Mental Health

Anorexia, panic attacks, and anxiety are all examples of mental health illnesses that create incorrect perception of oneself and of a situation. It is estimated that 5 million American adults have a depressive episode yearly, 3.3 million American adults have anxiety or panic attacks, and 10 million Americans have an eating disorder (Renter, 2014; Mirasol, n.d.). Of course, each of these and other mental illnesses aren’t independent of each other. Many people who have an eating disorder have depressive episodes or have panic attacks the same way that people with depression could have anxiety attacks.

The stigma around mental illnesses is what prevents many from seeking treatment but also affects their family and caregivers (Fink, 1992). A study in the UK in 2016 found that over 1/3 of the participants felt that there was a stigma negatively affecting them or that they were discriminated against for having an eating disorder (Beat, 2016). While this study only was for eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, professionals such as Susan Figueroa, a school psychologist and special education director in Palm Beach County, have also agreed that both victims of mental health and their caregivers feel the burden that society has placed.

Anorexia has the highest death rate of any psychiatric illness (Mirasol, n.d.). This is due in part to how debilitating the disorder is on both the mental and physical states of the individual but also in how the illness is treated in clinics. 1 in 10 people with eating disorders get help and 80% of females who do get help also get released weeks earlier than their completion date. Most people normally need 3-6 months of inpatient care and treatment costs $500 to $2800 per day (Mirasol, n.d.).

Stigmas relating to mental health aren’t only found when looking for treatment, but can also exist in daily lives and work. People living with mental health illnesses can fear for job security or it can even affect job opportunities. During an interview with Natasha Hollander-Ho, a recent Asian studies and Chinese graduate from FSU, she told me that one of her friends applied to be a teacher overseas and was being considered but as soon as her health report which stated that she has anxiety was submitted, she was immediately denied the job.

Within the United States, one cannot be denied work or fired from work due to a pre-existing or developing mental illness. However, workplaces have a long way to go in helping those with mental disabilities the way they do with physical disabilities. Both mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, panic attacks and eating disorders can cause an employee cognitive difficulties such as being unable to stay on task or issues with memory.

One million Americans miss work daily due to workplace stress (Fermin, 2014). In fact, depression which 6% of employees have cause more days of disability than chronic heart problems or diabetes (Harvard, 2010). This results in a $225.8 billion a year cost to employers due to productivity loss resulting from health problems. Of this, mental health disorders cost an annual amount of $79 billion and mood disorders cost $50 billion per year. However, a report from 2009 and 2010 said that effective health programs from companies had overall lower medical issues, higher revenue per person, and fewer absences (Fermin, 2014). Additionally, in one study done by Harvard, the average medical cost for treatment and help for individuals with mental health disorders is $100-$400 but with this help each person made $1800 more a year for the company (Harvard, 2010).

Nationally, in 2008 The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act was created which basically requires that mental health visits had to cost the same or less as physical health visits under insurance co-pays. However, as of 2014, 90% of people didn’t know about this law and any state government employment plans such as those for educators at the university level and below can opt out of the parity law. Furthermore, this law doesn’t require that mental health be covered by insurance plans, although many have some allowances for it (American Psychological Association, n.d.)

Outside of work and in the classroom, students with mental health illnesses are able to receive specialized learning programs with a 504 plan. However, those who apply and receive a 504 are disproportionally male and white. Minorites are much less likely to get any needed help due to the prior doctors’ appointments, diagnosis, fees, treatments, and possibly a lack of engaging teachers and professionals willing to recommend the 504. Many times, this is due to the area that the school is located or if the individuals are below the poverty line and are unable to get the help they need to set up the 504 (Advocacy Institute , 2015).