"Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupts a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning." -Quoted from On the Edge; Mental Health in Utah
I am glad that I watched the documentary "On the Edge; Mental Health in Utah." It was a great look into the various problems we have here in Utah with both treating as well as diagnosing mental illnesses. This documentary discusses the ways and resources in which mental health in Utah is being addressed. Even though throughout much of the documentary it was mentioned how our systems is failing or not working in helping those with mental illness, I actually was enlightened as to how much it really IS helping. There are many different programs to help those in need. Evidentially, even officers are getting training on how to deal with sufferers of mental illness and even learning about how those individuals are experiencing the world around them. I was impressed with the program we have for home visits. Although it is grossly understaffed and small, it appears that we at least have the foundation laid for that program and now we can focus on growth. This documentary also allowed us to see that mental health educators are allowed to go into prisons and educate inmates. It was also impressive to me that many faculty and staff as schools are being educated on how to deal and read the signs of children that may be suffering (or on the track to suffering) from mental illness.
I found it unfortunate when it was brought to my attention in this documentary that many sufferers of these illnesses don't get the attention nor help that they need until they have committed a crime. These crimes are often committed due to the mental illness. Therefore, it is evident that prevention and treatment is just as important as the attempt to punish those that have broken the law. Perhaps deinstitutionalization is not the answer after all. If institutions had adequate funding, then they could provide a safe haven for those mental illness victims before they commit crimes. At this time, jails are doubling as mental institutions; not a good idea.
It was mentioned that mental illness doesn't necessarily make a person more violent, it makes them less predictable. I was happy to hear this being brought to attention. In our text, we have learned about that many myths with mental illness. Mental illness is something that is very misunderstood. Many people are afraid of sufferers and therefore are reluctant to help. This is sad and frustrating. There is a lot of stigma attached to these individuals. I appreciated that this documentary touched on that issue quite a bit. We were able to see that many police officers are offered classes to learn about mental illness. I think it would be amazing if somehow those classes could be offered to the general public.
Obviously, all of these programs need more. More money, more education, more time, more resources, more of everything. I would be hard pressed to find a program in any state that wouldn't benefit from more of something. However, funding for these mental illness programs I feel should be of the upmost important. As we have learned through research in this class and watching this documentary, when people do not get the mental health treatment the they need, they become a threat to themselves and to society.
This class has changed my life because now I view many different mental illnesses differently now. Mental illness is a true sickness that needs attention and in many circumstances, can be treated.
