Opening up the political dialogue about facing mental health disorders and proper treatment services has been sponging the news cycle in the last week since the tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut.

The University of Southern California's School of Social Work estimates that the United States contributes $100 billion annually on untreated mental illness through avenues of addiction treatment, incarceration, homeless shelters, and other preventable services to address issues like lost productivity at work.

Proper treatment success rates are high for the 41 percent of diagnosed Americans that actually receive it. More that 26 percent of adults in America are affected by a mental disorder and one out of every four families have a relative that has been diagnosed.

Many feel health services throughout the country are inadequate. Awareness and civil discourse about the prevalence of mental health problems in America is needed.

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Source: MSW@USC