A Brief Analysis of Mental Disorders

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Everything related to psychology fascinates me, since the history of founders of psychology, to some of the theories that have been developed over the time, to how science and our brain work biologically. When I first started thinking about becoming a psychologist, one of my main questions was how the mind works and how it can force us to choose to do certain actions, especially those that might affect ourselves. However, during this learning period I have realized that not all about my future career is sweetness and harmony, for instance, there are facts that at some point have kept me wondering about how after countless studies a person is still threatening himself/herself or to other people.
For example, I did not know that according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), every year in the United States more than 36, 000 individuals die by suicide, or that there is about 1 suicide death in every 10, 000 people, and an estimate of 1 suicide death in every 11 attempts a person performs.
Mental disorders are common around the world, but in the United States one quarter of adults are diagnosable for one or more disorders, and 1 in 17 suffer from an extremely debilitating mental illness. On the other hand, mental conditions are also common in the child population and the average in our country of those who suffer from a serious mental illness is 1 in every 5 children; either during their first years or at some point during their life. (American Psychiatric Association)
Mental health; as different associations describe, includes our emotional, psychological, social well-being, and affects how we think, feel, and act as we cope with life. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choi...

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...till difficult to find out how to prevent causes for mental disorders. Nevertheless, I have learned some symptoms that would prevent a person to start being properly treated. If a person indicates to be considering suicide or is having a strange attitude, listen and take their concerns seriously. One should not be afraid to ask questions about their plans. One must let him/her know people can take care of the situation, and explain that they are not alone. One should also encourage them to seek help immediately from an experienced professional, and not to leave them alone.

Bibliography:

Mental Health. American Psychiatric Association. 2012. Web. 20 Nov.

United States. National Institute of Mental Health. Mental Health Information. NIMH. Nov. 2012. Web. 20 Nov.2012
United States. National Library of Medicine. Mental Health. NIH. Nov. 2012. Web. 20 Nov. 2012

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