Good mental health is an essential part of life. It is needed in order for a person to be productive and successful in every aspect of their life. Mental illnesses do not discriminate on race, religion, economic status, or gender. Several mental illnesses have interdependency on one another. For example, depression is usually accompanied by alcohol or drug abuse or schizophrenia is exhibited with a bipolar disorder. It is important to examine the definitions of “disorder” and “disease” as use in the context of this paper. A “disorder” is diagnosed when symptoms or signs of distress are present. Disorders are diagnosed using clinical criteria. A “disease”, on the other hand, is the exhibition of conditions that can be detected physically (Shalala, ch 2).Many people resort to suicide as a result of a mental illness or substance abuse. The statistics on suicides related to mental illnesses and substance abuse are staggering. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 30,535 Americans dies of suicide in 1998. Of the people who committed suicide 90 percent have a diagnosable mental disorder. Suicide is the 8th leading cause of death in the United States and the 3rd leading cause of death for ages 15 to 24. Research has shown that men are four times more likely to commit suicide, however, women are three times more likely to attempt suicide. Studies have found that suicide can be prevented by early detection and treatment for mental illnesses and/or substance abuse.Mental DisordersThere are three main risk factors that are attributable to suicide. They are depression and related mental illnesses, substance abuse, and aggressive or disruptive behavior. According to the Surgeon General’s report on mental health four of the ten leading causes of disability are mental disorders. These are major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive d...
