The Ignorance of Mental Health In Our Society.

The world becomes enraged when mothers kill their children, mass murder occurs, women and children are abused and animals are abused. NORMAL people do not commit these horrific acts. Many of the culprits are suffering from mental illness and have never been diagnosed. If the public was more aware of mental illness and families don't chalk up their loved ones as just being bad, there would be more people who could live in society and not commit these acts.

There is a fine line between sanity and insanity and I am sure at some point in people's lives they have crossed over to the other side. One tragic event can trigger parts of the brain to another whole being that you never thought existed inside of you.

So how does one become a killer overnight? They don't. It may have been a small or large event that happened to make that person go over the edge.

While the list below is vast and I will touch on each one in another hub, there are things you can look for in family members or friends. Has their behavior changed, are they saying things they normally wouldn't say. Is their reasoning impossible. Are they talking about doing harm to themselves or others. These are all signs that something is wrong and you need to jump on the wagon asap. Getting them in treatment, may however be a bigger fish to fry. Many people with mental illness that are properly diagnosed will take medications and when they start feeling better, will stop taking their meds. This is a problem that can have an explosive affect.

That person, while functioning on medication, can not function off of medication. At one time or another everyone suffers from depression or anxiety. It's when it last for more then a month starts to become a problem.

• Adjustment Disorder

Anxiety Disorders

• Acute Stress Disorder
• Panic Disorder
• Agoraphobia Without History of Panic Disorder
• Social Phobia
• Specific Phobia (formerly Simple Phobia)
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Eating Disorders

• Anorexia Nervosa
• Bulimia Nervosa

Mood Disorders

• Major Depressive Disorder
• Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression)
• Cyclothymic Disorder
• Dysthymic Disorder

Cognitive Disorders (Delirium, Dementia, Amnestic Disorders)

• Delirium
• Multi-Infarct Dementia
• Dementia Associated With Alcoholism
• Dementia of the Alzheimer Type
• Dementia

Personality Disorders

• Paranoid Personality Disorder
• Schizoid Personality Disorder
• Schizotypal Personality Disorder
• Antisocial Personality Disorder
• Borderline Personality Disorder
• Histrionic Personality Disorder
• Narcissistic Personality Disorder
• Avoidant Personality Disorder
• Dependent Personality Disorder
• Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

Schizophrenia & Other Psychotic Disorders

• Schizophrenia
• Delusional Disorder
• Brief Psychotic Disorder
• Schizophreniform Disorder
• Schizoaffective Disorder
• Shared Psychotic Disorder

Substance-Related Disorders

• Alcohol Dependence
• Amphetamine Dependence
• Cannabis Dependence
• Cocaine Dependence
• Hallucinogen Dependence
• Inhalant Dependence
• Nicotine Dependence
• Opioid Dependence
• Phencyclidine Dependence
• Sedative Dependence

Childhood Disorders

• Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• Asperger's Disorder
• Autistic Disorder
• Conduct Disorder
• Oppositional Defiant Disorder
• Separation Anxiety Disorder
• Tourette's Disorder

Children have it worse then adults because they are undiagnosed from early on and the parents just think they have bad kids. This is farther from the truth. Four million children suffer from mental illness and if they were diagnosed at an early age could become very functional adults.

Many will say I don't want my kid on medication even if he is killing all the neighbors animals. Well here you have a serial killer in the making and your child that you love so much, deserves to be properly treated for his killing instincts.

I truly believe if parents took their concerns to their pediatricians, these kids could manage in society fine. No one just becomes a bully overnight. Listen and look at the signs your child is pushing off. Their cry for help may be something simple as misbehaving. Not just a once in a while misbehaving but constantly misbehaving should warrant you as a parent to find out why.

This fight of mental illness needs to be brought to many people's attention. Many people suffer a daily fight against something they have no control over. Many mental illnesses are treatable through medication, therapy and an understanding family member.

I have worked in health care for 34 years and I can say that there are some people who should have been diagnosed early on so they could lead a fulfilling life. You can tell when something is not right. Don't just chalk it up to an ignorant person or a bad child. Many people truly do not understand why they behave the way they do.

You may think nothing can be done with them but that is farther from the truth. Look for signs and get them help as soon as possible. There life is valuable. Many children are committing suicide and this should never happen. Their parents should be looking out for signs of withdrawal from friends, after school activities and such. They may be being bullied at school and think the only way they can stop it is to kill themselves. Children need to feel good about themselves and parents need to teach them to feel good about themselves. Close the circle on mental abuse by becoming aware.

There are many places you can call or visit if you just make the call. The list below are some of the people you may want to contact to help your loved one.

• Mental health specialists, such as psychiatrists, psychologists, or therapists
• Health maintenance organizations (HMOs)
• Community mental health centers
• Your family doctor or intern
• Clinical social worker
• Hospital psychiatry departments and outpatient clinics
• University- or medical school-affiliated programs
• State hospital outpatient clinics
• Family service/social agencies
• Private clinics and facilities
• Employee assistance programs
• Local medical and/or psychiatric societies