THE MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS

GRIPPING AMERICA: AND

HOW WE CAN STOP IT

Tatiana Muzquiz
  
 According to NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) approximately 1 in 5 adults in
the U.S. ,43.8 million, experiences mental illness each year. Approximately 1 in 25 adults in the
U.S., 9.8 million, experiences a serious mental illness each year that substantially interferes with
one or more major life activities. Approximately 1 in 5 youth aged 13–18 (21.4%) experiences a
severe mental disorder.
Millions of Americans suffer from some form on mental illness and in the past few years
despite laws, such as the: 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act and the 2010
Affordable Care Act being passed things are only getting worse. Between 2006 and 2014 the
number of people, with a form of mental illness, not able to afford a psychiatrist, counselor, or
medication jumped from 9% to 20.6%.
So, why are so many people unable to afford help? For starters when the Affordable
Care Act was passed many states did not accept the plan’s Medicaid expansion. And following
the Supreme Court’s 2012 decision, allowing states to opt out of expanding, states such as
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, and ten others all openly rejected Medicaid expansion.
However, being able to afford help is not the only issue surrounding mental health
treatment. The stigma surrounding people with mental illness’ is so great that many people are
simply too scare to come forward to even ask for help. This stigma has also led to a great
decrease in the number of physicians and therapists that are available to help those with a mental
illness.