in the US as the Mental Health Bible . The fifth edition of this manual is now being used and it is called The DSM-V for short . This manual is used to diagnose mental disorders in the United States . This manual contains the descriptions , symptoms , and other criteria for diagnosing all known mental disorders . There are many types of mental health disorders that people are not aware are even considered disorders . That is why it is critical for people to become more aware of themselves and the people around them . Many people are not aware that issues such as anxiety and bereavement are listed in this manual as mental health disorders . Depression is another common disorder that is often observed in people that tends to get overlooked . There is a very thin line when determining if disorders such as anxiety , bereavement , depression , etc . are problematic in the lives of the people that are affected by this . This is typically determined by how long symptoms caused by these disorders last ; how much people change from their usual self when dealing with these disorders ; and how severely the symptoms caused by these disorders affect the lives of the people dealing with these symptoms . When dealing with mental health and mental illnesses it is a must to look at how much the symptoms affect daily living ( family involvement , work , engaging in normal everyday activities , etc .).
How exactly do we get over the barriers and the issues that continue to be present with mental health in this country ? In order to address the growing issues surrounding mental health disorders in America we must not be afraid to let the government know that it is not ok to continue to cut funding to mental health services which are just as important as regular health care services . The more they cut funding the less you have available to deal with mental health illnesses in this country . Again , one must remember that depression and anxiety are both mental health illnesses . One must remember our soldiers who come back home from war with PTSD . We all see the stories on the news of soldiers not being able to adjust to be back in a civilian way of life and have literally had mental breakdowns right before our eyes . If there isn ’ t enough funding then that means people will not get the services they need to address the illnesses . Another barrier comes from religion . Americans love to lean on religion and faith to get answers to their issues … which is ok . Decisions are made based on what the word says or what people of the cloth tells the flock . Therefore church officials have to incorporate some initiatives that will aid in addressing mental health within the community of their respective churches . They have to let the people know that it is ok to seek help for any mental ailments that they may have . A third issue comes from the fact that we often don ’ t want to talk about the subject . People feel that they will be looked at as “ crazy ” if they have to seek help for a mental illness . People feel that if they let someone know about their illness then they may lose something … like a job or a relationship of some sort . In order for the problem surrounding mental health to truly be addressed we must stop looking at mental illness as so taboo . Just because we don ’ t talk about it doesn ’ t mean it will just go away . We have to stop shaming people for needing help or poking fun of the idea of having a mental illness . Just like we want to address financial needs , political issues , and physical health needs , we also need to speak out more on mental health as well . People need to be encouraged to seek help . We must understand that discouragement brings about dormant communities ;