Over the years, access, quality, efficiency, and the support of the mental health care reform have been put into question. Mental health has traditionally languished near to the bottom of the international health agendas as well as nation's' health spending (Carey). The mental health care system in the United States is a multi-billion dollar company and still is not large enough to care for everyone who needs it. Mental illnesses are disorders of brain function. They have causes and results from complex interactions between a person's genes and their environment. Having a mental illness is not a choice or moral failing. Mental health has been put on the back burner for many years. It is now time to stand up and fight for better mental health care coverage for everyone. More funding needs to be provided for mental health care because greater numbers of people are not having access to appropriate care, those suffering from mental health issues are often forced through the judicial system and lack of funding costs our communities millions of dollars. .
The first reason more mental health funding should be provided is because of the number of people with no access to appropriate care. Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. -- 43.8 million, or 18.5 % -- experiences mental illness in a given year ("Mental Health by The Numbers"). The most common types of mental illnesses include depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorder, dementia, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, autism, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Not only do these mental illnesses or disorders affect adults, they affect the youth as well. "Approximately 1 in 5 youth aged 13-18 (21.4%) experiences a severe mental disorder at some point during their life. For children aged 8 -15, the estimate is 13%" ("Mental Health by The Numbers"). .
Secondly, the cost of mental health care is costly.