Mental illness is one of the least talked about problems. The fact that is not really talked about does not make it any less important. 1 in 5 people suffer from some form of mental illness every year (Mental Health Numbers, par. 1). These people often talk down to and criticized for not been behaving normally. The only thing is that normal is not a universal term. What is normal for one person is not normal for another. This is where one of the main problems arise with mental illness: Lack of awareness, other problems are the lack of resources available in hospitals and the lack of permanent solutions for treatment. Mental illness has been around since the stone age and is still a problem today. It is time for a change to occur. Mental illness …show more content…
Throughout history, the theories for the causes of mental illness have been placed into three categories: supernatural, somatogenic (bodily disorder), and psychogenic (mental disorder). (Farreras par, 2). The supernatural causes are often described as being possessed, by a demon or spirit, or as punishment for committing a sin. Somatogenic causes can occur after a severe brain injury or a lack of oxygen in the brain. Psychogenic illnesses often are the result of past experiences being traumatic. The theory of the illness would often dictate on how the person was treated. If the patient was suffering from severe panic attacks the treatment would be vastly different from if an evil spirit possessed the patient. Possible treatments can differ as much as calling a priest or draining blood from the …show more content…
It affects so many people around the world every day. Everyone knows someone who is suffering from a mental disorder. These people are fighting a battle that is incredibly difficult. With knowledge of what is wrong in their minds, these people can change and become fully functioning adults. Advances in medicine need to be made and this is achieved through funding. There are many places people can give to help raise awareness or create a new medicine. Progress can be made and with this progress people will start to look at the mental ill in a new light and realize that they are people just like them. The realization is key into working towards fixing the problem that is mental
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Show MoreWhen I was younger, I once heard of someone harming themselves because they were sad and my immediate thought was, “Why would anyone ever hurt themselves on purpose? Can they not just find something that will make them happy?” I did not know or understand that there were such things as mental illnesses, much like heaps other people do not. People are also not aware of the many signs of mental illnesses, or even that the illnesses themselves exist. There are tons mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and much more. A large amount of these illnesses go untreated or unnoticed because people are not very well educated on them or simply think that since they cannot always be seen, they must not be serious. Mental illnesses are as real and severe as other illnesses, and require treatment in the form of therapeutic means or medications to recover.
Mental health is an issue that has been bombarded with unanswered questions and cursed with a social stigma. Throughout history this has created a social divide between mental health issues and the mainstream media. This disparity doesn’t only create a social separation, but a lapse in ethics, making it tolerable to look down on people in the mental health community. Historically, patients have been placed or forced into mental institutions in order to “cure” them of their mental obscurity so that they can function normally in the society, yet for centuries this has proven to be an ongoing struggle for the mental health community. With all of the new advancements in medicine and our ability to cure more physical and mental ailments than
It is a problem as real in the 21st Century as it was in the 19th Century and in earlier history, this problem is just presented in a different format i.e. through the media. Now, you may say ok, but what is the point. To you I say we as a society cannot acknowledge the presence of an individual’s “mental illness history” only when tragedies occur. While the past and the present portray mental illness in a negative way, in the past individuals suffering from mental illness were institutionalized. Today, individuals suffering from mental illness are no longer institutionalized; instead they are living in prisons and on the street. How mental illness is portrayed in the media and in education affects how individuals within a given society views mental health. Individuals with a mental illness are what I’m calling “double suffering.” Not only do they suffer from the illness itself, but they also suffer from the stigma of having such an illness. So, why does the negative portrayal of those who are suffering mental illness matter? It matters because we as a society cannot ignore mental illness as if it does not exist. We need to care; no longer can the screaming of their minds be
There have been many theorists that have tried to give a definition to the concept of mental health. Many of these theories deal with the different aspects of individual functioning. If someone was to ask me what mental health means, I would say it deals with a person and their condition regarding their psychological and emotional well-being. When someones mental health is not well, they may have a minor condition and have some forgetfulness or they might have a serious condition to where they don't even know how to function on a daily basis. Our mental health deals with more than just our mind, it also includes our psychological, social, emotional well being. It affects our day to day lives with how we think, feel and act as we go through
Mental illness can be defined as a variety of disorders within the brain that can affect an individual’s mood, way of thinking and behaviour. These illnesses are caused by biological, psychological and sociological influences. Mental illnesses have become more prominent throughout communities while the seeking for help or a cure has appeared to become less evident. In today’s society, mental illnesses are portrayed through various media platforms in a way that causes such a stigma around the illness that it affects those who suffer almost as much as the illness itself.
Today in this country nearly one in every four Americans suffers with some sort of mental illness. The thought of that can be shocking to some, but others may brush it off as just another statistic left aside for the next to worry over. But, few really take into consideration that a mental illness can become the source of reasoning behind so many horrible cases ranging from depression to murder to the worst things one can think of. A mental illness isn’t just a simple illness, there are varieties of illnesses that can affect a person, such as; anxiety disorders, depression, schizophrenia, OCD also known as obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, eating disorders, and the terrifying list continues with so much more than just these examples. Mental illnesses can become developed before birth, during adolescence, early adulthood and even be hereditarily developed. Away from the fact that anyone at any age can develop a mental disorder, the actions these disorders can drive one to do are horrendous. Besides the outrageously mind boggling amount of undiagnosed people who live in the U.S. alone, most doctors do not even know how to identify many mental illnesses specifically for what they are. The kind of effects or reactions one can experience because of the specific illness can be agonizingly, horrific especially if ones doctor cannot specify the problem correctly. More research must be done to increase mental illness awareness and diagnose those who are struggling to live a normal life. Ways in which we can increase the awareness to help, and learn can actually be quite simple.
Mental illness is a long standing health concern in which health agencies, corporations and even the public in general are trying to overcome. Mental illnesses come in
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.
Since it has become more understood better treatment plans have been created. There a various therapies and medications that can help manage mental health. However, there is an estimated 50 million people in America that has a mental disorder(s) and sadly only about 10 million will receive mental healthcare. Why is this? This happens simply because mental illness does not care who you are and how much money you do or do not have in the bank. Mental illnesses can effect anyone and it can be anyone of the numerous different psychological disorders. When mental illness effects a person it disrupts their whole life, this would include their daily living as well as effecting how preform at work. Take for instance, if they work a production job it can cause them not to make production. If they cannot function well enough to work at their required performance, then this could and probably would lead into them being fired from their job. Without a job they would not only lose their income but they would also have say bye-bye to their insurance plan as well. This would leave them without and mental healthcare. Did you know that if 50% of those with schizophrenia, 25% of those with anxiety disorders, 33% of those with depression are currently receiving successful treatment and the likely success rate will be around 80 to 90%? A number of people with
One of our highest taboos is one of the things that needs to be spoken of most. Mental illness effects everyone in some way or another: either we have personally suffered with it, or we know someone who has.
For centuries, society has placed sigma on people with mental illness, even today with all the medical knowledge we have, there’s still no clear understanding of what causes or how to prevent mental illness. But after reading the quote “The mind is its own place, and in itself. Can make a heav’n of hell, a hell of heav’n” (Beelzebub, in Book 1, lines 254-255). Immediately, the thought of mental illness came to mind. Mental illness affects the lives and well-being of numerous people throughout the world.
One in four adults experience mental illness throughout the year, and given this fact it is pretty acceptable that mental illnesses are prevalent in the life of an average person. Mental sicknesses can range in severity from clinical depression to paranoid schizophrenia. In most cases, mental illness is cared for and treated with medicine and psychology. But what about those that are not treated with proper care and medicine? Those that are affected by a severe sickness and are forced to live life with it. What happens to their sickness and how do they cope with it? Society tends to push them aside as they fear the ill. Illnesses such as sadistic personality disorder is one that society fears because of its’ violent nature.
Mental Illness is one of the growing illness in United States. According to National Alliance of Mental Illness”1 in 5 adults experiences a mental health condition every year. 1 in 20 lives with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.” If the person has a five family member, one of them could be diagnosed with mental illness. If there is 40 students in class room at least two of them could be living with serious mental illness. Although mental illness is something that familiar to us, there is still misunderstood and stigma towards mental illness. Then why many people still have a wrong knowledge and attitude toward mental illness?
It affects our relationship with other people and our self, and the way we function in life. I feel like many people are not seeking help because they are afraid of being judge for coming to a hospital due to a mental illness. Moreover, they are often victims of “social exclusion, stigma and discrimination” (Almazeedi &Alsuwaidan as cited in Vortruba et al., 2014, p. 284). Before I started nursing school, I was terrified of people who have mental disabilities because I was afraid that they are going to hurt me, and I did not want to associate myself with them. However, as the program progress, I learned more information about mental health and disorders, especially this term. Also, my encounter with Ms. F, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Due to her command hallucination, Ms. F has inflicted a knife into her neck and wrist in the past, which has eventually turned into scars. Mental issues may develop due to trauma, social care, poverty, and poor access to health care (Vortruba et. al, 2014). I think that lack of education as well, there is not much promotion or encouragement about how we can take care of our mental health. Although we can see its effect, many people suffer from mental issues that are not even diagnose, and the victims that I usually see are young people. I find that the key solution that that they find is to commit suicide. This event is very alarming not only to family, but also the
Today, it is less of a social stigma to announce and therefore to seek treatment for a mental disorder. The advances in the past century that stemmed from in-depth study of mental disorders have included the identification and naming of more specific mental diseases. Long gone are the days where the insane were all classified as either psychotic, schizophrenic, or in some sort of post-traumatic condition and therefore confined to solitary confinement, deemed as a lost-cause case to be removed from society. I believe that our culture has created a more accepting environment than the bias of the Fifties and Sixties towards individuals with mental illnesses since some of the mystery, and thus some of the fear, has been removed.