how would you answer this How can we improve the treatment of mental illness in the United States? Take into consideration that the public does not want higher taxes. Explain.
Should mental health care only be available for those who can afford it? Do Americans have a fundamental right to quality mental health care? Explain.
Discuss what background assumptions are for treating medical illness vs. mental illness.

Question

how would you answer this How can we improve the treatment of mental illness in the United States? Take into consideration that the public does not want higher taxes. Explain. 
Should mental health care only be available for those who can afford it? Do Americans have a fundamental right to quality mental health care? Explain. 
Discuss what background assumptions are for treating medical illness vs. mental illness.

anonymous · Answer

"How can we improve the treatment of mental illness in the United States?" 

I think the way we could vastly improve mental illness in the U.S. is to more carefully analyze (and critique) our overactive imaginations about what is _mental illness_ and what is _adaptation_ to stressors that humans, attempting to help themselves, try to reduce. When we seek out help in this country, we are given an acronym (i.e. ADHD) and quickly medicated. It's more about management of humans so they can reassimilate into society and their responsibilities in that society (and not irritate anyone for too long) - - than helping them and healing them. Forgive my diatribe. For more, see R. D. Laing and his associates on Wikipedia (as a beginning to his ideas). 

"Take into consideration that the public does not want higher taxes. Explain."
 
This may benefit from exploring pharmaceutical companies, the over-medication of those who are suffering (or are inconvenient) and how that affects our healthcare costs. 

"Should mental health care only be available for those who can afford it?"

Surely not. Who are we, then? We cease to be human in that event.

"Do Americans have a fundamental right to quality mental health care? Explain."

Yes, _surely_. (No explanation necessary.)

Let us imagine the consequences of no treatment for the mentally ill or the merely distressed U.S. citizen. But, then, we don't have to only imagine it. It is happening. We see this in the rampage murderers, those individuals who lose-it and take out their agony on their schools or places of business. I suspect they did not know where to turn and/or they knew darned-well there was nowhere to turn.

I will stop. It is a topic I care about, so I got a little involved. =]

anonymous · Answer

R. D. Laing on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._D._Laing

anonymous · Answer

Thankyou for giving me an idea of what to write I really appreciated

anonymous · Answer

=]