance.

 

Rough Infographic:

 

Quality of Life of Adults Living with AMI

 

As discussed earlier, mental health disorders are extremely prevalent in society with approximately 19.1% of the US adult population being affected by AMI (https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/cbhsq-reports/NSDUHNationalFindingsReport2018/NSDUHNationalFindingsReport2018.pdf). Mental Health disorders often lead to those affected to induce physical harm on themselves. In fact, recent data suggests that about 90% (or more) of those who commit suicide suffered from mental disorders (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6165520/#B4-ijerph-15-02028). It goes without saying that this percentage is astoundingly high. In addition, in a different study, researchers found that often times adults with suicidal ideation (SI) feel that there is an absence of social support (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6165520/#B4-ijerph-15-02028). The article presenting this information noted that “Suicide prevention efforts often depend on the disclosure of [SI]” (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6165520/#B4-ijerph-15-02028). Through providing these adults a safe place to discuss their suicidal feelings (or AMI feelings), while encouraging them to do so, we can more effectively prevent these high suicide rates and get people the help they need and deserve.

 

Why Now?

 

A question one could propose with concern to this issue and its solution is that of “why now?” The world has so many issues happening all the time: climate change, famine, plagues, war, genocide, just to name a few. So why should we concentrate our efforts to mental illness? Something that may seem so miniscule when compared to the other issues plaguing our planet. We should do something about mental illness because it is an issue we can correct and address right now. While everyone wishes to be the person to solve all the global catastrophes I aforementioned, they are just not something that has a clear-cut, easily addressable solution. However, solving the US adult mental illness crisis does have an answer, one that is fast, and will impact millions of lives with one resolution. Constructing these facilities will provide these people with the treatment they need, and will release them back into the community healthy, and ready to work and improve society.

 

Addressing Objections: The Cost?

 

While this solution would fix many problems plaguing society, it comes with a financial cost. However, there is a solution to this issue as well, potentially one that would not require any raise in taxes, nor any additional cash than what is already provided. SAMHSA spends millions of dollars a year in their Center of Mental Health Services on various programs aimed to help the American public (across all ages) prevent, combat, and treat mental illness (Figure 2). Allocating most of these funds, particularly those that relate to the same issues this solution addresses, has the prospect of providing all the money needed.

• • Figure 2 – https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/capitol-connector/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2014/12/FY2015-omnibus-budget-chart.pdf

Some of the funding that could be used for constructing and developing these facilities could be that of the two homelessness programs which added up to a combined $95.49 million in 2015. In addition, money could be pulled from the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant which got a total of $483.7 million in 2015 and is attempting to accomplish some of the same goals my solution provides (https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/capitol-connector/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2014/12/FY2015-omnibus-budget-chart.pdf).  According to the National Council For Behavioral Health in their article entitled “Federal Budget,” the Block Grant aims to support “employment, supported housing, rehabilitation services, crisis stabilization, peer specialist and consumer-directed services, wraparound services for children and families, jail diversion programs, and services for special populations (people who are homeless, live in rural and frontier areas, and military families).”https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/topics/federal-budget/). The majority of the programs the Block Grant aims to support would be supported in my proposal (https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/topics/federal-budget/). With this amount of funding, we would be able to establish nice, efficient, successful operations of mental hospitals to treat those who need it. This hospital solution would cost money, this is true. However, when evaluating the assets we get in return, it is clear that it is worth the cost.

 

 

Conclusion:

Through establishing these mental health facilities we will be making our communities safer and cleaner through eliminating the largest group of the homeless, correcting the unjust criminal justice system, and drastically improving the lives of millions and millions of individuals across the nation through giving struggling adults an outlet, it is clear that this cost has equal (if not more) gain. At the very least, our society needs to become more open and encouraging for those struggling with mental illness. Although it is true that recently schools have been trying to teach children more about mental health and are trying to engage conversation to make children more comfortable with the topic, not much is done for adults. There is no conversation, as of now, about being an adult and dealing with AMI.