Mental Illness Is Nothing But Brain Illness

There are many ways in which people view mental illness. “Some analysts suggest that the difference in types of mental disorders is linked to gender-role socialization, which instills aggressiveness in men and learned helplessness in women” (Kendall, 2013, p. 231). “Social scientists Joe R. Feagin and Melvin P. Sikes found that repeated personal encounters with racial hostility deeply affect the psychological well-being of most African Americans” (Kendall, 2013). “Feagin and Hernán Vera found that white Americans also pay a high psychic cost for the prevalence of racism because it

People that live in socially deprived areas are more likely to have mental illness, poverty, poor education and low socioeconomic status. This is mainly because of the conditions they have been brought up in and live in; if they lived in better conditions then they probably wouldn’t have health problems like this.

A mental illness is a medical condition that disrupts a person 's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning.1 Mental illnesses can be grouped into two broad categories, each representing a different aspect of a mental disorder. Axis I diagnoses are inclusive of those disorders which are most familiar and widely recognized, and typically encompass the most acute symptoms that need immediate treatment (i.e. adjustment disorders, anxiety disorders, cognitive disorders, eating disorders, mood disorders, schizophrenia, etc).2 Axis II disorders are those defined by their permanence and nebulousness. They are generally life-long problems that arise in childhood and are much less responsive to treatment than Axis I disorders are. Axis II diagnoses are comprised of personality disorders and intellectual disabilities (i.e. antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, paranoid personality disorder, etc).3

I have read an article called "Mental Illness: The New Cancer." this articles the writer told us three sad stories about how Mental Illness has killed people he loved.

2012); in other words, they live in households with incomes below the federal poverty line. To know this is important because poverty is considered a critical risk factor for many mental, emotional and behavioral disorders of children and youth (Yoshikawa, et al. 2012). According to Minujin, et al. (2005), “UNICEF defines child poverty as the deprivation of social services. To expand a little more on this, the concept is that children living in poverty are those who are deprived from the material, spiritual and emotional resources needed to survive, develop and thrive, leaving them unable to enjoy their rights, achieve their full potential or participate as full and equal members of society (Minujin, et al. 2005). More importantly many studies have associated poverty with a range of negative outcomes for children in all social, emotional and cognitive areas of development (Yoshikawa, et al. 2012); however, the question that Yoshikawa et al. (2012) in their article is can we certify that poverty “causes” negative outcomes? Their immediate response was skeptic; however, I think that poverty might not be the cause of mental health illnesses but it does influence the development of it and sets children under the radar for treatment and accessing services. Furthermore, the impact of poverty and social disadvantage on children’s health is further evidence that poverty is a serious risk factor for mental illness (Gyamfi, 2004). In his article, Gyamfi (2004)

Nowadays there is a hot debate on what exactly causes mental illnesses. The two main suspects are society and genetics. Proponents of the genetics theory believe that there is a physical ailment of the brain which causes mental health issues. Those who support the society ideology believe that mental health is shaped by the society in which the person lives.

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.

I was and continue to be socialized to be mentally ill, or neuroatypical. Being neuroatypical is a trait that is both ascribed and achieved. Some aspects of mental illness are chemical or environmentally triggered, so my OCD and mood disorder are both directly a part of my biology. Similarly, my anxiety it is thought to be genetic and my PTSD is obviously caused by trauma. These things seem concrete and ingrained enough in my being that I can call mental illness ascribed, but at the same time, there are aspects which seem to render them achieved. The diagnoses themselves are assigned by various doctors. However, these diagnoses are clearly constructs, because the diagnostic criteria and language have evolved over time, and I personally have had several damaging misdiagnoses over the course of my life (the treatment for which exacerbated my other conditions). Often, diagnoses are based on the patient 's compliance or identity (such as race, class, and gender), and highly stigmatized diagnoses can be given out by doctors who display strong biases or are more willing to want to abuse a patient in psychiatric setting. Recently, five doctors disagreed about a specific diagnosis for me, though there was a general consensus among four of them that it was some form of bipolar disorder. The fifth saw me when I was in an abrasive and highly anxious part of my manic episode, which made him treat me more poorly and give a diagnosis that all of my other healthcare providers disagreed

As Mooney states, “This perspective points to how failures in the health care system affect not only the well-being of individuals but also the health of other social institutions, such as the economy and the family.” (Mooney, 2015) Basically, this theory highlights the interconnectedness of society and how one portion can influence the other, which can be utilized to see how both environmental and societal factors affect the number of people that develop mental health issues. For example, as Mooney states, “Social and environmental influences that can trigger mental illness include physical, emotional, and sexual abuse; poverty and homelessness; job loss; divorce; the death of a loved one; devastation from a natural disaster such as a flood or earthquake; the onset of illness or disabling injury; and the trauma of war.” (Mooney,

Mental disorders can affect people of any age, race, religion, or income. However, people of lower economic and social statuses as well as women and racial minorities suffer from mental illness at a higher rate than other groups. Mental disorders derive from physical, biological or environmental causes but can effect each person differently. Thomas Sazasz argue that mental illnesses are not diseases because mental illnesses cannot be confirmed by objective laboratory tests or body imaging. Those who suffer from different types of mental disorders are judged upon unusual actions that seem strange to others based off their conception of appropriate behavior. The public links mental disorders to violence, which reinforce people’s fear of violence

Is there anything more frustrating than finding out that scientific theories that were considered great ideas back then if applied to today’s world should be tossed away? These theories are not a secret and I can go on and on; but similar to these scientific theories, there is a theory about the mental illness are brain illnesses. This is not true because a mental illness is referred to as “a wide range of mental health conditions that affects your mood, thinking and behavior” (mayo clinic). In a recent edge article, Mental Illness is Nothing but Brain Illness”, which is written by Ian Gold and Joel Gold argue that mental illness and brain illness are two different things. For example, if we have a brain illness, it is only associated with the brain. In order to treat that brain illness, we just have to fix the damage done to the brain because the cause relies in the brain. On other hand, if we have a mental illness, it effects the brain; but it makes “references to the world outside the brain” (Gold). In order to understand and treat a mental illness, we have to “sometimes move outside the skull” because there are several causes (Gold). I agree with the writer that so much research is done on the brain, but none of it yet can help the mental illness’s patients. So, if we stop associating mental illness as brain illness and research on the main causes, we can prevent some people from getting a mental illness at all. This

Whenever we think of a mentally ill person, we almost always think that that person is dangerous. People fear because said patients are typically considered to be unpredictable and people are afraid of anything unpredictable. It’s time to break such stereotype, it’s time to change our perspective – these people don’t deserve to be feared, instead they deserve the care and attention as any sick person does. They need all the help and support they can get.

When people are mentally ill, they suffer social stigma, have higher health costs, and are at an increased risk of becoming poor. Every one out of five Americans is diagnosed with a mental illness. That 20 percent of the population can negatively influence the normal stresses of life, working productively and fruitfully, and being able to make a contribution the community. When humankind as a whole cannot recognize that mental illness is a serious issue, there is more harm being done than good. Any kind of mental illness can be caused merely by society, but also can worsen due to humanity not understanding how injustice can make a serious impact. The mental health problems that people face can be limited to society learning about the injustice of these illnesses.

This paper will explain how poverty and mental illness go hand in hand. Mental illness seems to be a cause and effect situation. Sometimes mental illness causes poverty and other poverty causes the mental illness. This paper will also give possible solutions for the problem.

Currently, there is a broad consensus that a negative correlation exists between socioeconomic status and mental illness in adolescents. By establishing the specific socioeconomic factors that induce mental illnesses in youth, disorders can be predicted early on. Many experts believe that wealthy children are likelier to develop mental health problems as they feel pressure to succeed or are isolated by their parents (Luthar 2003). However, it has been proven that poorer adolescents are more likely to develop mental illnesses than wealthier adolescents are. A negatively perceived social status, low parental education and income, and lack of social mobility have been proven as important socioeconomic causes of mental illnesses in adolescents.