Major Writing Assignment #2: Introduction and Methods
Introduction
Society is more
aware of the prevalence of mental illness today than ever before - and yet,
mental illness is still grossly misunderstood and under-treated. Though there
has been extensive research done on mental illness, there is still more to be
discovered. According to Mental Health America – a nonprofit organization
dedicated to improving mental health in the U.S. – 43.7 million people struggle with a mental illness annually in the United
States. And although access to mental health services has improved across the
country, a majority of people suffering with a mental illness do not or cannot
seek help. Only 44 percent of Americans with a mental illness will receive
treatment in their lifetime.
There are studies
and statistics on the rates of mental illness in college students, including statistics
on how many individuals in the age range do not seek treatment. According to
the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, “Transitional
age individuals, referring to those people ages 16-25 years old, are at high
risk for mental illness, substance abuse, and suicide, but they are among the
least likely to seek help.” And according to Chadron State College, 25
percent of college-aged students (ages 18-24) have a diagnosable mental
illness, but only about a fourth of those individuals have been diagnosed or
treated for their condition in the past year. In addition, of those students
who have dropped out of school due to a mental health condition, 50 percent did
not access mental health services or support.
Universities are
aware of the mental health crisis and offer and advertise mental health
services. So why don’t these students seek treatment? Our research will explore
what holds students back from seeking very necessary mental health treatment.
Methods
The research study
will focus on college students ages ######
who attend the University of Iowa. Older individuals may be included as a
point of comparison. A survey will be conducted which will ask students general
knowledge questions about mental health, and will follow by rating their anxiety
level, whether or not they were aware of the anxiety, and whether or not they
had made an effort to seek help or treatment.
You could possibly justify why your topic is important. Such as death rates due to unmedicated mental illnesses and such. The information you provided is clear and good. You used your sources very well and the quotes you chose and the way you used them is excellent. There is only one quote without a citation, "Only 44 percent of Americans with a mental illness will receive treatment in their lifetime."
ReplyDeleteYour introduction does a good job discussing that previous research has been done but you could possibly explain the research that was done a little more in depth. Your research question is very good, "So why don't these students seek treatments?"
Your procedure is more a summary than an actual procedure, maybe try to go more in depth. For participants your paper suggests it'll be students ages "####" at the university of Iowa and older individuals "may be" included, so you may want to narrow it down to what ages then further specify whether or not those people are being included rather than a suggestion they might be. Your methods section fails so clarify how the data is analyzed.