Mental Illness Affects More Than You Would Think

For my Junior Theme, I am researching the rise of prescriptions of antidepressants. I have identified a few key factors to support my thesis but I was completely unaware of this new statistic. I read an article that talked about the estimate that fifty percent of the American population will suffer from a mental illness sometime in their lifetime. I did not realize that it could really be this high. According to the fifth edition of the DSM, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, or better known as the bible for psychiatrists that is published by the American Psychiatric Association, the rate will truly be this high. I have found through my research that there is a lot of stigma surrounding mental illness. This could be reason why I was surprised that half of the population will have one; because it is not generally a topic that arrises in casual conversation. One reason for the rise could be that the DSM is always adding new diseases to every edition so it is easier for doctors to classify more characteristics as mental illness than before. Also, doctors have become better at detecting these mental illnesses because of newer technology.

I think that American society needs to somehow lessen the stigma that surrounds mental disorders. If this statistic really is true, then it is more than likely that you or someone that you love will have a mental illness. People will need support and it will be more difficult to receive it if there is not a change in understanding within our society.