In many cultures, birth defects are considered a curse and people seek to eliminate them by one method: spiritually or simply by ignoring them. However, as science improves and eyes are opened to the topic of birth defects, more research has been done to understand and accept them. Since the 1960s, the federal government has introduced ways for mentally ill patients to live outside of a psychiatric hospital, where they were confined away from the general public, and lead normal lives. Many psychiatric communities and centers have been built to enable continuous and effective care of these patients from their homes. Yet the question remains whether or not the entire world has accepted mental illnesses. Many believe that the mentally ill should be hidden from society out of shame and humiliation, but countries around the world have invalidated this belief by implementing new treatment methods and awareness campaigns to include them in society. Over the past few years, the United States has shown a drastic improvement in the way it has begun to accept mental illnesses and their patients. With the country's persistent approach to detecting mental illness early and ending harassment of anyone suffering from a mental illness, it's clear that the United States cares about these patients. For example, schools have taken the initiative to increase mental health screenings to diagnose distressed adolescents as early as possible. An organization called TeenScreen has conducted several school-based screenings that screen students based on a questionnaire "designed to identify depression, anxiety, and several other mental health issues." After screening, students who tested positive for a mental health condition were selected... middle of article...... Edition August 11, 2010. Opposing viewpoints in context. Internet. February 27, 2014. “Mental health on screen under surveillance. » Sun-Herald [Sydney, Australia] February 9, 2014: 24. Opposing views in context. Internet. March 4, 2014. “Ontario launches project to improve physical health of patients with mental illness. » Globe & Mail [Toronto, Canada] January 29, 2014: A5. Opposing viewpoints in context. Internet. March 4, 2014. “School-Based Mental Health Screening Results for Care-Linked Adolescents.” » Mental Health Weekly Digest September 12, 2011: 40. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Internet. March 3, 2014. Tayler, Theresa. “Breaking the stigma.” Calgary Herald. October 9, 2011: A.6. Researcher on SIRS issues. Internet. March 4, 2014. Yudin, Michael. “Protecting students with disabilities from bullying.” » News from the United States Department of Education. August 20, 2013: np SIRS Government Reporter. Internet. March 4. 2014.