Mental Illness: A Summary

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 shutdown of state mental hospitals and lack of available financial and institutional resources force mentally ill people to the United States Judicial System for mental health. Every year thousands of people are arrested for various crimes and they are sent to jail. Sixteen percent of these people have some type of mental health problem (Public Broadcasting System , 2001). When we consider that the United States has the largest incarcerated population in the world at 2.2 million, this number is staggering (Anasseril E. Daniel, 2007). This is about 1% of the entire population of the United States. There are many reasons as to why the situation has taken such a bad turn and when the history of the treatment of mental illness is examined one can see how the situation developed into the inhumane disaster it is today.

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.

Angela Mora-Vargas attended a Roadmap for Mental Health Forum in the Bronx in the presence of the first lady of NYC, Chirlane McCray, first deputy commissioner of DOHMH, Dr. Belkin, and Bronx Borough President, Ruben Diaz Jr. in which they presented a large-scale project to improve mental health for residents across the city. Mrs. McCray spoke highly of the Family Resource Centers as an effective providers and the support for families of children and youth experiencing mental health

Client reported his willingness to seek psychiatric help through the VA. Client is open to receiving MH services that can help him find better coping strageties and to address his PTSD.

Mental illnesses are generally characterized by changes in mood, thought, or behavior. They can make daily activities difficult and impair a person’s ability to work, interact with family, and fulfill other major life functions (SAMHSA, 2015). Contemplated early on in history, treatments for mental illness looked to cure the reflections of the anger of gods, demonic possession, sorcery, the evil eye, or an angry deity, responded with equally mystical, and brutal treatments (Nash, 2007). Attempts to treat mental illness date back as early as 5000 BCE as verified by the discovery of trephined skulls in regions of ancient world cultures (Porter, 2002, p. 10). Only a few realized that individuals with mental illness should be treated humanely rather than exorcised, punished, or banished. Psychiatry has come a long way since the days patients were shunned from society and shackled in asylums. Experiments and techniques for treating mental illness from ancient times to the turn of the 20th century have paved the way for the treatment plans used today.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers a lot of information about mental health. This CDC webpage talks about emotional, psychological, and social well-being, which are said to be the big indicators of mental health. This webpage also offers data and statistics regarding mental health around the country. These statics indicate how many people have a certain mental illness, and where they are located. Everything posted on this website has a reference link, where you can click on to get more information about the topic. I believe this is a reliable source because the CDC is a government based website based on the URL ending in .gov. Another reason why I believe this is a reliable source is because everything used on this

Currently, The population of elderly are estimated to be increasing in number (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2014). The government is concerning about the pressure being placed on public resources as the result of aging population. The aging populations can be vulnerable to different acute and chronic disorder, which can decrease their mortality rate. This can stifle patients’ normal living pattern, which can lead to the vulnerability of experiencing moods disorder, such as depression and anxiety (Potvin et al., 2013). This will lead to the increase

The claimant underwent a Mental Diagnostic Evaluation by George M. DeRoeck, Psy.D. on June 17, 2015. He reported to Dr. DeRoeck he was rated 70% disabled due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He state he likes to watch TV in his room and fish. He also stated he avoided any reminders of violence in the media, feels tense and has flashback/intrusive thoughts about “anything burning.” Has also is iable to obtain restful sleep and is prone to lost periods of time. He began receiving outpatient treatment in 2007 via medication management and counseling at the VA. He attended inpatient treatment in July of 2013 for several months. He also attended a six-month program in October or November of 2013. At the time of the evaluation, he was going

The Correctional Health Care/Mental Health Services program is located in the in the 550-bed John Montford Psychiatric Hospital in Lubbock, Texas. It was “established to provide full range of inpatient, psychiatric services to offenders with mental illness in the state correctional system. Inmates throughout the state of Texas are referred to this program to receive “individualized treatment in a safe environment” (Hills, Siegfried, and Ickowitz, 2004, p. 86). The goal of this program is to provide institutional safety, provide assistance with changing an offender’s behavior, and lastly to reintegrate them back into society.

The chapter 1 reading this week mentioned how insurance coverage impacts the treatment process of different mental illnesses. Currently, the health insurance industry holds a lot of power over the type and duration of treatment provided/covered for patients. The chapter also mentioned that there is currently a 2011 federal parity law that requires equal coverage for mental and medical health issues. While these systems do have challenges and difficulties that need to be addressed in terms of how mental health issues are treated, there is current legislation (the American Health Care Act) being sent to the US Senate that could affect these issues even more negatively. According to the American Psychological Association (2017), “Medicaid currently provides roughly a quarter of all financing for mental health services.

Throughout history, archaeologists along with historians have studied countless civilizations as well as how the people within these societies interacted with one another. While observing artifacts from these civilizations, such as mummies, archeologists have reported many civilians having holes in the back of their skulls. This report indicated that many of these people were trepanned, which during that era, was a technique used to treat patients with mental illnesses (Lawson, 2012). It is because of this barbaric treatment that psychologist began to find different ways to treat the mentally ill. However, the first step towards helping these people, involved documenting their behavior.

On April 20, 1990, a 54 year old white male named Alan Matheney was sentenced to death for guilty of burglary and the murder of his ex-wife in Indiana. Strong evidence suggested that Mr. Matheney suffered from extremely severe mental disorders. On April 21, 2005, Bill Benefiel was convicted and sentenced to death because of the murder, rape and confinement of Delores Wells. Experts testified that Benefiel suffered from “a mental disease or defect” (“Mental Illness Past Cases”). Such tragedies caused by mental illness not only occur in America. Moreover, mental illness has become a increasing concern for public health all over the world (Subramaniam et al. 149).

Treatment for any mental illness is “determined largely by beliefs concerning its cause” (Hergenhahn and Henley, 2014, p. 468). If psychological factors such as anxiety, stress, guilt, etc. are viewed as the cause, those are what will be addressed (Hergenhahn and Henley, 2014, p. 468). When supernatural causes are believed, treatments such as rituals, magic, or exorcisms are attempted (Hergenhahn and Henley, 2014, p. 469). If biological factors are suspected, medical treatments, such as medication, are applied. Individuals such as Paracelsus, Agrippa, Weyer, Scot, and Plater all argued for naturalistic explanations rather than supernatural explanations of mental illness. Furthermore, the individuals just mentioned spurned witch hunts, viewing

Long’s purpose is to inform and persuade people that the U.S. needs to make a change one how people with mental illnesses are treated and are being helped. For that another shooting don’t happen again in the U.S. She says “I agree that something must be done” that people with mental illnesses get better help and be thrown in prison just because they don’t need.