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What is the perception of mental illness in our society today
Public perception of mental illness introduction
Public perception on mental illness introduction
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We hear on the news about how a person has committed a homicide, or even a treacherous crime. The first thing that pops into one's head is something has to be wrong with that person, but really there isn't anything wrong with them at all. So, are mentally ill people also criminals? Studies suggest that there is no correlation between mental illness and crime.
Why do we as people tend to think that mentally disorder people are so dangerous? According to a recent survey that was conducted. About 60 percent of the people that was asked said that they believe that people with schizophrenia are dangerous. But are they really as dangerous as everyone puts them out to be? As stated in this on this following website, “Schizophrenia.com”:
“People with schizophrenia are far more likely to harm themselves than be violent toward the public. Violence is not a symptom of schizophrenia. News and entertainment media tend to link mental illnesses including schizophrenia to criminal violence. Most people with schizophrenia, however, are not violent toward others but are withdrawn and prefer to be left alone. Drug or alcohol abuse raises the risk of violence in people with schizophrenia, particularly if the illness is untreated, but also in people who have no mental illness. When violence does occur, it is most frequently targeted at family members and friends, and more often takes place at home.”
As knowing a person with this type of disorder it is safe to say that people with this disorder are not harmful to others, but to themselves. Schizophrenia is defined at the “psychiatric disorder with symptoms of withdrawal into self: a severe psychiatric disorder with symptoms of emotional instability, detachment from reality, and withdrawal...
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...ads to suicide which is not any better than being mentally ill. As knowing a person with this type of disorder, She is more harmful to herself rather than others. So, why do we as people that are not around people with this disorder think that people with this disorder are so criminally impaired? For starters, the way the world sees people is if you have a mental illness everything that was done wrong is all that persons fault when really. . They didn’t do anything, but to themselves .When people cause crimes, something has to be right in their head to know what they are doing. Most of our crimes committed today are by people that are not even from our country. Take 9/11 for example. This was an impactful thing that affected most if not all of the United States. When Bin Laden sent his people to come crashing into our twin towers where MANY people worked.
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that that causes thought, emotion, and behavioral breakdowns leading to a withdrawal
According to the DSM-IV, schizophrenia is classified under the section of “Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders”. Schizophrenia is one of the most serious major chronic brain disorders in the field of mental health; it is a neurological disorder that affects the cognitive functions of the human brain. People living with this incapacitating illness can experience multiple symptoms that will cause extreme strain in their own and their families and friends life. The individual can lose reality, unable to work, have delusions and hallucinations, may have disorganized speech and thought processes, will withdraw from people and activities, they may become suspicious and paranoid, may behave inappropriately in every day social situations. They may neglect personal hygiene and dress improperly, use excessive make-up; every day life is becoming chaotic for everyone involved.
There is still no unanimously accepted definition of schizophrenia, and appreciable differences exist between the narrowest and widest definition (Tsuang 13). It is a disease that includes a disturbance in cognition that renders the individual "out of touch with reality". Emotions are distorted in schizophrenia and they are typified by being socially withdrawn (Lahey 555).
Schizophrenia is considered a disease of the brain, a physical disorder that, thanks to modern technology, is able to be visualized. Schizophrenia, along with other diseases of the brain, such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and multiple sclerosis, are all brain diseases which alter both functionality and structure of the brain. Schizophrenia has been called a cruel disease, one that impairs life greatly in a degenerative fashion, altering emotions and various abilities greatly. This unfortunate disease is quite common, effecting about one to two percent of the World's population. About two to four percent of the population suffer from less severe yet still debilitating and disturbing schizophrenic-like symptoms. An estimated sixty five billion a dollars per year is spent on this disorder in the United States.(2) It is estimated that over two million Americans suffer from schizophrenia in their lifetime..
As an overview, schizophrenia is a disease to the brain. It is one of the most disabling and emotionally devastating illnesses known to man. It has been misunderstood for a long time. It has a biological basis, so it is like other diseases. It is a very common disease; one percent to one and a half percent of the U.S. has been diagnosed within some point in their life. There is no cure for this disease, although there is treatable medicine. Schizophrenia is not a multiple personality disorder. People who take medicine for it are able to lead normal fulfilling lives.
Schizophrenia is a severe incurable brain disorder that oppresses many today. Schizophrenia affects more than 2 million Americans. It is one of the most feared and misunderstood of all mental illnesses. So with this illness there are many questions. What is the meaning of schizophrenia, how is it diagnosed and how is it treated? With it being the most feared and misunderstood of all mental illnesses what are some stereotypes and fears out there about those with schizophrenia? How do those with the illness and the family members feel about law enforcement and what are their needs when it comes to those in law enforcement? What is being done now in law enforcement to help ones who have this illness?
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (2009) (as cited in Regier et al, 1993), “Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that has affected people throughout history and about 1 percent of Americans have this illness” (p. 85-94).
It is evident that those with mental illnesses have an increased likelihood of committing crimes. It is important to note, however, that not all people with mental illnesses commit crimes or violent behavior so a cause is not evident. Substance abuse, a mental disorder, is also seen as a large risk in violent behavior (Silver 2006). Hiday (1995) asks the questions of the direction of this correlation. Does mental illness lead to violence or is it vice versa?
SCHIZOPHRENIA Schizophrenia, from the Greek word meaning “split mind”, is a mental disorder that causes complete fragmentation in the processes of the mind. Contrary to common belief, schizophrenia does not refer to a person with a split personality or multiple personalities, but rather to a condition which affects the person’s movement, language, and thinking skills. The question of whether schizophrenia is a disease or collection of socially learned actions is still a question in people’ mind. People who are suffering from schizophrenia think and act in their own the world and put themselves in a way that is totally different from the rest of society. In other words, they have lost in touch with the reality. Most schizophrenics accept the fact that they have this disorder and are willing to receive necessary treatment and listen to, if not follow, professional advice. However there are cases where patients have lost insight and do not acknowledge the fact that they suffer from a mental disorder. As a result, these people do not have the treatment normally patients with schizophrenia do. To observers, schizophrenia may seem like a disease or madness because people who have this disorder behave differently to the people that are considered “normal.” It impairs a person from doing work, going to school, taking care of his/herself or having a social relationship with others. Yet, by looking at some of the symptoms, it is sometimes hard to classify schizophrenia as a disease because it enables those inflicted with it to develop new ways of communication intellectually and creatively, as well as enhancing artistic abilities. A disease is usually some kind of sickness that will lead to death or under heavy medication. However, this is not the case. For now, there is no cure but only treatment to help people with schizophrenia to live more productive lives. Generally, schizophrenia carries enormous threats to the society. About one percent of the people in United States develop schizophrenia and the probability of developing this disorder is independent of the patient’s gender, race or culture. Women are as likely to develop schizophrenia as men but women tend to have less severe symptoms with fewer hospitalizations and are generally able to cope better in the community. About ten percent of the people who have schizophrenia commit suicide and many others attempt...
Glied, S., & Frank, R. G. (2014). Mental Illness and Violence: Lessons From the Evidence.
Why is there a cloud of judgment and misunderstanding still surrounding the subject? People with a mental disorder or with a history of mental health issues are continually ostracized by society. This results in it being more difficult than it already is for the mentally ill to admit their symptoms to others and to seek treatment. To towards understanding mental illness is to finally lift the stigma, and to finally let sufferers feel safe and accepted within today’s society. There are many ways in which the mentally ill are degraded and shamed.
Schizophrenia is a group of psychotic disorders with major impairments in thought, emotion, and behavior; there is a constant prevalence rate of one percent with the occurrence being slightly higher in men. Though different psychologists have various theories on whether the disorder is linked to genetics or social economic status, schizophrenia in all
The mental illness of schizophrenia, is defined as a “severe psychological disorder characterized by highly disordered thought processes, referred to as psychotic because they are so far removed from reality” (King, 2011, p. 507). To those who have not experienced schizophrenia it might sound disturbing, but to those living with the disorder, it seems unimaginable. “The experience of schizophrenia is often one of extraordinary terror (King, 2011, p. 507).
The stigma is created by the lack of knowledge, narrow-minded attitudes, and the acts of judgment against people who have a mental illness. The stigma results in extensive consequences for the individuals being affected. The stigma ends up becoming worse than the mental illness itself because it prevents individuals from seeking help during the early stages of the mental illness. There is even a vast availability of mental-health treatments that are effective, yet the majority of people experiencing problems related to mental-health does not seek help. 28% of the adult population of the United States have a diagnosable mental condition and only 8% seek treatment. These statistics help prove that stigma is one of the main reasons for individuals not willing to seek help. The individual fears being stigmatized. They fear being rejected by their loved ones and the general public. They do not want to be devalued. The way that individuals with mental illnesses are called “the mentally ill” in the media just makes the stigma even worse. This makes the person feel defined solely by their disability, which is inhumane. The person begins to feel less of a human being. In the media, they are viewed as being dangerous and violent, which results with inhumanity towards the individual. This just increases the negative stereotypes towards individuals with a mental
According to Reynolds, Illnesses like schizophrenia bring unthinkable misery to sufferers and their families. Unlike other illnesses, it marks not only afflicted individuals, but also their relatives (96).