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Essays on the stigma of mental health
Effects of stigma on mental illness
Social stigma surrounding mental illness argumentative essay
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Snuffing Stigmas and Igniting Inquiry Stigmas and social constructs create an environment where it is extremely difficult or unacceptable to discuss mental illnesses; which, only makes it harder for affected peoples to continue to exist, and therefore is important to inquire upon the topic of mental illness, rather than ignore it. Mental illness takes on many forms with in the human receptacle, but most commonly festers neurologically, altering mood, thinking, and behavior. Oftentimes, stigmas include characterizing victims as ‘crazy’ or ‘overdramatic’ in that people are unable to fathom the real extent to which mental illnesses dictate a person; which, creates a judgemental and uninterested society. Narrated and written by the dispassionate Susanna Kaysen, Girl, Interrupted focuses on the impending topic of mental illness, attempting to explain it and emphasize its place in society. The vignette style of chapters and …show more content…
Moreover, Kaysen’s friends allow for the incorporation and explanation of the different forms mental illness can take in that it is not uniform, considering Kaysen, Lisa, and Georgina each deal with the burden of depression in contrasting ways; which, also attempts to reveal that mental illness patients are not insane, but, rather, humans, too. In addition to specifically illustrating the concept mental illness, Kaysen also addresses stigmas and social constructs that reveal mental illness does not have a place in a eutopic society, filled with ‘normal’ and ‘happy’ people. Through the obscure treatments given by doctors and the distasteful hospital setting, Kaysen
(Magill 1528) Kesey’s rebellious novel explores the world of mental patients struggling against authority and society through incredible imagery. He was able to describe this struggle because of his personal experiences. Kesey was “disturbed by the dehumanizing treatment of the patients” (Beetz 3089-3090), so he decided to write this novel about them. In his surrealistic life’s work, Ken Kesey has managed to capture both the gloomy asylum atmosphere and the mental patients’ demented attitudes.
The importance of sexuality is one of the most odd and misconceived elements of Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Instead of a war between races and genders, this novel is about the complication of living in a prevailing democracy where one party has ultimate control over the other. The novel includes a democracy where one must be willing to live as a slave or a defender, one must be willing to have it all or have absolutely nothing, and every patient has very little control over that choice. In an Oregon psychiatric hospital; the male patients are divided into the Acutes, who can be cured, and Chronics, who cannot be cured at all. The mental patients are dominated by Nurse Ratched, a prior army nurse who controls the ward with jagged and sterile precision. During daily group meetings, she instigates the patients to attack one another in their most shameful areas, humiliating them into submission. Chief Bromden, the half Indian narrator of the novel, shows us through his delirium that the hospital is not what it appears to be. Beneath the walls of the ward lies a deep rooted sexual repression and the patients are manipulated into believing that the daily torture they experience is for their well being. Although the institution implies that having a healthy expression of sexuality is the key to sanity, in reality, the ward does the exact opposite.
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.
From the very beginning of the article, Solomon expresses his views on how such horrific disasters can be controlled and avoided if it was not due to the flaws in society. Starting from the title of the article, Solomon lets his readers understand that incidents such as that of Aaron Alexis’s are avoidable by using the phrase “Avoidable Tragedy” (Solomon). With this strong title, Solomon guides the readers towards the idea of stigma and how mental illness is directly attached to a strong social stigma. Stigma, which means disgrace, has a powerful negative affect in the society. The stigma that society imposes upon mental illness “causes them [people] to hide their mental-health status from those around them” (Solomon). With this statement, Solomon is trying to get across the idea that society’s corrupt thinking of the negative and spiteful outlook on mental illness is causing people to hide their troubled mental health from everyone. This leads to tem n...
Mental illness is more common than one would like to believe. In reality, one in five Americans will suffer from a mental disorder in any given year. Though that ratio is about equivalent to more than fifty-four million people, mental illness still remains a shameful and stigmatized topic (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.). The taboo of mental illness has an extensive and exhausting history, dating back to the beginning of American colonization. It has not been an easy road, to say the least.
The discussion of mental health is slowly being brought to the social surface to create a more inclusive society for those dealing with a mental illness. However, those with a mental illness are continuously being affected by stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination by those who simply don’t comprehend the complexity of the human brain (Glaser, G.2017). As more people become mental health activist, they are exposing the plethora of issues surrounding the overall mental and physical stability of those who are negatively affected by the social construct of what it means to be normal.
Throughout her presentation, she explains how public stigmas, once again, cause label avoidance pushing many who need help away from treatment. She then goes on to explain how these stereotyped behaviors cause discrimination towards people with a mental illness from employment to housing which only leads to the creation of more stigmas. Finally, she states how the impact of stigmas is associated with the reduction of self-esteem, overall poor health, and problems with interpersonal relationships (Willits). By using this presentation I am able to connect what we have learned about mental health stigmas to my article. First off, for example, Morris explains how psychiatric units invoke people to imagine a frightening place where insane patients are strapped down and poked and prodded for care (Morris). This stereotypical idea relates to how Willits described general stereotypes associated with mental illness such as crazy and dangerous (Willits). On top of that, Willits explained how these stigmas have negative consequences for patients (Willits). This relates to Morris’s explanation on how the stigma around institutions has caused these units to shut down forcing many people to be homeless or live in jail
Once upon a time, long ago in the mists of time, sprawling brick structures housed countless individuals with mental disturbances. These massive structures were known to the world as mental asylums for the insane. In reality, the majorities of these individuals were not insane, but in contrast were suffering from mild mental problems such as depression or anxiety. These people were looked down upon in society and were labeled as "freaks" or "batty" because of their mental disorder. In the early twentieth century, mental issues were considered taboo. If a family had a sibling or relative who was suffering from a mental disorder, they were swept under a rug; to be taken care of at another time. These days, these immense structures are an object of the past, a bygone era. Many asylums still stand tall as monuments to the world of health care, while many do not stand at all.
In The Quiet Room, Lori Schiller and multiple people who knew her put words to the illusive nature of a specific mental health disability—schizoaffective disorder. It’s no secret that mental illness often carries an intense stigma, more so, perhaps, than many other types of disabilities. This stigma is woven into the pages of this memoir, a reflection of the perception of mental illness in society, which is often fueled by inaccurate and negative representation. The memoir may mostly focus on Schiller’s experience with schizoaffective disorder, but it speaks to the larger narrative of mental health disabilities as a whole. Mental illness, defined by the CDC.
Girl, Interrupted (Mangold, 1999) is a movie which walks us through the conditions of various mental illnesses, their impacts on their victims and those around them, and effective treatment methods. The movie takes a more cognitive-behavioral perspective to explain various aspects and types of mental illnesses. Lisa Rowe is one of the characters in Girl, Interrupted, who is diagnosed with a particular type of mental condition. Lisa was diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder. According to DSM-IV, this condition is a pattern of the violation of the rights of other people and disregarding them. Individuals with this type of mental illness, otherwise known as sociopaths, do not conform to the social norms regarding practicing lawful behaviors (Derefinko & Widiger, 2016). They undertake activities which warrant their arrest, like harming other people or property.
Moreover, the labeling perspective on mental illness... was first formulated decades ago, when mental hospitals were the predominant type of care for persons with mental health problems… Patients were described as undergoing a moral career, which involved the loss of all previous roles because of the way mental health care was structured, and which finally lead to a so-called spoiled identity, the result being that reintegration in society was very difficult, if not impossible (Verhaeghe et al.
Symptoms of the Stigma How the Stigma Associated with Mental Illnesses Affects a Diagnosed Individual The only shameful thing associated with mental illnesses is the stigma: yet, many people who are diagnosed are silenced due to the taboo image attached. A stigmatized environment can have a detrimental effect on an individual’s ability to trust themselves, their families and psychiatric institutions. In the novels, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and Finding Alice by Melody Carlson, the protagonists, Esther Greenwood and Alice Laxton, are placed in situations where the stigma of mental illnesses affects them more than the actual illness.
In the article Issues and Controversies says, "Throughout most of human history, people with mental illness were ostracized, isolated, and persecuted." ( Infobase,1) This belief system can give causation of mental illness in different cultures and such influences in a community will always be in a negative manner. Various societies struggle with the notion of mental health. The standards of every culture believe to be considered normal, natural, or healthy. These views lead to disagreements about the causes, diagnosis, and the treatment of the disorders. Many people with mental problems are discriminated against because of their mental disorder. Mental illness and stigma refers to the view of the person with mental illness as having undesirable traits. Stigma leads to negative behavior, stereotyping, and discriminatory behavior towards the person with mental health issues. This stigma causes the affected person to experience denial or shame of their condition. Perceived stigma can result in the patient being scared to seek help. Stigma can be divided into two perspectives, public and self stigma. Upadhyay says, "Public stigma occurs when the general
The 1999 film girl, interrupted is a non-stop talked about and outstanding representation of mental illness. The story follows 18-year-old Susanna Kaysen who is going through troubled times after graduating high school. The beginning showcases her attempt at killing herself which she states is unintentional she simply “was trying to make the shit stop”. The quote relates to many viewers regardless mental illness or not; sometimes the only way to get rid of something on the inside is harmful and cruel methods. In addition sometimes the traumas we have experienced counteract with how we perceive future situations the actions we make, which what we see with the main character Susanna and the supporting characters Lisa and Valerie.
Mass media “references to people with mental health problems found more than four in ten articles in the press used derogatory terms about mental health and nearly half of press coverage related mental illness to violence and crime” (Esseler, 244). This is causing for people to look down upon the mention of mental illnesses and many times ignore the importance of confronting this issue. Therefore the importance of removing this stigmatization is crucial. Education allows to make more informed decisions and then changing the perception of mental illness can lead towards policy changes toward the improvement of mental health (Sakellari,