Fence Post.(News)(Letter to the editor)

0 Comments | Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL), April, 2007

Too little spent on mental-health care Mental illness carries a great stigma in our society and people with mental illnesses are often feared and shunned. Most people, quite inaccurately, fear that those with mental illnesses may turn violent. But, in fact, violence among people with mental illness is not common, and the mentally ill are more often the victims of crime than its perpetrators.

Nonetheless, the stigma many people attach to mental illness creates barriers to effective treatment and an attitude that would rather sweep the mentally ill under the carpet than provide care and treatment. This is quite sad because with modern medications and other treatment, the vast majority of people with mental illness will see their symptoms abate and their...