Damaged Minds: Insanity

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Insanity by definition is a deranged state of the mind usually occurring as a specific disorder. Although the definition of insanity has always been argued, this definition is broad enough to be accepted. A famous quote about the insanity definition is, “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” - Albert Einstein (brainyquote.com). This however is incorrect. Insanity is not a diagnoses unlike what some people believe. It is mostly a legal term that is used in court to defend those who commit a crime and don’t know that their actions weren’t socially acceptable.
Insanity has been around forever and can affect any person. Since 1581, insanity has been in the law book trying to determine is the defendant can differentiate between good and evil. By the law in America over 2 million people are declared insane each year. Most cases where people plead insanity though turn out to be false. To be declared insane in the courts you have to take a mental test to show you are insane, which it is nearly impossible to cheat on. Temporary inanity is also a popular defense in the court rooms, but “... the temporary insanity defense has largely lost its standing as a distinct - or even a coherent - legal claim,” ( The insanity defense was used in only 2% of felony cases and in which 75% of those cases failed. A famous cases where the defendant pleaded insanity and was found so was the John Hinckley Jr. case. John Hinckley Jr. shot at President Reagan six times and one bullet hit Reagan. This attempt was made in order to gain the attention of an actress he was obsessed with and she played in a movie where the president was shot.
People can become insane through many different ways. Schizophrenia may be...

... middle of paper ...

...minds are damaged.

Works Cited

"Types of Mental Illness." WebMD.com. WebMD, 2014. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.
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"The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America." NIMH RSS. National Institute of Mental
Illness, n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2014. numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america/index.shtml>. Covey, Russell D. "Temporary Insanity: The Strange Life And Times Of The Perfect Defense."
Boston University Law Review 91.5 (2011): 1597-1668. Academic Search Elite. Web. 7
Apr. 2014.http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/definition-of-insanity.htm
Opfer, Chris. "What is the definition of insanity?" 12 March 2013. HowStuffWorks.com.

insanity.htm> 07 April 2014.

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