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Psychological effects of mental ill health
Effect of mental illness on society
What is mental illness
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Mental Illness
Mental illness is an issue that hits extremely close to home. Both of my uncles on my fathers side developed schizophrenia in their 20’s. One of them, upon being diagnosed, committed suicide. This happened before I was born, but the fall-out is still visible in my family. The other now lives in a home for those with mental illness. He is on medication, which helps with many of the symptoms, and has been an important pillar in my life. There is a fair chance that either my brother or I may contract schizophrenia, and for these reasons, mental illness will always be a large part of my life. I say this, not to arouse pity, but simply to make a point that no matter where you stand on mental illness, chances are that you or someone close to you will endure some type of mental illness. We are all responsible to aid those who are in need of it, and the way we respond to the call will define us as human beings.
Definition
A concise definition or idea of mental illness is fairly difficultly obtainable. Mental illness covers an extremely wide range of cases, symptoms and patients, which makes a cumulative definition hard without leaving out many main areas. A definition of mental illness is further impeded by taking into account the personal subjective ness of a mental illness (eg: some may view homosexuality as a mental illness). One of the more inclusive definitions describes mental illness as: “A pathological state of mind producing clinically significant psychological or physiological symptoms (distress) together with impairment in one or more major areas of functioning (disability) wherein improvement can reasonably be anticipated with therapy. In addition, for the purpose of definition only, mental illness includes alcoholism, and drug abuse and other controlled substance (drug) abuse.”
The Individual
The above definition misses much of the individual experiences of mental illness. Mental illnesses will disrupt a person’s feelings and emotions, the way they think and view their surrounds, and their moods. Mental illnesses will also affect a person’s ability to communicate and relate to others. Although symptoms and diagnosis of mental illnesses are fairly well known and classified into separate afflictions, the causes are less understood. In many ways the cause of mental illness boils down to a debate of nurture vs. nature: whether...
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...d that is the saddest fact of all.
Ideally, our society should be there to help those with mental illnesses. We should treat these people with the same respect and dignity that we would treat any other person. The article makes a point of telling us that we should start to see these people the same way we would see someone with a different physical affliction, like a broken leg, or measles. We should help these people when they need it, but let them help themselves, and maintain a sense of independence. We would let them know that we are here to help, but not overstep our boundaries. We would breakdown stereotypes and stigmas that tell us that mental illness is a danger, or is something to be ashamed of.
Closing
Mental illness is not something that is going to magically disappear. It has been with us for centuries, and we must learn to embrace is as another part of human society. Until we can do so, our society will be drastically flawed. The world we live in is home to people that come from all different situations and circumstances. If we are unable to treat people with basic respect and accept them for who they are, then I ask you; who is really crazy?
According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), it defines mental illness as Mental illnesses are health conditions involving changes in thinking, emotion or behavior (or a combination of these). Mental illnesses are associated with distress and/or problems functioning in social, work or family activities. (What Is Mental Illness? (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2016, from https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/what-is-mental-illness). Mental Disorders are a wide range of mental conditions that affect mood, thinking, and behavior. There are a lot of different psychological disorders here is a list of the major psychological disorders and their definitions:
For a very long time, mental health was a disease people would not dare speak about. The stigma associated with mental health meant that it was viewed as a curse or simply poor upbringing. Crazy, right? (Pardon the pun). Although it’s not seen as a curse by us in this generation any more, many people with mental health issues still have to face ignorance, prejudice and discrimination from our society just because of their lack of understanding or reluctance to try and understand. Be that as it may, these attitudes directly impact upon how and if people choose to seek help, making the negative and ignorant opinions and attitudes of others potentially dangerous to many individuals and the people around them.
The stigma and negative associations that go with mental illness have been around as long as mental illness itself has been recognized. As society has advanced, little changes have been made to the deep-rooted ideas that go along with psychological disorders. It is clearly seen throughout history that people with mental illness are discriminated against, cast out of society, and deemed “damaged”. They are unable to escape the stigma that goes along with their illness, and are often left to defend themselves in a world that is not accepting of differences in people. Society needs to realize what it is doing, and how it is affecting these people who are affected with mental illness. If we continue to not help them, and to foster their illness, it will only get worse.
There are so many types of mental illnesses that affect people every day. When some people think of mental illnesses they think of the ones that would cause people to have physical symptoms as well, but that’s untrue, there are many more that you would never know anyone has if you were to see them on the street. As defined by the 2008 encyclopedia “a mental illness is any disease of the mind or brain that seriously affects a person’s ability or behavior. Symptoms of a mental illness may include extreme moods, such as excessive sadness or anxiety, or a decreased ability to think clearly or remember well.” A mentally ill person has severe symptoms that damage the person’s ability to function in everyday activities and situations. Every nation and every economic level can be affected by a mental illness. In the United States alone about 3% of the population has severe mental illness and to add to that number about 40% of people will experience a type of mental illness at least once in their lives. Some cases of mental illnesses can go away on their own, but some cases are so severe that they require professional treatment. There is so much more available to help people recover from their symptoms than in the past.
Mental illness refers to a wide range of mental health conditions, or disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior ("Mental Illness"). Mental disorders are commonly left untreated for long periods of time because of the stigma our society has placed on mental issues. This forces individuals with mental illness to self-medication, frequently resulting in addictive behaviors. Persons with mental disorders seek ways to ease their discomfort and suffering. Marijuana can be used to treat an individuals depression or to ease pain. Stimulants can be used to get an otherwise lazy person motivated.
Mental illnesses are any psychiatric disorder that causes unusual behavior. Some examples of these include depression, anxiety, or schizophrenia. People affected by mental illnesses often do not get the help they need in order to be better. Many things cause cause a mental
Mental illness often causes people to become handicapped and having to be committed to an institution that can properly care for them. If patients afflicted with mental illness do not receive proper care, their condition may worsen over time. As a result, the disease may further progress driving many sufferers to suicide.
Although about 450 million people in the world currently are suffering from a mental illness, many untreated, the topic still remains taboo in modern society (Mental Health). For years, people with mental illnesses have been shut away or institutionalized, and despite cultural progression in many areas, mental illnesses are still shamed and rarely brought to light outside of the psychiatric community. The many different forms in which mental illness can occur are incredibly prevalent in the world today, and there is a substantial debate about the way that they should be handled. Some people are of the opinion that mental illness is merely a variance in perception and that it either can be fixed through therapy or should not be treated at all, and that treatment can have negative side effects. Other groups of people believe that mental illness is a very serious affliction and should be treated as a disease through a combination of counselling and medication because people suffering from an untreated mental illness are a danger to themselves and society as a whole. This debate is a popular one, discussed everywhere from the medical field to the dinner table, and it is such because of the numerous lives it affects on the well-being of fellow members of society and the economy. People suffering from mental illnesses are afflicted with anything from delusions, to manic periods, to periods of deep emotional darkness due to experiences and brain chemistry (Johnson). Due to the negative effects untreated mental illness has been proven to have on the human well-being and society as a whole, medication should most certainly be seen as a valid and sometimes necessary way to treat those who suffer from mental illnesses.
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.
In the past, mental illness was taboo to discuss and there was fear surrounding the topic. However, remarkable strides have been made in figuring out the causes of the disease and weighing the most effective treatments specialized for each specific disease. According to the American Psychotic Association, “A mental illness is a medical condition that disrupts a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life.”
A team can be best defined as “a small number of people with complementary skills, committed to a common purpose, performance goals and approaches for which they hold themselves mutually accountable” (Katzenbach & Smith, 1993, p. 46). A healthcare organization can achieve success only when every member of the team works collaboratively as a unit and understands the context of the teamwork to the greatest degree possible. Intensive care unit is a high risk area of health care, which needs a high-functioning, cohesive, and coordinated team to deliver safe and effective care to the patients. Lack of efficient teamwork among and between the teams of caregivers could result in serious patient safety consequences (Borkowski, 2015). Moreover, there
There has been sufficient evidence shown over the past few years that teamwork, especially within leadership, directly affects the health care system in a positive way (Miller, Walmsley, & Williams, 2007). The Health Foundation, “made a decision to invest in a Shared Leadership for Change initiative – leadership development for teams rather than individuals – as a component of its strategic aim ‘Developing leaders to improve health and health care services’” (Miller, Walmsley, & Williams, 2007, p. 24). In most instances, when a group of people with the same set of goals come together to work towards that goal the results are usually better than individual work. The same concept is true for those with leadership roles in the nursing or any health care department. Shared leadership utilized in health care will have enhanced clinical team and
Every person has a different outlook of what family means. Family is not just being related to each other and living in the same house. I believe its way more than that. Family means being there for one another, loving each other no matter what, making memories that you will always remember, and supporting each other through every step of life. Without family and th...
Mental illness is the condition that significantly impede with an individual’s emotional, cognitive or social abilities (Savy and Sawyer, 2009). According to (Savy and Sawyer, 2009) neurological, metabolic, genetic and psychological causes are contributing factors for various types of mental illness like depression, schizophrenia, substance abuse and progression of condition. An elaborate system known as DSM-IV-TR gives a classification system that acts to separate mental illness into diagnostic categories based on the description of symptoms of illness (Savy and Sawyer, 2009). The exact primarily causes of mental illness are complicated, however, it seems to occur in a psychologically and biologically prone individual, in the trigger of environmental and social stress (Elder, Evans and Nizette, 2007).
The teamwork is usually defined as the process of working together in a group to achieve a common goal. These days working in groups is inevitable. Whether it is a school assignment or working in a clinical settings, we have to work in groups to accomplish a task. We cannot expect to work in isolation all the times. (Stonehouse, 2011)