Lara Carolina Da SilvaFinal Essay 1Chapter Nine: Mental HealthMental illness is the leading cause of disability in North America and Europe in every community and costs the United States over half a trillion dollars per year. Mental health is defined as the emotional and social well-being and psychological resources to cope with the problems of daily life. Mental illness is the term that describes all mental disorders. Mental disorders are health conditions identified by changes in thinking and behavior. Mental disorders and mental disabilities can occur due to postnatal exposure to physical, chemical and biological agents, such as secondhand cigarette smoke. Impaired brain function can be caused by trauma, such as a car accident or gunshot wound, or by disease, such as syphilis, cancer, or a stroke. Maladaptive family functioning (such as having a parent with a mental illness or substance abuse problem), poverty, experience of violence, physical or sexual abuse, or neglect can also lead to mental illness. Growing up in neighborhoods marked by social division leads to discrimination and social disadvantage increases the risk. Families of the mentally ill usually underwent treatment for mental disorders in colonial America, sick or from private caregivers. Institutionalization began during the 18th century; people with mental disorders were placed in poorhouses or undifferentiated workhouses which were locally run public institutions for the mentally ill or crippled. Towards the second half of the 20th century this type of treatment was replaced by moral treatment, which was a treatment based on the theory that environmental changes could influence an individual's mind and consequently alter his behavior. Mentally ill people with...... half of a ... ogram that provides legal resources, attorney referrals, help with special needs, estate and life planning, as well as help navigating the justice system, which is something of great help those with mental illnesses who are sometimes unaware of their benefits and help deal with legal issues. Another program provided by NAMI is the Veterans and Military Resource Center, a center that provides mental health resources, support and education; active duty military personnel, mentally ill veterans and their family members. They cover many mental illnesses and issues that affect veterans and are common problems among veterans; they provide information about diseases, treatment, screenings, research data and more. This is desperately needed as many of our veterans suffer from illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and other mental or brain injuries.