"Treatment could be a lifelong phenomena. Should a family be expected to pay for it? Should the government be expected to pay for it?"

Something as life threatening as mental illnesses should be funded by the government to ensure the safety of its citizens. Treatment is a necessity to those diagnosed and for them to have to live life without it would be devastating. A family suffering from poverty with a mentally ill child should not be shunned, but helped. Standard health care is expensive enough as is and with all of that money going toward government provided health care, treatment should be completely covered. Mental illnesses aren't on the same severity level as a cold or the flu, they are life-long illnesses that need professional help; they can’t be cured by “popping” a couple Advil or Sudafed! A family can’t be responsible for the over-priced costs of treatment for those in need. If a family were to have to pay for the entire financial costs of treatment, the proper amount and specialization would not be met; families would simply cut corners to save money. Mental illnesses are nothing to mess with and treatment for them needs to be funded entirely by the government.