Sample Argument Paper
Note to reader: This draft is re-printed here with the author's permission. These student drafts are provided for a couple of reasons: first, to give you a taste of the variety of topics and approaches students have taken, and second, to provide instructors with readings that might be used in class discussions and activities. These samples are not perfect and represent final grades from across the grade scale (A through F), so please be forgiving, understanding, and respectful if you find errors or problems.
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Donna Walter
Professor Peterson
10 December 2014
Final argument Essay
Stigmas due to Mental Illness
Our world is moving in a fast and fearful way. If your neighbor was to be in an accident or have lost a loved one what do we usually do? We as good neighbors go right over to see if there is anything we can do or take a casserole over to them right away. Then again if we find out they are suffering from a mental illness what do we do? Most of us ignore the situation, go in the house and close the blinds. Then we just don’t talk about it. Unfortunately we are taught at an early age that it is offensive to talk about other people’s problems. God forbid please don’t talk about yours in public or at home. Heaven forbid what would people think? We a society worry too much about what people think. Instead we ignore the situation at hand.
If society would care, get involved and understand mental illness. If society could only be more compassionate and show love. Wouldn’t it be a better world to live in today? But No, we are too quick to judge and belittle someone for his or her difficulties. We are a fear driven society so afraid of someone that suffers from mental illness. People that suffer from any form of mental illnesses need tremendous love and support from family and society more than anything.
It’s really kind of sad how we look at mental illness in this day and age. Society should educate people about mental illness and get involved. We do not get involved only very few do. We shut our doors and close our blinds to mental illness. Then society stops and asks why is this country going to pot. How dare people ask such a question? Maybe it could be because we refuse to be open-minded and change the way we approach mental illness. If only we would change our attitudes towards those that suffer from mental illness. If only we could accept our fellow travelers as being different. We should look for better ways to reach out to our fellow men and women. We could make a big change. As God put it, we are all Gods creation and children, all of us.
We need to teach our next generation that it is ok if a person suffers from some form of mental illness. There are various types of mental illness, depression being one of them. Depression comes from hard trials in life. Many people experience depression for a short period of time in their life. It could be caused from loosing a loved one or a big disappointment in life. So we should not ignore depression or any other mental illness. Instead we could love them out of their depression. I say we should love everyone even if we do not understand. We could help those that suffer by educating them and ourselves better. Let’s help make this a better world for all of us.
Mental illnesses are affecting our world today. There are people with substance abuse problems that are diagnosed bipolar but have or both. They are the fortunate ones in having ways for recovery. Sadly enough they are not always willing to get the help. Unfortunately most of them refuse help and self medicate. Which usually leads them down some extremely dark avenues in life. People that are bipolar self medicate unless they are educated on how to deal with their mental illness. Some people diagnosed bipolar have shown facts of having deeper problems like abuse of some kind. Which sometimes can lead to substance abuse and addiction. Substance abuse and addiction are declared as mental illness.
The world today quickly labels people, this is a serious problem for thousands of people today. They are given a quick fix like a prescription (pills) for the problem and never reevaluated anytime soon. The doctors rarely offer therapy. There are good and bad doctors out there for sure. There are some doctors that just put a Band-Aid (pills) on mental illness. I call this a quick fix to the problem. Doctors have people dying right and left from over doses because of this. We all go to the doctor if we have problems with our heath. That dose not mean we need a pill or pills for the problem. Sadly to say most people do not have the means to go to the doctor like insurance. Rarely do jobs offer insurance any more and people cannot afford to get insurance. Going to the doctor and prescriptions are costly. I would say a large percentage of people ignor their heath because of the cost. It is cheaper to self medicate.
I personally see this has become a big problem for our small communities and our country. Our president Obama has set up a program for insurance and many people cannot afford that. He asked us to get insurance through place of employment or through the Obama care. People have a hard time just putting food on the table for their families. Jobs have been forced to let go of insurance due to the government and having to pay higher insurance premiums. That is why many jobs are part time so they do not offer insurance. The government penalizes us for not having insurance, but most people would rather pay the penalties. Penalizing people is not the answer to this problem. People in need are finding it harder and harder to seek some help. This is where being good neighbors could help making the difference.
So us as fellow travelers in this world could make a difference with mental illness. We could change are attitudes towards mental illness by educating others and ourselves. We could start by setting an example to the next generation on how to deal with mental illness and stop ignoring it. If we could just love our neighbors like we love ourselves what a difference that would make.
Thinking mental illness will just go away is the way of society keeping the stigma around. It will not just go away. What we have fantasies! Mental illness will never go away on it’s own. Society needs to change their ways in which they look and treat mental illness.
Did you know that substance abuse, bipolar and depression have similar characteristics? Their symptoms sometimes appear alike. Strange, but they are. They are considered as a mood disorder. These are at the of the top mental illnesses charts. Some of the people that suffer with these types of problems self medicate. This can lead to all kinds of problems for them and for society. The crime rates keep increasing. And we dare ask why? Could there be a better way to address mental illness and stop the increases of crimes? I say yes there is!
Crimes and substance abuse is on the rise not to mention domestic violence. There can be another way to fight against. We need more solid programs to support mental illness. That would work for the people and stop some of this destruction. When our country went through the Great Depression in the 1920’s. What did we as a country do? We came together and helped pull this country together again. Society did not go in the house and pull the blinds. Instead we came together as a country. Society should have those mentalities today. We should love one another and especially through mental illness. Like I’ve said before we are all Gods children. God never had grandkids.
We go and sing in church songs like “God bless America” and “Love one Another” do we mean that? Or just train to sing with no feelings involved. Doesn’t that sound cold? The way society still looks at mental illness is cold! We have mental illness in our families, but still turn a blind eye to the problem. Crazy how we are always eager to help those in need at Christmas! Why is that? So we look good for society? Our do we really have it in our hearts to make a difference. So lets start looking at it in another way. By giving the person with mental illness= love and support they need so desperately. They could be going through a bad trial or a rough spot in life. We should do all we can to help and not shut them down.
We can HELP! Just like the country did when they pulled themselves out of the depression they were in. If only we could start looking at mental illness as a manageable illness. Help those with mental illness by rearing them to the proper help. Not just putting a Band-Aid on the problem at hand. Mental illness takes understanding. This is a lifetime investment for all of us. By starting with getting the proper education out there for those that suffer from mental illness. Educating there loved ones and by not putting a label on the one that suffers. It states in the good book (bible) that all of us are created equal. So society should be treated equal in ever way. We believe and read from the bible to take care of the sheep and keep them in the flock.
That would pertain to our families especially. This to me is a very important scripture and we all are family in one way or another. The family unit is most important factor in how we address mental illness if for any other reason. We as a family could make a difference within, by helping address mental illness with dignity and not shame and guilt. Shame and guilt is what can lead us down those dark alleys of life. Our secrets will eventually kill us off. I feel if we could talk to our family members about our problems within that we could come to have a better resolution to deal with mental illness. If we were only to teach love and not hate in our homes. Teach respect and acceptance. Oh how beautiful this world would be.
I know mental illness is very personal. I personally have see many suffers with mental illness. In their family’s and themselves. They feel like there’s no way out of this situation some even commit suicide. Suicide has also been on the rise. There is a better way to fight against mental illness. First we should start with ourselves in being more opened minded that we could make a change. Realizing it could happen to us. More stabile support groups within our communities on awareness. Having the funding to back this up. The support groups do not last because of funding and many other reasons. There is lots of shame and no support from their family or society.
Sad to say there’s people that complain about these problems, but not willing to change anything. I’m not sure anyone knows how to fixing these problems. We should join together to find a solution. Could the country join together for peace and harmony and freedom for all? Could we be more like the good neighbor and care about the one in need all of the year round and not just in the holiday season. Could we be the neighbor that cares and takes a casserole over when we see someone is having a hard time mentally?
Boy what a better world we would live in. We are all brothers and sisters. We do all come from one creator, which is GOD. We were all created equal and sent here to go through trails in our lives. Trails can be good and some not so good. Do you think those suffering mental illness said, please give me mental illness so I can be treated unfairly. I want to be ignored and ridiculed even within my own family. I don’t believe so! Do you think maybe it’s our test to see if we can love unconditionally even if it’s within our families?
If only we could all look at mental illness in a different light how much better we all would be in this world. We could support each other and get the help that our loved ones desperately need. This is my hope and dream that one-day mental illness will receive support and love from all around the globe. Hopefully there will be more education for us all to learn to cope with mental illness in a better light.
This is a great reading I found.” The struggle to break out of the cocoon develops the butterfly so it can fly. Without that adversity, the butterfly would never have the strength to achieve its destiny. It would never develop the strength to become something extraordinary.”(Elder J.B. Wirthlin). If only we all thought that way.
*Elder J.B. Wirthlin, Ensign, May 2000,60.”Finding a Safe Harbor”.