Mental illness is seriously 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 because they are the primary factors determining how individuals are socialized growing up. People with a mental disorder, most commonly a depressive disorder or a substance use disorder, commit most suicides (over 90%) in the United States (National Institute of Mental Health 2008). These social forces cloud our thoughts, produce critical viewpoints, and ultimately generate barriers to treatment. Our society can improve this situation by changing the way mental illness is presented in the media and in society, the way mental illness 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 strengths, the stigmas faced by the mentally ill will be less intimidating and those who need help will have easier access to it. The media presents conceptions about mental illness. In 2009, Dingfelder said that "people are twice as likely today as in the 1950s to believe that people with mental illness are violent." In fact, the mentally ill are nearly three times more likely to be victims of violence than members of mainstream society. The media stereotypes sick people in video games, news and television. In today's world, the mentally ill are only recognized when they commit a heinous act like shooting up a school or committing a crime. For example, last month in Florida a mother attempted to cross the Atlantic Ocean in her minivan with 3 children, or when news exploits a 39-year-old mother from Utah for killing 6 babies and them have packed in a box. In other words, the media rarely shows the mental... middle of paper ... curriculum that is being taught and this will cause a cycle of cheating and strain it in subsequent teaching materials. , society generally focuses on individual actions that impact disease; We often 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 treatment and insurance disparities, and educational factors. I also looked at and explained different ways society can combat these issues. School programs, anti-stigma, policy changes, and improved access to insurance coverage can all have an impact on eradicating mental health stigma in institutions. However, is it too late to erase the stigma and make the systematic changes instilled in society from generation to generation? ??