Opinions needed: How do you feel about the current Mental Health System and what improvements could be made?

Opinions needed: How do you feel about the current Mental Health System and what improvements could be made?Any inefficiencies, changes, modifications, additions...? what about stigma issues? or awareness issues? any services complaints?
Please be thoughtful and informative. The most informative gets 10 points. I am getting this information for the Mental Illness Advocacy Committee. I need some ideas to address.

Answer by angel_1356623
Stigma is still very much an issue. When someone hears the word schizophrenia they automatically assume that means they are crazy, or associate that mental illness with the " looney bin". However, i feel that mental illness should be viewed no different then cancer, or heart disease. After all mental illness is a disease. You didnt ask for it.

Answer by disaster girl
COST!

I have been hospitalized in the past. I have been to rehab and am clean.
I have been diagnosed bipolar 1 with psychotic features and was hospitalized for my mania. I have other mental health disorders as well. Including avoidant personality disorder.

I am unmediated. I can not afford therapy. Our local community mental health had such severe budget cuts they only do case management now and everything else is far too much for me to afford. So I have been without medication or therapy for 2 years now and my anxiety and avoidance has worrsened in the mean time due to the lack of therapy. I do not leave my house. So I do not work. Hence I require free services until I am well enough to be employed again and have no where to go to get them.

My significant other has blue cross blue shield they pay half and he is schizo effective and ocd. He is now 500 dollars behind because he can not affoard both therapy and taking care of me. Soon he will no longer be able to have services either. He is also 4 months sober.

I have no where to go and am just waiting shut in a house ot go psychotic again and he will soon be in the same boat. We dont know where to turn. CMH used to be an option but it is no longer and I dont know what esle is.

So first is cost. Secondly some referral service like they have for rehab. A central number that individuals can call to get directed to the help they need. We don't even know where to start looking and I know without the help we will both be in a bad spot.

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