Living With A Mental Illness

The social problem I have chosen to write about is mental illness. This problem is important to talk about “because of the number of people it affects, the difficulty of defining and identifying mental disorders, and the ways in which mental illness is treated” (Kendall, 2013, p. 227). “About 57.7 million people, or one in four adults, in the United States suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder” (Kendall, 2013, p. 229). “Many of these illnesses begin in childhood or adolescence, with the most common problems being anxiety disorder, mood disorders, impulse-control disorders, and substance abuse disorders” (Kendall, 2013, p. 229). I chose this topic because I wanted to learn more about how mental illness is a social problem and I have been interested in learning more about mental illnesses and how to help people with mental disorders.

The disparity in treatment has been attempted to be remedied over the eras. Bills and Acts put into place in the 20th and 21st centuries have seeked to improve care and reduce stigma around those with mental illness. This began in 1942, when Harry Truman signed the National Mental Health Act, which requested the formation of a National Institute of Mental Health. Shortly after this, in 1949, the National Institute of Mental Health was established (“National Institute of Mental Health”). During the company’s 60 year lifespan they have focused on research about mental illness, educating the public, and improving the lives of the mentally ill by working to pass laws. One law that seeks to reduce the stigma of mental illness is the Mental Healths Service Act of California. "California 's Historic Effort To Reduce The Stigma Of Mental Illness: The Mental Health Services Act" from the American Journal Of Public Health illustrates how the Act will make improvements. Families and individuals who have experienced stigma had a big role in the process, specifically with developing a 10 year plan, the California Strategic Plan on Reducing Mental Health Stigma and Discrimination. One component of the Act discussed is the work plan developed by California Mental Health Services Authority, which has three components: stigma and discrimination reduction, student mental health, and suicide prevention. Organizations such as the NIMH have made efforts resulting in the evolution of mental

Forget all the stereotypes of mental illness. It has no face. It has no particular victim. Mental illness can affect an individual from any background and the black community is no exception. African Americans sometimes experience even more severe forms of mental health conditions because of unmet needs and barriers to treatment. According to the Office of Minority Health, African Americans are 20 percent more likely to experience serious mental health problems than the general population. That’s why UGA third year Majenneh Sengbe is taking action as the co-founder of her upcoming organization Black Minds Daily.

Being the child of a parent who has a mental illness involves considerable risk to the child’s secure attachment and long-term mental health. Parental mental health concerns place children at a significantly greater risk of lower social, psychological and physical health than children in families not affected by mental illness. (Mayberry et al, 2005).

The majority of people that have a severe mental illness are object to challenges in double measure. From one point of view, they wrestle with the symptoms and disablement that result from the illness. From another point, they are tested by the stereotypes and preconceived ideas that stem from the misunderstandings about mental illness. As a culmination of both, people with a mental illness are stripped of the chances that define a quality life such as a good job, safe housing, adequate health care, and a connection with a varied group of people. Although research has gone a long way to understand the affect of the disease, it only recently has begun to explain the stigma of mental illness (Corrigan). The lives of people who are living with a mental illness are many times drastically adjusted by the symptoms of the illness and everyone’s response to them. While symptoms can normally be diminished by a number of actions, the intrinsic stigma and prejudice that comes with mental illness may continue on for a lifetime and can manifest themselves in a number of understated and non-understated ways. Normally, when one thinks of a stigma, they think of disgrace that is associated with a particular event, circumstance, or occasion. People with a mental illness are most often branded as an effect of their behavior, appearance, therapy, their economic status, and also the negative depictions in the media of the mental illnesses. People with a mental illness often have a “stereotype

Mental illness refers to many disorders that affect your mood, thinking, and behaviour. There are many different types of mental illnesses with different severities such as depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and addictive behaviour. Having a mental illness is so common in Canada, 1 in 5 people encounter some degree of it. Many of your friends and family may be suffering from some form of mental illness without you knowing it. This can be because it is at a very early and week stage, they are on their medication, or they are doing a good job at hiding it from you. People often hide their illness to prevent being judged and treated differently from their loved ones. This can be a problem as their illness could worsen and cause long term irreversible damages. Some of our society doesn’t respect people with mental illnesses as before, people with this illness were called crazy and they were told they had a disease. This may be a reason people still don’t feel comfortable telling people close to them.

Until recently, few health insurance plans provided coverage for mental health services to the same extent as physical health services, if they were covered at all. The reasons for the discrimination in health insurance vary, but mental illnesses historically have not been well understood by the public, and people have had a hard time understanding that mental illnesses are biologically based diseases that affect the mind and body just like any other disease that has solely physical manifestations. A stigma is said to occur when people view something in a negative way because of a distinguishing characteristic or trait that is thought to be, or is, a disadvantage. The stigma surrounding mental illness has led to direct and obvious discrimination and one of its results, and the focus of this paper, is the discrimination to the mentally ill and mentally infirm by not providing health insurance that adequately covers mental illness diagnosis and treatments. Despite the progress of mental health parity legislation, the passing of the ACA and the advances in mental health research that have revealed that mental illnesses are biologically based, a stigma still remains around individuals with mental illnesses, that has led to exemptions, road-blocking the goal of full parity. This paper demonstrateS that while advances in the availability of private insurance coverage for those with mental illnesses has improved, there are still loopholes that private insurance

People suffering from mental illness and other problems are often the most discriminated, socially excluded, stigmatized, and vulnerable members of the society. They have to constantly struggle and face a double problem. Firstly, they have to struggle with the symptoms of the mental illness itself. They may face with problems such as illusions, delusions, hallucinations and other symptoms, which depend on a particular mental disorder. These symptoms do not allow the person to live a satisfactory life. They do not allow the person to work and independently achieve something in their life. And secondly, they are challenged by several stereotypes and prejudices, which gradually result in many misconceptions about mental illness known as “stigma”. Therefore, mental illness results not only in the difficulties arising from the symptoms of the disorder but also in the negative attitudes and beliefs that motivates the people to fear, reject, avoid and exclusion of people with mental illness. Some people with mental illness could lose self confidence, accept the prejudices and may also turn them against themselves. This is referred to as ‘self-stigma’, loosening the confidence of the person suffering with mental illness.

Who is to say what “Normal” is? I am saddened by the travesties of our past leaders and how people with disabilities were treated. Ignorance is something that keeps up from making informed, educated decisions and this is apparent in the way society treated those that were thought of as less than perfect. Although disabilities are an illness, they are no less significant than diabetes or cancer. In in countless cases, they are just as serious, individuals with mental disabilities need medical attention, just like the previous illnesses mentioned, in addition to somebody to listen to them. Diagnosis is a crucial part of getting the correct treatment and several times as discussed in Chapter 5 of The Social Work Experience, An Introduction

One of the most difficult aspects of treating patients who suffer from trichotillomania (TTM), commonly called hair pulling disorder, is that most prefer to remain invisible. They are creative at finding ways to hide their illness. Most cover up with head scarves, hats, hoodies, and carry on as if nothing is wrong.Treatment for TTM is accessible through the NHS, yet the stigma of receiving therapy for mental illness is still strong enough to keep many patients with TTM away from psychologists, even when they have suffered significant hair loss. The key to eliminating this stigma is education and transparency. In order to better understanding of this impulse disorder, it is important to look closely at the causes, symptoms, and behaviors. Once these are understood, working with a psychologist to plan effective treatment becomes as easy as walking into their practice. Here are the basics about trichotillomania, and how a psychologist can help with finding the right treatment.

In today’s society, the phenomenon of malingering is not being recognized as a mental illness, but rather an intentional faking of mental illness. Malingering had captured the attention of many forensic psychologists and is now a growing concern due to the potential consequences of misdiagnosis in clinical or correctional setting. Malingering defined as a deliberate act by a person pretending to have some form of physical or psychological symptoms in order to avoid a negative outcome such as a prison sentence, or to gain a positive outcome such as financial compensatory.

Being diagnosed with a mental disorder is common nowadays, however, schizophrenia is not as common as depression or anxiety illnesses. Only 1% of the world’s population suffers with schizophrenia but it is a serious disease of the mind (Myers). Because of how schizophrenia takes ahold of the human mind, it is an interesting illness. Through the novel Swallow the Ocean and the television show 20/20 Haywire: Children Living with Schizophrenia, the lives of families are depicted to give a better understanding of the struggles families go through when dealing with schizophrenia patients. By understanding the history, symptoms, causes, and treatments of schizophrenia, this disease can be better identified and can prevent negative stereotypes from forming.

The percentage of being diagnosed with schizophrenia in the world is about 1% and the percentage of having schizophrenia in America is about 1.2% which is roughly 3.2 million people. Then in just a year 1.5 million people around the world will be diagnosed with schizophrenia. The most common age that people get diagnosed with schizophrenia is in between the ages of 15-25 that is when it starts to show up, and is typically less common to have it after age 40. Usually males start to develop the illness faster at a younger age than females do which only starts to develop a few years older than 18. Suicides become more common in schizophrenics who have dealt with it longer than others have like people who have had it ten years the percentage of

The United States has their own view on mental illness when compared to other developed countries. The developed countries that were analyzed with the United States were England and France. Our research question was “Does the United States view mental illness differently than other developed countries?” The research that I conducted was over the policies and ideologies of mental illness in the United States.

The term ‘Recovery’ carries many differing definitions both in the Medical and Mental Health domains. In medical terms, recovery is the act of regaining or returning to a normal or health state, being cured or experiencing no current symptoms (Mental Health Foundation UK, 2015).