Writing Homework Help

For this assignment, you will write a letter to the editor of the community newspaper (i.e., St. Pete Times, Tampa Tribune, etc.) in which you discuss what you think your community needs to know about mental illness.

For example, you might want to include statistics related to the incidence and prevalence of mental disorders in your community, myths about mental illness and the mentally ill; you might discuss stigma, its effects and ways to reduce it in your community; you might challenge the stereotypes commonly associated with mental illness; you might want to talk about lack of treatment resources, or call attention to the work of particular individuals/programs that are making a difference in the lives of the mentally ill; you might urge funding for particular types of treatment; or you might call attention to the plight of those community citizens who suffer from mental illness and lack access to appropriate treatment or services; etc.

Other options include choosing a specific vulnerable/underserved/disenfranchised or invisible population discussed in the group presentations as your focus (what the community needs to know/understand about this particular group). Or, you might compose a reaction letter to a recent story that appeared in your community’s newspaper about mental illness or the mentally ill.