Mental Illness: A Controversial Topic

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.

Mental illness is a serious public health issue, which is often overlooked in our society. In the United States, there are currently 1 in 5 people living with a mental illness, which accounts to 25% of the population (NAMI, 2016). Mental illness is considered a condition that deters a persons thinking, feeling, or mood (NAMI, 2016). This illness consists of depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety, autism, ADHD, just to name a few (NAMI, 2016). What usually triggers mental illnesses to occur is often due to genetics, drug use, abuse, trauma, stress, and so forth. Due to the individual’s condition, they are unable to function properly on a daily basis.

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.

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.

In today’s society mental health has become something that is much more known to individuals and their families. Mental health is something that is as serious as a physical illness but it is still feared and misunderstood by many people including those who are diagnosed with mental illness (Stuart, 2012). Though you cannot see mental illness physically it inside the body and mind and can do just as much damage, if not more. There are many forms of mental illness that include; anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder and phobias and panic disorders. Many individuals with mental health seek help from doctors, nurses and therapist to help overcome the challenges of mental illness (Stuart, 2013). Dealing with a mental health issue is hard enough as it is because many people misunderstand them and they carry a stigma with the mental illness that needs to be overcome by the individual. For those newly diagnosed medications are given to help improve the psychosis, hallucinations and major depressive disorder with great success, but for many the medication that is given has a side effect that makes the patient gain large amounts of weight throughout treatment (Kabinoff, Toalson,Masure,Healey,Mcquire & Hay., 2003). Not only are you dealing with stress from being diagnosed with a mental illness and learning to cope but now you are also given the stress of caring extra weight around and having people judge you because of

“Studies have found that dangerousness/crime is the most common theme of stories on mental illness,” said Cheryl K. Olson, co-director of the Center for Mental Health and Media at Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry. But “research suggests that mentally ill people are more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violence.”

The article addresses multiple interpretations of the mental disorder: schizophrenia. One of which, characterizes the mental disorder as a disorder that impairs an individual’s perception of reality; leading to significant cognitive and social impairment. Other opinions argue that the disorder should be separated into several different ones; stating that it’s a very serious group of disorders that make the patient experience vivid delusions, hallucinations and on top of other types, states of psychosis. Additionally, schizophrenic patients suffer ongoing side effects such as absence of movement,

Mr. A reported he met his developmental milestones and walked at age 1 years old. He also did not experience any learning delays. He report being able to adapt and was involved in complex skills at an appropriate age. There were no know history of childhood or mental illness. His birth and infancy were normal.

I enjoyed every bit of this Introduction to Psychology class. I put together many things about myself and my own life that I didn’t notice before. Now that I have been introduced to the realm of psychology I have a much better understanding of the reasons of behavior that is around me every day.

Mental health as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) is “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, work productivity and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to the community” (Chaves, et al., 2014). Mental health in the elderly is a growing concern. Many elderly do not seek or receive proper treatment for their mental illness. This is, in part, due to several barriers that prohibit the elderly from seeking help. Mental illness in the elderly is brought up by several different factors, including

To discuss the social issue of mental health is to take into account a wide range of related issues and concerns, because describing the problem brings other subjects up that should also be presented. Starting with mental illness, it is defined as a wide range of mental health conditions or disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior. Serious mental illnesses include major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder. In the United States one in four people have anxiety disorders while 20 percent have a serious mental illness (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Statistics [SAMHSA], 1998, p. 116).

Today, mental illness is still a recurring sickness that can have positive and negative effects on mankind. William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, takes place in Scotland and features famous characters like Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and Banquo. Macbeth, the tragic hero, is a power hungry Thane whom seeks kingship. However, he lacks ambition and his wife attempts to urge him towards this edge. As Macbeth is urged toward ambitious ways, he commits the murder of Duncan, the king. From this point on, the reader notices Macbeth’s mind starts to deteriorate. As the tragedy continues, the reader also notices Macbeth is not the only one who suffers from an unstable mind,

Mental health. Mental health is a facet of health that has historically been associated with negative stigmas. Stigmas such as: “he’s weak”, “she’s dramatic” or “they’re faking it to get attention”. These views became so deeply rooted in the minds of many that they became truths as opposed to opinions. Unfortunately, such opinions have led to life difficulties, up to and including death. These difficulties were due to people feeling that their problem would not be taken seriously or that no one would understand or care about their issue or concern. Thankfully, in recent times there has been a large push to end the stigmas surrounding mental health. These movements have positively affected colleagues and friends, as well as, myself. These movements

The photo is the word “stigma” spelled with antidepressants in order to reflect on society’s stigmatization of mental illness. I worry about the poor treatment of mental health in our country and world. Currently, things are still pretty grim regarding how society views mental illness. Many people, particularly politicians (on both sides), acknowledge that mental illness is a problem, from gun control to mass incarceration, but then nothing happens. The mentally ill are used for political agendas, and then they are discarded until the next election cycle. Others do not believe that mental illness exists. Still others trivialize mental illness by spreading clinical terms in the vernacular so that they can be “OCD” because they like to be organized

3a. Studies show that many drugs can now be used successfully to treat mental illness.