Mental Illness Essay

How To: Avoid Mental Illness Discrimination Have you ever been surprised to find out a loved one is mentally ill? Mentally ill people are found almost anywhere in North America among many other countries. In some of Canada 's cities, you can see panhandlers who haven 't bathed in a month or people who are having conversations with themselves or others who are extremely inappropriate. Although there has been progress in the diagnosis and treatment of the mentally ill, stereotypes, mistreatment and

Mental illness in America affects a lot more people than many people may think. Around 42.5 million American adults suffer from mental illness, and about 9.3 million of those suffer from serious mental problems. Serious mental illness means that their condition interferes with their day to day activities. Something even as normal as going to work or school can be impossible for these people. A study was done and last year one in five Americans or 45.9 million Americans were labeled as suffering from

experiencing symptoms of mental illness. Patients suffering a physiological illness rarely hear these words, but they have begun to sound like a broken record to the mentally ill. Everyone sympathizes with the stomach, the liver, the eye, and many other organs in the body when they begin to malfunction, but no one sympathizes with the brain. It is unimaginable and almost abominable for the brain to get sick. Mental illness is probably the most misconstrued and trivialized illness, and this misconception

The history of mental institutions can be tracked back to the 19th century. The maltreatment of people with mental illnesses in prisons inspired the creation of mental institution to treat these individuals. However, in the 20th century budget cuts lead to a decrease in services for the mentally ill. By the 1960’s mental institutions were starting to be completely deinstitutionalized. Now the Department of Corrections holds any inmates who suffer from hundreds of mental illnesses and addictions.

What does mental illness mean to you? My understanding of mental illness is gradually developing as I progress in my nursing program. I see mental disorder as a state of mind and the way of thinking or behaving, which interrupts with the person’s daily life and professional activity, and may or may not have signs of a physical illness. However, it is worth to mention, that not always I thought about mental illness this way. Decidedly, I used to think that people claim they have mental disorder

Many cultures have viewed mental illness as a form of religious punishment or demonic possession. In Ancient Greek and Roman writings mental illness was categorized as a religious or personal problem. Individuals who are mentally ill are once again being mistreated by society and being place in prison. Prison is not a place for people for are mentally ill, jails were created as a form of criminal punishment for offenders and not a home for people who are mentally ill. In many cases, the welfare of

affected by mental illness are violent or unpredictable. Now, this opinion is not entirely erroneous, but it does create an extremely one-sided and unfair outlook for those suffering from a mental illness. Those who negatively stigmatize mental illness cause an immense harm. Stigma is a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person. If people today would talk about mental illness more, that communication could lead those suffering from mental illness to feel as if

Portrayal of mental illness in media, films and television programmes is extensive and predominantly preserves myths and stereotypes about mental illness. People with mental illness are most commonly shown as being violent and aggressive, but they are also frequently depicted as tragic, tortured, genius, dangerous, eccentric, flamboyant, hysterical, sexual, jokers and rebels. Mental health professionals are variously portrayed as incompetent, sinister, unrealistically seductive or rationalist foils

head: MENTAL ILLNESS Mental Illness Natalie Maxwell March 8, 2010 Each year, almost 44 million Americans experience a mental disorder. In fact, mental illnesses are among the most common conditions affecting health today. The good news is that most people who have mental illnesses, even serious ones, can lead productive lives with proper treatment (www.yahoo.com). Mental illnesses are some of the most misunderstand afflictions in today’s society. Too many people think of mental illness

between public perceptions of mental illness and social stigma of those with these illness is the degree to which stigmatising views can impact on quality of life for those with a mental illness and their drive to seek help. Stigma can result in discrimination and result in a loss of opportunity, power or status. Moreover, the media exasperates prejudice by amplifying the link between mental illness and violence contributing to the common view that those with mental illness are dangerous. When individuals