Mental Disorders And Its Effects On The Lives Of People With Serious Mental Illness

Many of those with mental illnesses, disabilities and disorders are met with stigma and excluded from society and lack basic human rights such as food, clothing and shelter. A significant number are also denied rights to vote, marry and have children and discriminated against within the workplace, education and housing. As a result, people with mental illnesses are a vulnerable group and are generally forced into situations of poverty from the lack of treatment or extreme discrimination. In turn, people are forced into situations where they are not able to access the mental care they require in order to cope with their situation and thus, perpetuating a vicious cycle.

People with mental health issues have been viewed and treated in a variety of ways within western society throughout time. Historically if an individual displayed behaviours which disrupted their function in society and defied social norms they were viewed as lunatics, insane or even cursed (Cowan, 2008; Elder & Evans & Nizette, 2009). It is from these past issues that many people still have unreasonable thoughts about mental illness; their misconceptions have created unreasonable fears and negative attitudes toward those who experience it. This negativity brings for many the barriers of not only

Self-pity and pessimistic attitudes remain a topic of discussion with a mentally ill patient, however the more valuable picture revolves around the stigma that the public holds towards those with a mental illness. Unrun Ozer, member of International Committee of National Journal Editors, acknowledges that, “Stigmatization is described as attributing someone in a way that would decrease the person’s reputation because the individual strays away from the general norms of the society” ( 225). Ozer clarifies that a stigma is an unfavorable viewpoint that society has on someone that is perceived as different. Those with a mental illness are susceptible to vulnerability because they are at a small disadvantage than the normal person. Negative connotations, such as adverse viewpoints and perplexing labels, affect the care and treatment process of those suffering because their compliance to treatment decreases. Society is too quick to judge and be ignorant if someone isn’t in perfect form, and Ozer reports, “ It has been reported that individuals with mental illnesses are seen by the society as dangerous, frightening, unstable, irresponsible, unpredictable, and having communication problems” (Ozer 225). Ozer declares that these labels are degrading to an individual with a mental illness, and cause feelings of introversion, decreased self-confidence, worthlessness, shame and despair. If we want happiness to be achievable for all, then criticizing individuals is a step in the wrong

One of the biggest contributors for poor healthcare is the stigma against mental health. This stigma allows healthcare providers to view those with a mental illness as having low relevance, thus creating disinclination towards providing adequate resources and/or care. This negative stance, based on misinformation and prejudice creates those that have a mental illness to lose their self confidence. Because of this loss, people with mental illness decide not to contribute to their health or livelihood. In the past fifty years, many advances have been made in mental healthcare. However, with the attached stigma, many people choose to not seek out treatment.

While stigma may not necessarily be a cause of a person’s mental disorder, it can certainly contribute to the complication and perpetuation of their illness. The effect of stigma goes well beyond just the patient and provides a commentary on society’s overall level of intolerance of those who are considered different from the majority. By recognizing the level of stigma that exists, perhaps we can alter that behavior and gravitate towards a more productive attitude towards mental illness.

Although about 450 million people in the world currently are suffering from a mental illness, many untreated, the topic still remains taboo in modern society (Mental Health). For years, people with mental illnesses have been shut away or institutionalized, and despite cultural progression in many areas, mental illnesses are still shamed and rarely brought to light outside of the psychiatric community. The many different forms in which mental illness can occur are incredibly prevalent in the world today, and there is a substantial debate about the way that they should be handled. Some people are of the opinion that mental illness is merely a variance in perception and that it either can be fixed through therapy or should not be treated at

Involuntary psychiatric commitment has been like a pendulum, sometimes in favor as a government policy to treat mental illness, and other times not. Mental illness treatment has been evolving throughout history. Society once believed that mental illness was due to a reversed to an animalistic level of consciousness, possession of demons, a sinful soul, or a chemical imbalance. The medical journal Nature and Genetics, recently reported that, a defect in chromosome number six which has been identified for schizophrenia could also be responsible1. As doctors, counselors, courts seem to understand mental illness better, the question presents itself, does the government have the right or obligation to confine and treat an individual without their consent.

Individuals with a mental health diagnosis are often subjected to the stigmatization that society places on them. This generalized idea is an example of how society looks at mental illness and portrays it as a personal trouble. Individuals who are diagnosed with a mental illness are often looked at as dangerous, it is assumed that the mental illness they have is self-inflicted, or that individuals with mental illness are irresponsible. The stigmatization that individuals with mental illness are exposed to, can make it difficult for them to seek help or services. This stigma may also limit the employment opportunities the individual gets, they may have trouble finding housing, as well as trouble being able to be a part of social activities therefor further marginalizing these individuals in our society.

In the most recent decades, mental disorders have entered to the medical model just as any other physical disease. If a person starts hearing voices, suffers from certain paranoia, or feels like is falling into a depression, he or she can call a specialist and take care of those symptoms just as back pain or a flu. However, mental disorders are not only permanent incurable, such as most of the physical illnesses, but they are susceptible for any stigmatization for people diagnosed with any mental condition. Therefore, a mental impaired individual suffers from the illness, and the reaction from the people around him or her being double condemned for their condition. In other words, they are double stigmatized. Nevertheless, social factors also

Mental Illnesses have plagued our society for centuries. In fact, it is a more common disease than people realize, “Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S.—43.8 million, or 18.5%—experiences mental illness in a given year.” (Nami, org). Despite the prevalence of mental illnesses, the stigmas associated with them are still very strong to this day, this is a result of the deinstitutionalization of mental healthcare facilities. Many Americans who suffer from mental Illness do not receive treatment, “Only 41% of adults in the U.S. with a mental health condition received mental health services in the past year. Among adults with a serious mental illness, 62.9% received mental health services in the past year”

According to National Institute of Mental Health, behavioral health disorders impact more Americans than any other illness including cancer and heart disease. 60 million Americans have a mental illness. 1 in 4 adults experience a mental illness in a given year. 9 million adults have co-occurring mental health and addiction disorders. Individuals struggling from serious behavioral health issues die on average 25 years earlier than the general population. According to the World Bank, by 2030 depression will become our most costly healthcare issue. In ways subtle and not-so-subtle, mental health problems, including addiction, haven't always been addressed as health problems, but as something somehow different—even as weaknesses in character.

Depression, anxiety, disordered thinking; These grave, frightening topics have become all common in today’s world as the knowledge, reveal and frequency of cases of mental illness continue to rise {8}. The prevalence of mental illness has become more common than in any era before, but despite the increase of awareness the mark of shame has not ceased to exist {1}. In today’s society the number of mental illness cases has increased and will continue to increase However, stigma – the mark of shame – prevails and hampers the ability for the mentally ill to get help and treatment and instead alienates them from a normal social life.

In to today’s society we have a social stigma especially in regards to mental health disorders. The media is a huge contributor as to why this social stigma behavior is displayed. We thrive off of what is the “norm” and distance ourselves from the mentally ill for we fear their actions or behavior they are dangerous. One main reason I believe that society acts this way towards mental health disorders is because it’s easier to walk away or criticize something that is different, than to take the time to understand why the order developed, and help others to understand how they can better support someone with a mental illness.

The rise of these programs only marks the beginning of the end of society’s current stigmatism. Today’s society shames those who are mentally ill while provoking them to come forth in a bizarre statement of contradiction. For example, some of the effects of stigma prevents a proper lifestyle, work situation and well-earned education. The public alienates those with stigma from normal society and demonizes them in the media. Whereas in the early areas, mental illness remained covered up for fear of a tarnished public image. People who misunderstood mental illnesses attributed the causes to the devil or witchcraft or other occult or religious reasons and those biased treatments for the mentally ill bordered on torture. Nevertheless, society has

Mental disorders are a resultant of different problems associated with the brain and each problem has various symptoms. These disorders of the brain are normally characterized by different factors that are combined such as emotions, relationships, behavior and abnormal thoughts. There are many reason why mental disorders affect people which include reasons such as family history and genes, life pressures and habits for example drug abuse history, stress, biological reasons, a brain injury that may have been traumatic, in case a mother has been exposed to toxic chemicals or viruses while she was pregnant with a child, even cancer may lead to some probability of having mental disorders. All these factors may lead to a person having or developing mental disorders in life. Some examples of mental disorders include drug abuse disorders, bipolar disorders or depression disorders, schizophrenia, intellectual disorders and disabilities and many others. For some of the mental disorders that people get, there could be remedies such as counseling and medications that may actually help a person to become better (World Health Organization, 2016).