The Plight of Mental Illness Sufferers

Mental illness can be an uncomfortable front for us to deal with and in our local community we are having to constantly face the consequences that our lack support for sufferers hands us. Ligon's working toward a stronger mental health system is a great commentary on our fellow citizens in Texas who are battling the poor system we have in place for the mentally ill. My mother is a TA for the Autism unit at an elementary school, and because of the conglomeration of some of the schools programs she also tends to the children who have severe behavior management. Some of her students in the past and present are dependent on medication and have difficulty behaving appropriately in class. Unfortunately in many cases, several students of hers between the ages of 7 to 13 have been admitted to the Austin State Mental Hospital. Upon reading this commentary I felt as though the renovations that Ligon called on for the system hit close to home as she argues for a more diligent mental health system with tighter preventative measures. By changing our attitude from condemning to caring, providing the opportunity for assessment and treatment, and expanding medicaid, it would lead to a positive son sequence in which 'everyone in Texas would benefit'. The article details the nuts and bolts of how large and who makes up those who suffer from mental illness in Texas, something that I find sad as I hear my mothers stories of our troubled future adults. The preventative measures that the Ligon suggest are those that are well calculated and developed with our prospective future in mind. The ideas of a larger budget  for those in need would be an incredible step, allowing treatment to be closer to hand would be heaven sent as Ligon describes how the majority of sufferers are adults who live in near poverty. Ligon, who hails from the center for Public Policy Priorities does an incredible job informing those of an underestimated problem in Texas, and with her credible position as servant for the community does an amazing job at coming up with some solutions. For the ssafey of the sufferers and those who live in the same Texas communities, I as a citizen who worries of the safety of my community as well as my mother who sees the constant presence of mental illness in children, find Ligon's concern and proposition overwhelmingly wonderful for the future.