It can no longer be denied that mental health is extremely more prevalent than our nation used to paint it out to be. With the growth as a society, we have made great progress in spreading awareness in addition to more wide acceptance. Things such as “mental health days” or more accessible resources have been implemented and provided. Though these are great assets, with more knowledge often times poses new issues and questions. One more specifically is the dual diagnosis.
Dual diagnosis can be used in many different situations however I am going to radio in more on the focus of an individual who experiences both an intellectual disability as well as mental health difficulties. Those who already endure IDD (intellectual or developmental disabilities) are unfortunately more susceptible to acquiring mental health difficulties. A study showed that they were in fact 33% more at risk(Social Work Today). You might ask why that is and there is a couple explanations for it. One being that people who have IDD already have a biochemical imbalance of some essence which makes the brain remotely more sensitive to other obstacles. Another reason could be due to lack of social network and support. Though there has been efforts made to ensure that those who have disabilities have equal access to everything that anyone else may have there is still an undeniable drop off in meeting those needs.
All age groups may have IDD, whether that be children who are going through the school process or an adult who is trying to work and provide for themselves or a family later in life. A disability to begin with may cause everyday life to be challenging and a dual diagnosis would only amplify that.
Programs have begun to become more common that aim to bring people with dual diagnosis together to create a safe and inclusive environment. These programs provide resources, encouragement and opportunities. In addition, the progress that has been made in the mental health awareness and acceptance realm has only been beneficial. However, we still very much have a long way to go. Many people do not know about dual diagnosis and it is often times not covered generally. I think a rise in awareness regarding it would be more than necessary. I think personally that more resources should be readily available for those in need of them and that monetary issues should not come into play when seeking out care and help. I also think that the world needs to come to peace with that we are not all perfect and that is okay. That is why we need to open discussion about this and remove the stigmas.
I am not here to speak to these experiences as if I have gone through them myself or to act as though I am fully aware of what this may be like. This article’s purpose is to create perspective and spread awareness. A perspective that is aware and knowledgeable that people have hardships that they do not always outwardly speak about or bring to the table. They face adversity on a day-to-day basis and most time it flies under many people’s radar. A perspective that tells you to treat everyone you come across with just as much respect as the next person because we truly never know anyone’s story right away.
https://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/092310p6.shtml
