Mental Illness: A Short Story

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

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.

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

In early American history, individuals with mental illnesses have been neglected and suffered inhuman treatments. Some were beaten, lobotomized, sterilized, restrained, in addition to other kinds of abuse. Mental illness was thought to be the cause of supernatural dreadful curse from the Gods or a demonic possession. Trepanning (the opening of the skull) is the earliest known treatment for individuals with mental illness. This practice was believed to release evil spirits (Kemp, 2007). Laws were passed giving power to take custody over the mentally ill including selling their possessions and properties and be imprisoned (Kofman, 2012). The first psychiatric hospital in the U.S. was the Pennsylvania Hospital where mentally ill patients were left in cold basements because they were considered not affected by cold or hot environments and restraint with iron shackles. They were put on display like zoo animals to the public for sell by the doctors (Kofmen, 2012). These individuals were punished and isolated and kept far out of the eyes of society, hidden as if they did not exist. They were either maintained by living with their families and considered a source of embarrassment or institutionalized

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 the 20th century, we focus on how much mental illness causes a problem, yet we don’t ever try to help them or even try to understand what they are going through. One thing that you have to always keep in mind is that they are human, just like you. They just want to be accepted without being judged. However, people who think that mental illness is just a big joke make them feel that they have something wrong with them, that they aren't good enough to be here.

Through the course of time, mental illnesses have always been in existence due to varying factors and causes. However, as time has passed, the perceptions and available treatments for mental illnesses have also changed as new technology was developed. By looking at the treatments and perceptions of mental illnesses in the early 20th century, we can learn how to properly treat and diagnose not only mental disorders but also other conditions as well as show us the importance of review boards and controlled clinical trials.

Mental illness is a psychiatric disorder which affect the person’s thoughts, behavior and mood pattern. Mental illness has different types such as tension or anxiety, nervousness, depression, schizophrenia, etc. Here I want to discuss about Elyn Saks. In her video” A tell of mental illness – from the inside” she explained her story. She was chronic schizophrenic patient since her childhood. She spent hundreds of days in psychiatric hospital. She was diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia and prognosis of “grave”. She had experienced about delusions and hallucinations. She explained delusions are fixed and false beliefs and hallucinations are false sensory experiences. She felt these type of experiences such as “hallucination” and “word salad”.

The report of the grand jury in Dade County, Florida had several recommendations for dealing with the mentally ill who find themselves incarcerated. What this jury concluded was that far too much tax dollars is being spent on trying to temporarily control the issues associated with the mentally ill and too much focus is on reacting to crisis care. This panel of jurors believes that shifting the focus to long-term care would not only save costs, but also prevent the predicament we face by incarcerating the mentally ill.

Schizophrenia has been associated with the dysregulation of many neurotransmitter systems. Large amounts dopamine is the oldest and most widely accepted theory of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and stems from identification of dopamine D2 receptor blockade as the mechanism of action of antipsychotics. Dopamine D2 binding sites are increased in a person with schizophrenia, which contributes to cognitive impairment. The modern day understanding is suggested that a hyperactive mesolimbic and a hypoactive mesocortical dopamine system underlie the 'positive ' and 'negative ' symptoms that are seen in schizophrenia. Serotonin, glutamate, GABA and acetylcholine dysregulation have also been implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, in addition to dopamine. Glutamatergic signaling is attenuated in schizophrenia and is distinguished by a loss of NMDA receptor-mediated excitatory neurotransmission. GABA levels are also attenuated due to down regulation of GABA transporter (GAT) gene expression. “There is a concordant up regulation of GABAA receptors, which may contribute to the alterations in neural synchrony and consequently working memory impairment” (tocris.com, 2015).

Deviant behavior is something that is usually disapproved and it is when someone goes against the ‘norms’ of society. According to the American Psychiatric Association (2015), mental illness is technically a health condition involving changes in behavior, emotion, or thinking. So where does mental illness come in to play with being a deviant behavior? Well, shockingly mental illness and deviance go hand in hand quite often. Everyone who is considered a ‘deviant’ may not be mentally ill, however, majority of people diagnosed with a mental illness are considered deviant. When sociologists study deviance, they are also studying mental illness. Mental illness is something that clearly will imply some sort of deviation from the defined norms of society.

Throughout history, there have been many children born with mental illnesses. These illnesses can be Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), depression, schizophrenia, bipolar, and etc. Parents with an addiction to drugs and/or alcohol do not realize the pain and damage they have made for their children. Especially pregnant women, do not realize the consequences of having a child with an illness until they have already affected the baby inside of them. Through the years these types of illnesses have multiplies, it is our responsibility to educate this generation of all the harmful affects drugs and alcohol can do to a human being.

The story I would like to share happened during my preceptorship in the psychiatric unit. The story had a profound impact on me such that by giving me an understanding on how end of life care whether it is for the aging population or young ones have an impact on the family members that are around them. In my story, it was the father who was impacted the most by the death of his daughter, she was 22 years old when she passed away. Since that time, the father has not been able to cope effectively, and has been utilizing unhealthy forms of coping skills like drinking, smoking, and using various types of recreational drugs.

The next time Molly talks to him, he informs her that now the recruiter lets his boss do all her work, and she does nothing. George says he also expects when the housekeeper hears about this, she will try to get the woman to do all her work, too. Molly can’t imagine that really happening. Molly’s husband comes home and she tells George she has to go because she doesn’t want her husband eves dropping in on their conversation.

In our current society, entertainment such as movies and television shows help shape the stigma so many individuals follow and use to create their opinions. Whether the filmmaker realizes or not, there is always an impact and opinion left on the viewer. When combining entertainment and mental illness, mental illness has been displayed in a wide variety of states throughout the course of the last few decades. One example is the movie A Beautiful Mind, which was filmed in the 2000’s and follows a man on his journey of being diagnosed with schizophrenia and how his treatments and support system shape him into the man he becomes. When examining John Nash, the main character of the film, information