The Mad Among Us By Gerald Grob
opinion Essay
945 words
In the book “The Mad Among Us-A History of the Care of American’s Mentally Ill,” the author Gerald Grob, tells a very detailed accounting of how our mental health system in the United States has struggled to understand and treat the mentally ill population. It covers the many different approaches that leaders in the field of mental health at the time used but reading it was like trying to read a food label. It is regurgitated in a manner that while all of the facts are there, it lacks any sense humanity. While this may be more of a comment on the author or the style of the author, it also is telling of the method in which much of the policy and practice has come to be. It is hard to put together without some sense of a story to support the action. …show more content…
In this essay, the author
- Compares grob's story to the orphans of romania in the 1980s who were raised in institutions with minimal human contact and now are mostly homeless and unable to function in society.
- Opines that social work and psychology differ in their approach to individualized needs.
- Analyzes how gerald grob's book "the mad among us-a history of the care of american’s mentally ill" describes how the mental health system in the united states has struggled to understand and treat the mentally ill population.
- Opines that formally institutionalized patients were expected to take their medication and lead "normal" lives, but this didn't happen. people began to feel better and assimilate into society and feel as if they can function without medications, often sending them back into crisis mode.
In other words, the patient was sick because of his or her time in the institution. I find this interesting because without a more human telling of the story by Grob, it is hard to gauge if the psychosis of patients deteriorated in general with the length of stay in the institution and if because of this, did that impact the policies or methods of practice? I believe it would be similar to what they are finding now with the orphans of Romania in the 1980’s who were raised in institutions with only basic and minimal human contact and now are mostly homeless and unable to function in society or inmates in prison who have spent years behind bars and then are let go into the general population. History has proven that people struggle with trying to acclimate back into the general population. As a result of this by the 1980’s one-third of the homeless population in the United States were said to be seriously mentally ill. (PBS, "Timeline: Treatments for Mental
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes rosenhan's article on being sane in insane places, which illustrates the difficulty of determining who is "sanse" and who can't. the lack of personal contact from staff creates an unsafe physical and emotional environment
- States kasner and linden's findings that close personal relationships among patients were therapeutic for clients admitted to inpatient psychiatric units.
- Describes a study conducted to measure how individuals were stigmatized for mental illness and discrimination for other factors, like gender, age, and ethnic background, in different mental health facilities in san diego, california.
- Opines that rosenhan's article and the findings of his experiment support the key concepts of mental health settings in need of better policies for cultivating healing environments for clients.
- Explains how they utilized online resources and completed assignments to the best of their abilities. they learned how to manage time better and use self-discipline in a mature and efficient manner.
- Opines that the class helped cultivate a deeper and better understanding of the course work and helped mold them into life-long learners.
906 wordsRead More - Electroconvulsive Shock Therapy Is Still Used Todayanalytical essayMany people considered to be mentally ill were sent to facilities known as “Asylums” or state run institutions. People who showed signs of mental disorders were carted...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how franz kafka describes the dehumanization of gregor samsa by his family after his transformation into a bug.
- Describes the dehumanization of the "asylums" by robert whitaker, author of "mad in america".
- Explains that in the late 1800s and early 1900s treatments for people with mental illness included bloodletting, the removal of blood for therapeutic treatment, purging and induced vomiting. swinging chairs were also used.
- Explains that in the 1800s mental ill patients were chained in basements that had been converted into cells, public viewing of these patients was allowed for entertainment puposes.
- Opines that eugenics was being taken seriously in the u.s. because mentally ill individuals were believed to be carriers of defective "germ plasm."
- Analyzes how eugenics led to a social assault on the severely mentally ill.
- Explains that insanity more than doubled in thirty years, and eugenics was closely looked at and utilized within asylums or state run institutions.
- Explains that claudia malacrida, a professor in sociology at the university of lethbridge, wrote an article in an educational journal titled "bodily practices as vehicles for dehumanization in an institution for mental defectives."
- Analyzes how malacrida writes about the michener center as a humane solution for the mentally ill and as progressive.
- Analyzes how malacrida writes how dehumanizing operations were accomplished by placing individuals in settings that were orderly and regimented. patients were sent to "day rooms" with little more to do than wander around endlessly.
- Explains that the search for treatments for people suffering with mental illness was on the minds of scientists and doctors around the world. lobotomies were outlawed in the u.s.
1352 wordsRead More - insane in aslyumsexplanatory essayThe word “asylum” has been associated with the idea of patients being abused and experimented on, but history has shown that is not completely accurate. Asylums are normally connected to the 1900s, but they have been around for a much longer time period. In the 1800s, asylums were seen as places where patients could retreat to and be cared for in a humane way, which is why the word “asylum” did not have negative connotations. As time moved on, American citizens saw asylums as a creepy and scary place, thus why we use words such as institution or facility today. Throughout the years the care of the mentally ill has been under America’s scrutiny. The care of patients and the methods used to aid them have caused much controversy from the development of asylums until, and after, their decline.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the word "asylum" has been associated with the idea of patients being abused and experimented on, but history has shown that that is not completely accurate.
- Explains that the quakers founded the first asylum-like institution in the 1750s, which provided a way for patients to escape judgmental eyes of the public and heal with accepting and understanding doctors and attendants.
- Explains that asylums were a place of refuge for people who had struggled with mental illnesses, but as more and more people were admitted to these institutions, doctors began to perform experiments on them, creating exaggerated cure rates.
- Explains that as americans turned their heads, institutions were allowed more room to treat patients however they wanted without the protests of the public. communities formed civil associations to keep their community safe.
- Explains that the two types of treatment that patients received have always been under america's microscope. in the early 1900s, moral treatment consisted of regular wake-up, breakfast, and bathing times.
- Explains the various forms of physical treatment, such as a straight jacket, being beaten up by nurses and doctors, and being strapped to bed by hands and feet.
- Explains how physical treatment included the use of medicines, and throughout the 1990s, doctors everywhere began looking for medical solutions for the patients in mental asylums.
- Explains that asylums were run independently by a town or city, but soon the state government began to get involved. the excess amount of people was overwhelming and caused asylum conditions to decrease drastically.
- Explains that many people who were admitted into an asylum did make it out. former patients began to speak out about the ways they were treated and the conditions of the failing asylums.
- Describes how clifford w. beers overcame his mental illness and attempted suicide. he published his autobiography that stirred the people of america into action.
- Explains that mental illnesses were treated in asylums during the late 1800s and early 1900s. by the mid-1900s, people could be admitted into an asylum for practically any reason.
- Explains how the mid 1900s changed the american citizens' view of asylums and people struggling with mental illnesses.
- Explains how the public's view of asylums changed alongside the government’s involvement. the term "asylum" became a negative connotation throughout the 1900s, but in the 1970s the topic of mental illness became more inviting.
- Opines that if the world wants to change how patients with mental illnesses are treated and cured, there are a number of things that need to be recognized.
- Opines that america's changing view of asylums has allowed it to provide better care and support to its mentally ill citizens.
1628 wordsRead More - Ethical Issues With Mental Healthcomparative essayAccording to Szasz (2005), “In principle, the mental patient is considered competent (until proven [otherwise]). In practice, the client is regularly treated as if he were incompetent and the psychiatrist who asserts that he needs treatment is treated as if he were the patient’s guardian” (p.78). During the 1940’s patients who were mentally ill were considered “legally incompetent” when committed into a mental health facility. Relatives of the patients could release them by providing care in their homes for the client. Unfortunately, Szasz (2005) claims, that “the treatment of mental diseases is no more successful today than it was in the past” (p.78).
In this essay, the author
- Explains that a therapist or clinician has to consider ethical principles and legal laws in the field of mental health, including misdiagnosis, legal incompetence, and health care fraud.
- Explains that counselors struggle to find the right balance between the demands or managed mental health requirements and obligations to clients.
- Explains that counselors who misdiagnose clients for insurance reimbursement often do not see the potential harm it can cause their clients.
- Concludes that counseling in the mental health field struggles with confidentiality due to the possible negative client reactions secondary to learning of the diagnosis.
- Explains that there are several ethical considerations when diagnosing children with adhd. therapists can make the mistake of creating a treatment plan for an inaccurate diagnosis.
1496 wordsRead More - The fight for improved health care for those with mental illness has been an ongoing and important struggle for advocates in the United States who are aware of the difficulties faced by the mentally ill and those who take care of them. People unfortunate enough to be inflicted with the burden of having a severe mental illness experience dramatic changes in their behavior and go through psychotic episodes severe enough to the point where they are a burden to not only themselves but also to people in their society. Mental institutions are equipped to provide specialized treatment and rehabilitative services to severely mentally ill patients, with the help of these institutions the mentally ill are able to get the care needed for them to control their illness and be rehabilitated to the point where they can become a functional part of our society. Deinstitutionalization has led to the closing down and reduction of mental institutions, which means the thousands of patients who relied on these mental institutions have now been thrown out into society on their own without any support system to help them treat their mental illness. Years after the beginning of deinstitutionalization and after observing the numerous effects of deinstitutionalization it has become very obvious as to why our nation needs to be re-institutionalized.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the fight for improved health care for those with mental illness has been an ongoing struggle for advocates in the united states who are aware of the difficulties faced by the mentally ill.
- Explains that deinstitutionalization was started in the sole interest of the mentally ill. the morally corrupt government didn't plan it out from the beginning.
- Explains that deinstitutionalization has had many adverse effects on the mentally ill community, causing many of them to go homeless, end up in prison, and be vilified due to the number of mass murders committed by the few.
- Explains that in 2006, markowitz found a direct correlation between the decrease of mental institutions and increase in homelessness, crime and arrest rates.
- Analyzes the negative effects of deinstitutionalization on the general public, and explains the increase in mental illness and mass murders.
- Opines that re-institutionalization and other beneficial methods can improve the conditions and health care received by the mentally ill.
- Opines that the road to better treatment for the mentally ill will be a long one, filled with trial and error.
- Analyzes the impact of the deinstitutionalization movement on the homeless.
1452 wordsRead More - Housing the Mentally Illopinion essayWith more frequent mental illnesses showing up within society today, many threats are posed. Are these ill people safe on their own? Can they raise families of their own if they cannot take care of themselves? Who should be in charge and responsible for these people? These questions have been regularly asked and discussed between families of those who are ill and the physicians who take care of these patients. I have come to believe that many, if not most of these people should be in care. Throughout history, mentally ill people have been known to be violent and have violent outbursts including murders and sexual offenses. Mentally ill citizens cannot be held responsible for themselves due to their disabilities. However, these citizens are ill and should be contained in hospitals to prevent the threat they pose to society.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that mentally ill citizens should be contained in hospitals to prevent the threat they pose to society.
- Explains that the declaration on the rights of mentally retarded persons states that mentally retarded citizens are "feasibly" the same as other human beings.
- Explains the history of mental illness, dating back to ancient rome, greece, egypt, and india. hippocrates tested methods of managing mental illnesses in a way never previously explored.
- Explains that the first european enactment of an asylum was in 1407 in valencia, spain. in the 1840s, a u.s. reformer named dorothea dix studies mentally ill patients in massachusetts.
- Explains how sigmund freud and carl jung developed "talking cures" to treat mental illnesses. in the 1930s, drugs, electro-convulsive therapy, and surgery were used in treating people with mental disorders.
- Analyzes how aaron alexis, 34, was driven by delusions controlled by low frequency radio waves to commit the mass shooting.
- Opines that those with mental health issues should be thoroughly evaluated on the severity of their disease and housed accordingly.
- Opines that most people work well and flourish in an environment they feel comfortable in, and this should also apply to mentally ill people. mattison studied middle schoolers with emotional disturbances in two environments.
- Opines that the mental health system is failing due to the small budgets and lack of funding.
- Explains that family care is a possibility, but one or more people will be held solely responsible for the actions of their family member or loved one.
- States that marimow, ann e., and peter hermann, "crime." washington post, 25 sept. 2013.
- Opines that mental retardation : past and present.
- Opines that keeping guns away from people with mental illness is a complex issue.
- Argues that housing for the mentally ill and homeless is a way of reducing crime rates.
- Explains module 2: a brief history of mental illness and the u.s. mental health care system.
2389 wordsRead More - The overall message and core argument this book offers is that the new version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the DSM-5, will cause an enormous increase of people who are not mentally ill being diagnosed with a mental disorder and receiving unnecessary treatment for it. Allen Frances argues that assigning everyday problems to mental disorders causes massive disadvantages for individuals and society. Diagnosing a healthy person as mentally ill will lead to unnecessary, harmful medications, the constricting of horizons, misallocation of medical recourses, and wasting the budgets of families and the state. He states as well that we do not take responsibility for our own mental well-being. We do not trust our self-healing brains anymore, which have kept us sane all this time, but we put our trust in the medications of the drug companies, the ‘’Big Pharma’’ as Frances calls it, which are making immense profits. According to Frances the DSM-5 will turn the current diagnostic inflation in the United States into hyperinflation by converting millions of ‘’normal’’ people into ‘’people with a mental disorder’’. This will cause that individuals who really need psychiatric help are ignored, while the ‘’worried well’’ receive most of the treatment, which will often causes nothing more than damage for them. Frances charts the history of psychiatric fads throughout history and argues that whenever we randomly label another aspect of the human condition a ‘’disease’’, we further drift away at our human adaptability and diversity, dulling everything what is normal and losing something fundamental of ourselves in the process.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how allen frances argues that assigning everyday problems to mental disorders causes massive disadvantages for individuals and society.
- Analyzes how frances criticizes the dsm-5 and admits that he has made some mistakes in the accomplishment of the dsm-iv. he substantiates the criteria with scientific principles and scientific proof.
- Opines that frances wants to warn psychiatrists and psychologists but general practitioners to watch out for dependent too much on the criteria in dsm-5 in diagnosing patients with mental illnesses.
- Explains that allen frances is a psychiatrist who has worked on the accomplishment of the dsm-iii and was chairman of psychiatry and psychology in practice.
- Explains that allen frances is a very reliable source, which makes his arguments convincing compared to other critics.
- Explains that most critics have a background in philosophy and sociology and maybe history or science. they focus on different aspects, such as labeling people or ethical responsibility of treating people with medications or forcing people to get treatment.
- Analyzes how frances wrote his book from his point of view, the psychiatrist and chairman of the dsm-iv task force.
- Analyzes how frances wrote saving normal in a comprehensive manner, but it is not scholarly. his summaries of science, history, sociology, and philosophy are brief and eclectic.
- Opines that frances looks to the history of psychiatry as a guide to avoid the mistakes that have been made previously. this is not based on scientific evidence.
- Opines that it is a shame that allen frances did not exaggerate about the advantages of the dsm-5.
- Analyzes how frances exaggerates about the dsm, the history of mental disorders, and the realization of diagnostic criteria in saving normal.
- Analyzes how frances warns people about the danger of diagnosing people with the wrong disorder and shows the detrimental consequences of this.
- Analyzes how frances wants us to know about the massive influence of the drug companies, the ‘’big pharma’’, in the united states of america.
- Opines frances wants to warn us of the danger and detrimental consequences of hyperinflation of diagnosis of people with mental disorders and the responsibility of drug companies in all of this.
1573 wordsRead More - Mental and Social Disorderanalytical essayOne in every seventeen people in America suffers from a mental disorder. These disorders inhibit the afflicted person from functioning properly and coping normally with daily life. Many afflicted with a psychological disorder do not exhibit obvious symptoms, as medical advancements have made it possible for these disorders to be suppressed or even nonexistent. Today, however, harsh stigmas exist that unfairly categorize those with a mental illness as violent, unfriendly, and abnormal. The media and federal government are culprits in fabricating the unrealistic depictions of mental disability that define the portrayal of those who are mentally or psychologically disadvantaged.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that one in every seventeen people in america suffers from a mental disorder, which inhibits the afflicted person from functioning properly and coping normally with daily life.
- Analyzes how the media perpetuates negative mental illness stereotypes. television shows portray the mentally ill as violent, while movies portray psychiatric wards as crazy and violent.
- Explains the federal government's stigmatization of mentally retarded people. the penry vs. lynaugh case was overturned in 2002.
- Explains that mental illness is an important marker of cultural trends. ptsd (post-traumatic stress disorder) emerged as one of the most prominent mental disorders seen in society after world war ii.
- Analyzes the consequences of stigmatizing mentally ill individuals, stating that the media permeates the brains of children from a very young age.
- Opines that eradicating stereotypes is impossible, but the supreme court's 202 ruling to overturn its penry vs. lynaugh decision is a step in the right direction.
- Argues that news broadcasts and newspapers are equally culpable in their portrayal of mentally challenged individuals.
- Explains the legal definition of the 8th amendment by the free online law dictionary. erin. "capital punishment and the mentally retarded."
- Describes the various aspects of mental retardation and the death penalty in american civil liberties union.
1900 wordsRead More - The Criminalization of the Mentally Illopinion essayThe United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world and of that over sixty percent of jail inmates reported having a mental health issue and 316,000 of them are severely mentally ill (Raphael & Stoll, 2013). Correctional facilities in the United States have become the primary mental health institutions today (Adams & Ferrandino, 2008). This imprisonment of the mentally ill in the United States has increased the incarceration rate and has left those individuals medically untreated and emotionally unstable while in jail and after being released. Better housing facilities, medical treatment and psychiatric counseling can be helpful in alleviating their illness as well as upon their release. This paper will explore the increasing incarceration rate of the mentally ill in the jails and prisons of the United States, the lack of medical services available to the mentally ill, the roles of the police, the correctional officers and the community and the revolving door phenomenon (Soderstrom, 2007). It will also review some of the existing and present policies that have been ineffective and present new policies that can be effective with the proper resources and training. The main objective of this paper is to illustrate that the criminalization of the mentally ill has become a public health problem and that our policy should focus more on rehabilitation rather than punishment.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that the criminalization of the mentally ill has become a public health problem and that our policy should focus more on rehabilitation rather than punishment.
- Opines that the deinstitutionalization of state mental hospitals has left many individuals untreated and in the community where there come under police scrutiny due to their odd behavior.
- Explains the lack of medical services in the prisons and jails, and the high risk of decomposition and deterioration.
- Explains that the criminal justice system is unable to handle mentally ill inmates without mental health professionals and adequate training to correctional officials.
- Opines that a proposal to new policies and applying factors to existing policies can be effective in maintaining the mentally ill.
- Opines that mental health professionals and the police and correctional officers working together are the most positive reinforcement.
- Opines that if jails and prisons focus on treating mentally ill inmates, they can save money and maintain public safety.
- Explains that homelessness is a major factor with the mentally ill incarcerated. correctional staff releases an inmate when the sentence is served, without further thought of their mental capacity, while mental health professionals rehabilitate the offender back into the community.
- Explains that mental health courts, medical assessing policies, and discharge planning and linkage models are effective, but time-consuming and costly.
- Recommends a mandatory mental health screening on all incoming detainees for mental disorders, pharmacological treatment, group and recreational therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy.
- Argues that policies tend to have negative aspects especially when it comes to an assortment of individuals. liberal ideology favors treating the mentally ill and placing them into home based community settings.
- Explains adams, k., hughes, s. and markowitz, f. e. on mental illness, crime, and violence.
3759 wordsRead More - Social Values In The Bridgewater State Hospitalanalytical essayAs time goes on, the law has put more emphasis on facility just like Bridgewater State Hospital in which many of the actions of the facility workers can face legal consequences such as facing prison time, fines, lawsuits, and etc. Society has a better understanding of why certain people act the way that they do and being more knowledgeable about psychology and mental diseases allows us to have a different approach when dealing with these topics or these individuals. In today’s era, there are many normal individuals who are willing to stand up for those who do not have a voice of their own. I believe that this change in one’s ability to stand up for another individual or group of individuals is what brought about change to the medical environment of those who are mentally
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the norms in the bridgewater state hospital during the filming of this documentary represent social values.
- Analyzes how music and theatrics go hand in hand with those who are mentally ill. the film is filmed with a group of males dancing and singing to people.
- Analyzes how titicut follies is required to state that conditions have improved at bridgewater, suggesting that norms and values have changed regarding mentally ill individuals.
- Opines that society has a better understanding of why certain people act the way they do and is more knowledgeable about psychology and mental diseases.
- Analyzes how chenhall and senior's article those young people all crankybella portrays the australian mental health care system as being misunderstood and misrepresented.
853 wordsRead More