Mental Illness Is Nothing But Brain Illness

When people think of an “illness” they typically don’t automatically think of mental illness. They think about HIV, cancer, or even a cold or flu. However when it comes to mental illness it is a whole different idea. But is mental illness even real? Addressed in the book, The Myth of Mental Illness (1961), a psychiatrist Thomas Szasz argues that the idea of classifying psychological and emotional difficulties as “illnesses” takes away sense of control. Instead of holding people personally and morally responsible for their actions, he states, doctors attempt to “treat” the person, often with medications. Diagnosing mental illness, on the other hand, argue that mental disorders are as real as physical diseases and diagnosing them allows people

The definitions of mental health and mental illness can vary greatly and most are subjective, simplistic or are only partial definitions (Freshwater & Boyd, 2006). Freshwater and Boyd (2006) highlight the idea of mental health and illness being viewed as a “continuum”, where people are located at different points due to life events, developmental stages and genetic influence throughout their lives. As Hinshaw and Cicchetti (2000) state individuals with mental illness aren’t either “ill” or “well”, instead they experience episodes of remission and relapse over the course of their lives. From a medical view

Mental illness in itself is a problem, however as humans we have not discovered a way to reverse or remove it. Although researchers have been able to establish common patterns in those who are diagnosed with mood disorders, we do not have any objective information at all. Researchers claim that it can be a combination of our genetics and brain chemistry. (MedWeb, 2015) Despite this gray area, we have discovered a way to suppress the symptoms of mental illness, however many of our children are paying for this at a high

This epidemic can’t become solved by simply changing how the mentally ill are

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

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

After people began to see the horrors of the mental asylums, the ideas of how to care for the mentally ill had to change. As treatments improved to pharmaceuticals and other methods, the common names of disorders began to emerge. Disorders such as Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia came to be public knowledge. The idea that the problem of mental illness had an actual reason caused others to realize other than supernatural reasons were realized for a reason why all of the people who had mentally disorders were considered crazy. Many neurobiologists have found that these mental illnesses came from a mix of reasons like chemical imbalances, life experiences, the environment the fetus lived in, or inherited traits. From the 1800’s to the present day, many people did not, and still do not, go to the proper places to

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.

The ‘medical model’ (Beecher, 2009), also called the ‘biomedical model’ (Germov, 2009), basis its beliefs on the theory that there is not a connection between the mind and the body (Sarafino & Smith, 2014) and illness is caused by ‘biological’ (Germov, 2009) factors that can be diagnosed and treated with medications (Germov, 2009). The biomedical model becomes problematic when applied to the treatment of mental health illness due to the cause being widely unknown and so how can mental illness be successfully treated using this model? Social factors that may have a contributory effect or allowance for preventative measures to be implemented are also not taken into consideration with the ‘medical model’ (Germov,

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.

Schizophrenia is a disease of the mind. It effects all races and ages. There are many dugs that can help treat Schizophrenia, but there is no cure for it. People that suffer from Schizophrenia can be helped by receiving psychological treatments along with a strong support group.

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

What is the biomedical approach to mental health? "The biomedical model of mental illness assumes that abnormal psychological states or experiences are the results of abnormalities in the brain or genetics and, as such, necessitate medical or chemical

Imagine a world where a third of the human population suffered from the same type of illness. Imagine a world where the government does little to help those who suffer from this terrible illness. Imagine a world where nobody acknowledged the pain and suffering that comes along with this illness. This is, unfortunately, the world we live in today. The illness is not one that others notice, but it can have terrible consequences to those who suffer from it. The type of illness are the ones that plague people mentally.

Let me start off by saying that I wanted to put my thoughts into writing for a very long time. I felt misunderstood by my peers and everyone around me for as long as I remember. For a while, I tried to hide my depression and kept on going even though my life lost its meaning long time ago, probably before I was even aware of what it has to offer. I appreciate the fact that existence and its intricacies is a wonderful phenomenon that we all experience in a very intimate, and unique fashion. Every mind has its distinctive features and there are no two people with the same neural circuitry, so in a way we all create our interpretations of the world around us. Humans have an immense capacity to form new neural connections and it has been shown