According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 58 million adult Americans suffer from mental illness in any given year, and that number is growing. In 2013, an estimated 15.7 million adults had at least one major depressive episode (ranging from mental depression to physical suicide and even murderous attacks on others, including their own families) in the past year, representing 6.7 percent of all U.S. adults. Annually there is “Serious mental illness (that) costs America $193.2 billion in lost earnings per year.”
The statistics are even more shocking for anxiety disorders, with 28.8% of the population reporting a serious episode within the past year.
It is no wonder that mental health care is such a booming industry. In 2014, the United States alone spent $179.4 billion dollars on mental health care, and that number is expected to reach over #238 billion dollars by 2020. With more money being spent on mental health than ever before, it begs the question: Why are people not getting better?
Common psychiatric mood disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia, are the result of trauma in the deep structures of the mid-brain associated with neurochemical imbalances.
Those diagnosed are often treated with psychotropic medications, “talk” therapy, and in some extreme cases, ECT (electroconvulsive therapy). Psychotropic medications have a myriad of side effects, and have often proven to be more detrimental than beneficial to the patient.
Several studies published by the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) indicate that patients would be better off to simply take a placebo pill
Cognitive behavioral therapy, or “talk therapy” has inconsistent, unproven results, and treatment is rarely completed by the patient. ECT has been shown to quickly reverse symptoms of certain mental illnesses, but is costly and can often involve a lengthy recovery period and various side effects.
Most treatments for mental illness address the symptoms of the disorder, rather than the underlying issues, keeping patients dependent on medications that do not work.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-future-of-brain-based_b_8697926