A Shocking Account Of The Mentally Ill

Throughout the course of history, society has tried to explain and diagnose the abnormal behavior of individuals with mental illnesses. Originally, folklore and other concepts dating back to ancient times, influenced societies to define and label those individuals that expressed abnormal patterns of behavior as mad, insane and mentally ill (Henderson, 2009). Treatment and legal proceedings for such individuals often incorporated cruel and unusual punishments and in some cases even death. Over time, societal views on the available treatments and legal proceedings for the mentally ill have changed drastically. Legal defense for those with mental illnesses, known as the insanity defense became available as far back as King Henry III’s reign over England (Ahia, 2009). The insanity defense is often used interchangeably with: the insanity plea as well as the phrase “not guilty” by reason of insanity. The accepted use of the insanity plea by the defendant, an individual whom is accused of a crime, is determined by the mental health evaluations of the court’s legal standards and or by mental health professionals. The issue of mental illness and the insanity defense becomes controversial when those with mental illnesses commit heinous crimes and use the “not guilty” by reason of insanity defense. The public fears that the individuals are using a questionable and concerning defense to be pardoned for committing violent crimes and that those individuals who are found not guilty and

Although it is talked about frequently in today's society with really no expertise which brings a misunderstanding to the whole illness. When finishing this novel it became clear that in addition to my definition, Bipolar makes an individual suffer extreme highs and lows within their daily lifestyle unable to control when the episodes switch. In addition, I learned how the episodes affect individuals differently and there are ranges usually including a type of rage or aggression when manic and depressed. Unquiet Mind did not change my understanding for Bipolar Disorder, but it did enhance details I was not completely aware of. Furthermore with this disorder, Bipolar affects the person and the people in their lives dramatically. For example, Kay’s education and lifestyle of striving to be the best got put to a halt several times within the start of her career due to her episodes not allowing her to concentrate. On the other hand, her high manic episodes ended significant relations with men that could not deal with her pains. She stated when discussing her difficult times that, “no amount of love can cure madness or unblacken one's dark moods. Love can help, it can make the pain more tolerable, but, always, one is beholden to medication that may or may not always work and may or may not be bearable” (Jamison 155). It is a hidden battle to walk through

Review of Thomas Szasz. M.D.,The Myth Of Mental Illness: Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct.

In her book, An Unquiet Mind, Kay Jamison instills an understanding of bipolar disorder from two opposing perspectives. Initially, Jameson tells a tale of herself as a long-term victim of bipolar. It is from her description that a reader is highlighted about the various avenues through which the condition attacks. Besides exploring the disorder as the victim, the book as well depicts Jamison as the healed. That is, she gives an account of her life as an individual who survived the grips of bipolar disorder and became a healer (psychotherapist and a lecturer) instead. Reflecting on Jamison’s work An Unquiet Mind automatically triggers the desire of the reader to unearth more about the author, her context, and diagnosis of the bipolar disorder.

The book I have chosen to do this report over is Mad in America: Bad Science, Bad Medicine, and the Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill.

story in a memoir titled Madness: A Bipolar Life, in an attempt to shed some light and insight on the

The stigma associated with bipolar disorder is unacceptable. The purpose of this paper is to improve the readers ability to understand what bipolar disorder is and how being diagnosed with this disorder affects all facets of daily living. Family, friends and associates of individuals with bipolar disorder are often affected as well. As a result of the stigma associated with the disorder, the effects remain: often multiplied by individuals that have a limited understanding of the disorder. There are numerous myths related to individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Hopefully a few of these myths will be put to rest after learning more about the disorder.

By the 1800s, physicians were able to establish that mental illness was connected to a biological disorder and that it could be triggered by different stressors in the individual’s life. They were also able to determine that there was more than one type of mental illness. After this discovery, people started shifting from mental asylums to mental hospitals that would allow the patients to receive specialized treatment that would positively benefit them in accordance to the specific mental afflictions they suffered from. Then, a psychiatrist was assigned to the patient so they could try to identify the stressors in their patient’s life and establish resolutions to eliminate the stressors.

This book was very inspirational. It is not only inspiring to people with bipolar disorder but to all other people that are suffering from any kind of mental illness. It also speaks to people that do not have a mental illness by giving them and inside look of what someone’s life is like and how they deal with their problems. The book shows how not only is life possible with mental illness but that it is also worth living.

In 1961 Thomas Szasz penned a book by the title The Myth of Mental Illness that would go on to cause quite the stir in the world of psychiatry. In the book, Szasz stated his belief that what most psychiatrists would label as mental illnesses are in fact not illnesses at all, but instead what he would go on to call “problems in living.” This article will take a critical approach at Szasz reasons for his belief in these “problems in living” including an objective outline of his argument, a discussion on the validity of the argument and its’ premises, and finally the strongest objections to the argument. Szasz is an important figure in modern psychiatry and his opinions are very divisive but certainly worth discussing.

Bipolar Disorder is a mental illness that many people live with everyday. This disorder causes people to have intense mood swings, that effect their daily lives. These mood swings are managed by medications and therapeutic interventions, because the main concern is patient’s safety and safety to others. There are many movies and television shows that perceive Bipolar Disorder through characters. One movie, Silver Linings Playbook, displays what this mental illness looks like, and the difficulties of managing it, with the goal to live a normal life.

Bipolar disorder is typically a condition that affects people in their late teens and early adulthood. It is usually not thought to affect a child but it is something that, if present at a young age, can seriously affect the way a child grows up. Bipolar disorder affects every aspect of a person’s life and is not as understood as it should be. Researchers are still looking for the cause of this illness and how it can be treated but overall it is a condition that many people are undereducated on and that is something I’m hoping this paper might be able to change for some.

The author, Kay Jamison talks about her life with bipolar I disorder in her book, An Unquiet Mind. Jamison was a Caucasian woman who at the age of forty seven wrote this memoir. Currently she is seventy years old and dealing with her disorder. She spent her life moving around a lot because her father was an air force pilot. She grew up with an older brother who was very caring and an older sister that she bumped heads with. Kay’s father was a really delightful person. His emotions were contagious. Her mother was always helpful and caring for her family no matter how busy she was. Kay’s parents were supporting in all her interests; such as pets, poetry, science, and medicine. When she was fifteen, things took a turn and her family moved to California for her father’s new job as a scientist. Her father began to show worsening signs of depression. Around the age of sixteen, Kay realized that she was having mood swings that were very drastic. In her senior year of high school, she had her first manic depressive attack. She started her undergraduate study at UCLA dealing with her constant depression and manic episodes. As she was studying as an undergraduate, Kay began to take an interest in psychology. She pursued her PhD in psychology at UCLA again studying mood disorders. As a graduate student, she also began working in the psychiatric ward and dealing with marital problems in her first marriage. She was slowly spiraling out of control until she had a terrifying

Before I truly understood Bipolar disorder, it was still a fairly common word in my vocabulary. Anytime I thought someone was being moody or fluctuating between emotions, I joked by claiming that person to be bipolar. Several incidents of this involved one of my roommates who seemed to be happy one day, and quite the polar opposite the next. However, it was not until my clinical experience on the psychiatric unit that I realized what true bipolar disorder was, and that she did not fit the criteria. Even though I always thought my roommate was bipolar, I quickly found after being exposed to a diagnosed bipolar patient that my roommate was instead just moody. I decided to write this paper on bipolar disorder, not because I have struggle with it or know a friend or family member with this disease, but because I had several misconceptions about what it entailed.

According to The Public Health Agency of Canada (2013), mental illness is described as a modification in an individual’s mood, behaviour, and thinking process which is associated with significant distress and impaired mental function. This paper will aim to discuss the information taken from two home visits and using it to determine its effect on the family as a unit. My single concept that is relevant to the family’s experience is the family’s bond throughout the clients challenge with bipolar disorder (BPD). In this case, the chronic disease known as bipolar disorder (also known as manic-depression) are known as mood swings that can last up to days, weeks, or even months. They are generally caused by environmental pressures that surround the individual on a daily basis such as family, work, and social environmental pressures, stress, injury, and/or illness (PHAC, 2009). When a family member is effected by any chronic illness, there is a great impact on the other members of the family. Chronic illnesses can have an extremely stressful effect on individuals that are trying to adapt to these changes, which can also shape the families’ way of coping with the situation as well (Dobbie & Mellor, 2008).