24. Mental Illness Can Severely Impact A Person’s Quality Of Life
People with mental illness can have remarkably productive lives, but all too often, their quality of life is impeded by their disease and society’s response to it. They may resort to drugs and alcohol as a means of coping with their illness, especially when they are not receiving appropriate treatment with the support of loved ones.
Therapies for mental illness, especially schizophrenia, have historically been harsh and restrictive. For a long time, people with these challenges were locked away, even tied to beds to make sure that they did not harm anyone or themselves. Treatments like electroshock therapy and even lobotomy are all too recent in the memory of mental health therapy.