1 in 5 people in the world live with a mental illness.  This equates to approximately 450 million individuals,    43.8 million of which live in the United States of America.   Yet, American school systems have not implemented any sort of national educational programs to teach young adults coping and prevention strategies specifically for mental illnesses. The way to cut down on mental illness, and their various side-effects, is through prevention education.
Reduction of mentally ill populations can begin at a very young age. So young, in fact, that fifty percent of people who experience a mental illness in their lifetime showed signs before they turned fourteen years of age.  With the proper training, peers and teachers can be equipped to notice these warning signs and address them as briskly and properly as possible. Without the proper training, an illness will be allowed to fester and grow, creating more severe problems in the future. Drug and alcohol overuse, self-harm, destruction of relationships, and even suicide can arise from untreated illnesses.

To put this in perspective, a person with a mood or anxiety disorder is twice as likely as a healthy person to suffer from a drug abuse problem. Eighty-four percent of cocaine is used by someone who has suffered from a mental illness during their lifetime.  Those with mental illnesses also constitute ninety percent of suicide attempts. This equates to approximately 30,600 out of the annual 34,000 suicides.  In the average American classroom, one boy and two girls have attempted suicide.  The numbers are just getting started. These silent killers, which are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain, spread their disease to affect one's entire being, not just their mind. Personality, energy levels, concentration, and sleeping and eating patterns can all be warped.

The issue, however, with adding an educational program of this magnitude is money. Opposition to mental health education cares more about dollar bills than human beings, more about budgets than helping people live healthy, productive lives. However, if Americans receive proper treatment and education, we can stop mental health conditions from taking root. This would eventually save America millions of dollars, in many different budgeted areas. For example, we could save millions of dollars on the prison systems alone if mentally ill offenders were treated, rehabilitated, and given fresh starts, instead of being convicted over and over again.  Millions of dollars, just on prisons! This is an undeniably solid return on investment.

Overall, there is simply no way to continue avoiding mental health education and awareness. America is sick, and we need knowledge to stop the spread of these insidious illnesses.