A HEALTHY MINDSET IS AN ASSET
Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias shame us all.
Most people who live with mental illness have, at some point, have been blamed for their condition. They’ve been called names. Their symptoms have been referred to as “a phase” or something they can control “if they only tried.” They have been illegally discriminated against, with no justice. And to make matters worse, police officers, who we rely heavily on, aren't always trained for mental health crisises and this can lead to many lives being lost. This is the unwieldy power that stigma holds. Lets push for change to improve police crisis interventions and end the stigma of mental health because everyone matters!
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19.1% of U.S. adults experienced mental illness in 2018 (47.6 million people). This represents 1 in 5 adults. As well as, 16.5% of U.S. youth aged 6-17 experienced a mental health disorder in 2016 (7.7 million people). Police departments say 10% of their contact with the public involves a person with a mental illness, and those with untreated symptoms account for more than 1 in 4 fatal police shootings.
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On a positive note, many individuls are coming forward and are opening up about their illnesses like depression and anxiety. but we can't forget about those whose illnesses are much more severe and not often talked about such as Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) or Schizo-affective Disorder.
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Let us introduce ourselves! Hi, My name is shariana Allen and My name is Maleehah Jaaber. We created this project because we are trying to raise awareness around mental health and why there should be an excess of police crisis intervention programs to help those who are in need of mental health support! With the help of resources and people willing to make a change, the future will be a brighter place for the mental health community.
