Waco, Columbine, Fort Hood, Aurora, Sandy Hook, Charleston, Virginia Tech. All of these places have suffered the devastation of mass violence due to the pathetic mental health care system the United States provides. All of these careless acts of violence could have been prevented if we, as citizens of the United States of America, took the responsibility of creating an effective mental health care program. None of these families would have gone through the pain and suffering that these brutal attacks caused. 

My parents met each other while students at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, more commonly known as Virginia Tech. I was born in Fairfax, Virginia, which is about four hours away from the university. Growing up, my parents used to take my younger siblings and me to their old college campus to enjoy football games, explore the mountains surrounding the university, and visit the restaurant the two of them worked during college. To this day, Virginia Tech holds a special place in my heart. On April 16, 2007, there was a mass shooting at Virginia Tech that killed 32 people. I was 10 years old. Devastated, my parents did their best to explain the complicated situation to me. As a person with such little experience within the world, I was unable to understand why someone would do such a terrible thing, why anyone would want to inflict such incredible harm on other people. My mom told me that the man who hurt all of those innocent people was "sick." After some thought, my response to her was, "why can't someone help him get better?" My mom then told me that many people don't believe that his kind of sickness was real and, in their eyes, it didn't deserve attention. Even at ten years old, I will never forget the feeling of confusion and heartache that fell over me with her explanation.  

Seung-Hui Cho, the man who killed 32 people on Virginia Tech's campus that day, was a senior at the university. Unknown to the university before the attack, Cho was diagnosed with a severe anxiety disorder. Early in his attendance at Virginia Tech, Cho was accused of stalking two female students and was then instructed to attend treatment; however, due to limited resources, Cho's state mandated treatment plan lacked the essential combination of counseling, medication, accountability, and therapy. It did not include a detailed path to mental stability. Unfortunately, even while mentally ill, Cho was able to purchase a fatal weapon, which gave him the power to carry out this historical massacre. 

This mass shooting prompted an influx of debates on the topics of both gun control and mental illness laws. The views on these two fragile topics are scattered, but most would agree that they are two of the most important issues discussed among our nation's leaders. Many would even say that these two issues go hand-in-hand when it comes to attempting to tackle the complicated problem of mass shootings. Opinions on gun violence and mental health care are two of the countless factors that many Americans use as their deciding components as to who they will give their support to during presidential debates. Whether candidates are advocates for mental health care reform, or they believe the problem starts with gun control, the topic of mental illness in the United States is prominent and growing at an uncontrollable pace. Mental illness, while hard to identify by just looking superficially, is a real and expanding issue that affects everyone nationwide. I believe, because of the severity and expansiveness of the growing problem, that mental illnesses should undoubtedly be treated with the same severity and urgent behavior as physical illnesses are. With proper attention, necessary assistance, hard work, and genuine patience, the mental health care system in the United States could be completely transformed, bettering the lives of American citizens as a whole.

Many United States citizens believe that mental illness is a fabricated scenario that does not provide excuse for the catastrophic effects it almost always leaves behind. Many have decided that mental illness is not an urgent issue that desperately needs attention; instead, they would rather address other issues that they find to be more important, for example, national security, gun control, war, public education, or perhaps, the economy. Usually, the people that share these beliefs also agree that mental illness does not affect them directly. This common misconception has led to the creation of our current, awful, and ineffective mental health care system that so many of our fellow citizens suffer from each day. 

The United States runs a multibillion-dollar mental health care system. Even with all of this funding, it is still not enough to even begin to take care of the influx of people needing mental health support (Kliff). Many have the opinion that the demand for mental health care is much larger than what is provided, which leads to an unimaginable financial, physical, and emotional burden for families with members suffering mental illness (Spenser). An interview conducted with one American family suffering the stress of attempting to help a relative with a mental illness reported that they spent "over $14,000" on care and treatment (Spenser). 

While there is strong evidence suggesting that there are too many budget deficits in mental health care, data collected from 2006 show that mental illness cost the United States $57.5 billion, making it one of the most costly conditions at the time (Data on Behavioral Health). Even with this evidence, the majority of United States citizens still believe that mental illness does not directly affect them. They are under the impression that by paying their taxes, they are doing their part in helping the mental health care reformation. While this is partially true, too many people do not know how complicated government health care spending is and do not realize exactly where their money is going. Many have not discovered that the taxes paid do not always go directly towards patient care, instead, lost productivity and miscellaneous payments (Szabo). The economic toll mental illness takes on the United States is astounding. Often times, the amount of spending goes without notice. Untreated mental illnesses have cost the US over $100 billion a year (The Neglect of Mental Illness). This is a problem that could easily be solved with the proper attention mental health care reform needs. Mental illness takes up about 4% of all hospital visits, sending nearly 5.5 million people to the emergency room each year. Because so many of those that are mentally ill are uninsured, oftentimes, hospitals go without compensation for taking care of them (Szabo). According to an article published in USA Today, this cycle is hurtful to not only the health care providers, but also those who pay taxes for these abilities. The amount of money that is actually sent to the health care providers is not enough to cover the cost of taking care of those with mental illnesses (Szabo). 

According to an article published in The Scientific American, "nearly one in two people" suffer from a mental illness at some point during their life. Whether it is depression, an anxiety disorder, or another mental health problem, one in seventeen Americans is currently struggling with a serious mental illness (The Neglect of Mental Illness). It is also known that of those that suffer from one mental illness, many are also faced with battling more. Forty-five percent of those with a mental disorder also meet criteria for more mental illnesses (Data on Behavioral Health). Statistics provided from Suicide Awareness Voices of Education show that of the outstanding number of Americans that suffer from depression, only half of them receive proper treatment (Suicide Facts). In fact, "up to one in four primary care patients suffer from depression, yet, primary doctors identify less than one third (about thirty-one percent) of these patients" (Data on Behavioral Health). Severe depression disorders can lead to suicide if left untreated. In the United States, suicide is the tenth leading cause for death in all ages (Suicide Facts). In this statistic, ninety percent of deaths by suicide are directly associated with mental illnesses (The Neglect of Mental Illness). This is a problem that has the ability to be fixed as long as we, the American public, are willing to bring our attention towards it. 

Of all of these American citizens struggling with battling a mental illness, "approximately one-third receives care" (Larrison 1256). This is also an issue affecting the vast majority of Americans living at or below the line of poverty. Because of the lack of access to affordable mental health care, many are not able to maintain a job, which leads to even more difficulties. High standards make it unreasonably difficult for those with mental illnesses to receive help. Often times, families that are involved have to let their loved ones fall to a breaking point before they are offered any sort of assistance (Spenser). Because mental illness is not seen as a formal disability, many are left without insurance coverage, making it virtually impossible to receive the care they so desperately need (The Neglect of Mental Illness). The "right to care does not mean access to treatment" which leaves so many of our neighbors alone to deal with the burden of mental illness (Spenser). 

Not only does mental illness take a toll on a person mentally and emotionally, but also physically. A study examined the changes in community health care described by adults with schizophrenia disorder that had been involved with the United States mental health care system for a long time. They reported that the progress had been slow and ineffective, leaving too many patients without care (Stein). While there has been an increase in access for mental health patients to insurance, again, the supply outweighs the demand and leaves far too many in the dust (Larrison 1261).  Many reports show that while a noticeable percentage of hospital visits for adults involve "depressive, bipolar, schizophrenic, and other mental disorders or substance use-related disorders", problems such as heart failure, diabetes, obesity, asthma, cancer, and epilepsy all are related to mental illness (Data on Behavioral Health) and therefore draw more medical attention. These health factors lead to those with mental illnesses seeking treatment for their physical needs rather than treatment for their mental illnesses. 

Many mental health care providers have spoken out on the topic of their patents not seeking the proper care they need. While some believe that providing the assistance is too dangerous because of violent incidents in the past between patients and caregivers, others know that with the proper training and education, health care providers will be able to establish a safe and healthy environment for both them and their patients (Peter). Some mental health care providers believe that the answer to fixing the issues with the mental illness stigma is to focus completely on the patient (Hunt and Resnick 1236). With this stance, health care professionals are to focus their care on the patients themselves and understand that it is an independent healing process. Each patient is unique and requires personal development towards recovery. By adopting this "shared language," health care providers, mental illness patients, and mental illness survivors can all work together in order to bring patients to recovery, while reducing the overall "stigma and disparity" that comes with mental health care (Hunt and Resnick 1235). This idea also aims to reduce the common idea of a large difference in mental and physical health. Because the idea of mental health care reform is so large, most health care providers know that this is an issue that will take great attention and a vast amount of time. With this in mind, many call for "changes around the edges" in order to work their way to the core of the problem (Gardner 289). By working on the fixable qualities that are easier to get to now, it is more likely that success will be reached at a faster, more successful pace. 

With this idea, many are calling for an increase in training for healthcare professionals nation-wide. They believe that by teaching those that provide care and assistance to mentally ill patients, there will be fewer events that result in violent aftermath during patient-caregiver contact. Dr. Keith Ablow, a psychiatrist and medical reporter for Fox News, believes that the answer to relieving the mental health care strain lies in the changing of current dysfunctional systems. He believes that in order to prepare psychiatrists for actual one-on-one patient contact, residency training must provide the participants with techniques they can use with their patients when engaging with psychotherapy (Ablow). He also believes that because the current insurance policies rarely support those with mental illnesses, state legislation should make psychiatrists available to all patients that need care, whether or not their insurance will cover the costs. Then, after providing the necessary care for their patients, the psychiatrists should receive compensation by state legislation (Ablow). A study conducted using these techniques for mental health care providers showed that the training and attention of health professionals, educators, researchers, and managers lead to the minimization of risk of violent attacks occurring, therefore reducing patient induced injury and criminal proceedings (Peter). 

With this being said, our current mental health care program is in desperate need of reform in order to better the lives of all American citizens, whether they are directly affected by mental illness or not. We, as citizens of the United States, have the power to change the "shapeless void" we call a mental health care system (Spenser). With the current presidential election coming up, candidates are advertising their views and opinions on different, important topics; one of the most discussed issues in each debate is our current mental health care system. It is our responsibility to pay strict attention to our potential leaders and what their intentions are for mental health care because it not only affects patients of mental illness, but also everyone in the United States. We need to speak up by not being afraid to ask these candidates specific questions about their plans for reformation of our mental health care system. By dedicating ourselves to expanding our education, research, and attention towards mental illness in the United States, we can become as knowledgeable as possible on the topic, therefore stimulating positive change in the mental health care society. 

Not only is it important to note the plans of our leaders and what they intend to do to improve our current mental health care system, it is also equally as important to create dialogue about the subject. In the past, topics as common as cancer were ignored and not discussed in public as though they were contagious, even if just spoken of. Public campaigns such as the "ALS Ice Bucket Challenge" help raise awareness of issues that many people have not been properly informed of, relieving the stigma and advocating for improvement.  It is time to stop treating mental illness with ignominy. Starting off discussions on mental illnesses is the first step to removing the stigma. By informing younger generations on the subject with incorporating information in schools, knowledge on the subject will expand as a whole, demystifying the issue throughout society. By initiating conversations, an opportunity for dialogue expanding on the issue and gaining a better grasp of possible transformations will be created.  There is no excuse to ignore this issue any longer, especially when one of the greatest tools we have for success (conversation) is free. 

Mental illness is one of the greatest stigmas known to our nation. The United States is supposed to be a role model for other developing countries around the world, yet, we are ignoring the needs of our own neighbors and denying them the proper care they deserve. Until we can work together to create a change in our current mental health care system to better our nation altogether, we will not be a perfect union. We will not be crowned with brotherhood. We will not be undimmed by human tears. We will not be the land of the free and the home of the brave. In order to improve our nation's current condition, it is necessary to take the initiative to start conversations about mental illness and remove the stigma for future generations. After all, we all grew up learning to cheer on the underdog because we see ourselves in them (To This Day). 

