Mental illness is severely misunderstood in society due to the institutions that govern us. Social forces such as the economy, environment, media, and family all have an influential impact on mental illness as they are major factors in how individuals are socialized growing up. Individuals with a mental disorder, most commonly depressive or substance abuse disorder, commit the majority of suicides (over 90%) in the United States (National Institute of Mental Health 2008). These social forces cloud our thoughts, produce judgmental views, and ultimately generate barriers to treatment. Our society can improve this situation by changing the way mental illness is portrayed in the media and society, the way it is treated in our medical system, and the way people learn about mental illness in our education system. If we can make changes with these forces, the stigma faced by the mentally ill will be less daunting and those who need help will have greater access to it. The media portrays conceptions of mental illness. In 2009 Dingfelder stated that "people are twice as likely today as they were in the 1950s to believe that people with mental illnesses are violent." In fact, mentally ill people are almost three times more likely to be victims of violence than people in normal society. The media stereotypes sick people in video games, on the news and on TV. In the news, mentally ill people are only recognized when they commit a heinous act such as shooting up a school or committing a crime. For example, last month in Florida a mother tried to drive her minivan with 3 children across the Atlantic Ocean, or when news outlets exploit a 39-year-old mother from Utah for killing 6 children and wrapping them in a box. In other words, the media rarely shows the mint... middle of paper... curriculum that is being taught and this will cause a cycle of cheating and strain it into further educational material. In general, society usually focuses on individual actions that impact disease; Very often we overlook the social factors that contribute to mental problems. For this reason, I have illustrated some of the social forces that exacerbate mental illness, such as media and societal influences, changes in medical care, insurance disparities, and educational factors. I have also reviewed and explained various ways in which society can combat these problems. School curriculum, addressing stigma, policy changes, and improved access to insurance coverage can all have an impact on eradicating mental health stigmas in institutions. However, it is too late to erase stigmas and make systematic changes that are instilled in society from generation to generation?