Rogerian Argument Example: Mental Health

Imagine having someone close to you a family member or loved one. You tell yourself you know them better than anyone else. Next thing you know one day they just suddenly take their own life out of nowhere. In reality, you didn't know anything about them and what they were thinking. People like this are not getting the help they need. Mental health is an issue that impacts millions of Americans directly or indirectly.

Back in the 5th century, many cultures have viewed mental illness as a form of religious or demonic possession. In the 1840s, activist Dorothea Dix influenced for better living conditions for the mentally ill after witnessing the dangerous and unhealthy conditions in which many patients lived. Over a 40-year period, Dix successfully persuaded the U.S. government the building of 32 state psychiatric hospitals. Back in 1946 president, Harry Truman passed the National Mental Health Act, which created the National Institute of Mental Health and allocated government funds to mental health research.

The United States put a bigger focus on physical health than mental health. Which I understand there are terminal illnesses out there like, cancer or heart disease. Like for example, in 2018 an estimated 1,735,350 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States and 609,640 people will die from the disease. The government also stigmatizes mental Illness as the cause of violent acts which I understand also. There have been school shootings across the country. For example, the shooting that happened in Parkland, Florida in February of 2018.

I can understand why people support physical health more than mental health, people tend to worry about the stuff they tend to so first hand. People don’t tend to take their time in the day to put concerns on stuff we can’t see, like the functioning of the brain. I understand not everyone is going to educate themselves about something they can’t see. When you go see a doctor for an annual checkup, they usually tell you what your physical symptoms are. And health care limitations are what limit a person to see a mental health specialist. So, I can see why you wouldn’t get any mental evaluation easily from your doctor. I also understand that Donald Trump released the Fiscal year 2019 budget. In the budget funding for high-quality special education services to children with disabilities. The budget invests $12.8 billion for IDEA formula grants to states to support special education and early intervention services. The budget also requests new investments to improve treatment for individuals suffering from serious mental illness.

It’s a good thing that mental health is being a social concern as of now, but not only serious mental illnesses should only be concerned. I think everyone should have access to mental health and we should improve our resources to improve our understanding of mental health. Millions of people suffer from anxiety disorder, caused by everyday life altercations. Plus, women or men who get raped suffer from PTSD of the traumatic experience. So, do people who served in the military, usually something that reminds them of war triggers the disorder.

On one hand, physical health is more funded and of more concern than mental health. On the other hand, I think mental health and its resources can be improved. First, I think mental health specialists should help educate the community with seminars to help educate people. Mental health promotion is another thing that can help improve resources. Mental health relies on professionals, and not on technology. For example, smartphones and tablets become more sophisticated, people are relying on a growing variety of mobile apps. Apps using evidence-based practices have the ability to transform a patient-provider relationship. Health care providers use apps to access clinically validated resources such as screening tools, make treatment decisions, and conduct referrals. For example, SAMHSA (substance abuse and mental health services administration) suicide safe app offers educational materials and includes a treatment locator. Virtual Reality technology continues to advance, enabling developers to more accurately simulate the real-world environment. One VR application is exposure therapy, which users are safely exposed to simulations that cause discomfort, often to treat people experiencing phobias or post-traumatic stress disorder. VR also appears to be heading in the right direction of stimulating therapy rather than stimulating external events. I also think the federal government should increase funding on mental health treat it like physical health care and not leave it out with less budget spending. With increased budget people would have more access to care and be less likely to end up in emergency, prison, homeless shelters, on the streets, or worse. Many who need treatment and actually receive it will likely recover completely or be able to control their symptoms enough to contribute to the economy by returning to work. This is not only good for the person who needs treatment, but also for their families, neighbors, and communities.

While physical health is to be more of concern, mental health is too the mind is part of the body too so mental health shouldn’t be left out. We need to improve our understanding of mental health because it can affect us all we're all human. We all deal with anxiety and stress every day it's a part of our human nature it’s going to happen to us all. The more we understand our mind the better we are to cope with ourselves and less often have to deal with sad things like suicide.

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