Tiana Vanriel

English 110

Section 315D

I will be mapping facilities around New York which focus mainly on treating students and citizens who suffer with mental illnesses. I will also include data of the percentage of individuals struggling with these illnesses in NY. This will help to spread awareness on how much of a factor these illnesses can have in one’s life. Furthermore, they can make school significantly harder, or even interfere with daily life. Although invisible disabilities are often overlooked, they have the capacity to impact the success of students, and citizens, therefore there should be more facilities which focus on these disabilities, and schools should incorporate counseling. Overall, mental illnesses must be treated accordingly to ensure that every student has the same opportunities available.

There are various forms of mental illnesses, which all have different symptoms, many of which are not observable. For example, depression results in having episodes of sadness with each episode being more severe than the last. Bipolar Disorder is a form of mental illness which is associated with episodes of mood swings from depressive lows to manic highs. So basically, these both have the capacity to change someone’s mood uncontrollably. As severe as these illnesses seem, they are often overlooked as they are “invisible disabilities” which are not seen by outsiders. The article “Study Says One In 5 New Yorkers Suffer from Depression, Mental Illness” by Rebecca Fishbein, which focuses on the effects of mental illness specifically in New Yorkers. For instance, Fisbein explains “ depression was most prevalent among New Yorkers, with eight percent of the population suffering from major depressive disorder.” Notably, depression is prominent in New Yorkers, which is shown by the high percentage. Nonetheless, based on this data it is obvious that mental illnesses can affect more than just students, as it is common in all citizens.

Students with conditions that hinder their learning abilities often go unnoticed, which is why facilities need to be prepared to give these kids the proper education they deserve. The article “How The Loss Of U.S. Psychiatric Hospitals Led To A Mental Health Crisis” by Samantha Raphelson describes the lack of psychiatric hospitals to treat mental illnesses. Raphelson explains that “The disappearance of long-term-care facilities and psychiatric beds has escalated over the past decade” Moreover, there are not enough facilities meant to treat these illnesses, as the number of hospitals is continuing to decrease over the years. Overall, there must be more attention brought upon how important the implementation of these hospitals are to students and citizens. 

The citizens who are affected by these forms of mental illnesses often act out in their daily life, hindering their ability to perform well at work, or even complicating progress in the school system. This can also result in a change of living condition, for example being treated as if they are a danger to society or themselves. With use once again of the article “How The Loss Of U.S. Psychiatric Hospitals Led To A Mental Health Crisis”, this also focuses on the how severe mental illnesses can become and how people must be treated accordingly. Specifically, “Many times individuals who really do require intensive psychiatric care find themselves homeless or more and more in prison.” Evidently, citizens who are in need of intense psychiatric care are often tossed to the side, or are being sent to correctional facilities, which inhibits the ability for individuals to carry on with their daily lives. Although mental illnesses may be invisible, they should be taken care of just like any other illness.

Despite how useful creating new psychiatric hospitals can be, this implementation and maintenance is very costly. The article “The Highest Health Care Cost In America? Mental Disorders.” by Lindsay Holmes focuses on the expense of health care as a whole. Specifically, Holmes discusses “Heart conditions were the second costliest condition, falling far behind mental disorders at $147 billion.” Moreover, the treatment of heart issues along with mental disorders are equaling an overwhelming expense.

Work Cited

Raphelson, Samantha. “How The Loss Of U.S. Psychiatric Hospitals Led To A Mental Health Crisis.” NPR, NPR, 30 Nov. 2017, www.npr.org/2017/11/30/567477160/how-the-loss-of-u-s-psychiatric-hospitals-led-to-a-mental-health-crisis.

Chatel, Amanda. “What I Wish I Knew About The Cost Of Mental Health Care Before Being Hospitalized.” Bustle, 7 Jan. 2018, www.bustle.com/p/the-cost-of-mental-health-hospitalization-is-part-of-what-makes-mental-health-care-inaccessible-15919218.

Fishbein, Rebecca. “Study Says One In 5 New Yorkers Suffer From Depression, Mental Illness.” Gothamist, Gothamist, 13 Nov. 2015, gothamist.com/news/study-says-one-in-5-new-yorkers-suffer-from-depression-mental-illness.

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