S. Reilly
Mental illnesses are not a thing of the past. They are also our present and future. John Q. Adams once said, “Who we are, is who we were.” That quote accurately describes mental illnesses and the mental health of humans everywhere. A mental illness can be defined as a health condition that changes a person 's thought process, emotions, behavior, and/or their body. Mental illness causes a person distress and difficulty in functioning and can lead to atrophy. They are ingrained in the wiring of many and they override safety precautions that the brain has set in place against viruses. Mental health issues affect society in many ways, such as identification, treatment, and overall understanding; as a result of this they have been mocked and dismissed for most of history.
For all of history, mankind has been has had some semblance of being aware of mental illnesses. The earliest recorded treatments of mental illnesses can be traced back to “5000 B.C.E. as evidenced by the discovery of trephined skulls in regions that were home to ancient world cultures.” Said ancient cultures widely believed the mentally ill were afflicted by supernatural causes (ex. demon possession, mystic charms, malevolent deities) which resulted with odd, yet horrific treatments employed. “Exorcisms, incantations, prayer, atonement, and other various mystical rituals were used to drive out the evil spirit. Other means attempted to appeal to the spirit with more human devices--threats, bribery,
As defined by experts, a mental illness is a clinically significant behavioral or psychological syndrome or pattern that occurs in an individual and involves changes in thinking, emotion, behavior, interpersonal interactions, daily functioning, or a combination. The causes of mental illness are complex and vary depending on the theories associated to the different biological, psychological, and environmental factors. The etiology of mental illness is based on five broad models: biological, psychological, behavioral, cognitive, and social.
To understand what mental illness is you have to know what it means. Mental health is the state of our well-being. Mental health has to do with the mind. According to thefreedictionary.com mental health is “a state of emotional and psychological well-being in which an individual is able to use his or her cognitive and emotional capabilities, function in society, and meet the ordinary demands of everyday life”. Mental illness are behavioral, psychological, and emotional disorders that effect the mind. Mental illness is not something that should be avoided. There many different types of mental illnesses. There are also mental healthcare services that can help people with their mental illnesses.
Mental health is defined as the state of satisfactory use of mental function, which results in productive activities, interactions, adjustment to change and coping with challenges (Healthy People 2020, 2012). It is fundamental to one's personal well-being, his interpersonal relationships, and fruitful participation in, and contribution to, society in general. Mental illness or mental disorder refers as a whole to all diagnosable disturbances of the mind. These disturbances are characterized by changes in thinking, mood, and/or behavior, which produce pain, discomfort, abnormal functioning or death. Mental illnesses are serious medical conditions, which cannot be overcome by simple will power. They are not caused by personality weakness or intelligence (Healthy People 2020; NAMI, 2012).
Mental illness is an increasing problem in America. Currently about 26.2% of Americans suffer from a mental disorder. A mental illness/disorder is a medical condition that disrupts a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, and ability to relate to others and daily functions. Mental illness can affect humans of any age, race, gender and socioeconomic status. However the care that is needed to effectively cure and help the people affected by the illness is not equal for everyone here in American, especially for African Americans.
For many centuries there has been multiple arguments about what causes mental illness. Hebrews believed that mental illness was a punishment from god for those who sinned. The way they cured one another was spiritually and through health. They believed that if you had a healthy diet that it would prevent you from any diseases. The physicians were also priests who had “special ways” to heal with higher powers. The biggest theory was that whoever had a mental illness was caused from supernatural forces. There had been many different treatments to help cure ones suffering. Dating back to 5000 BCE was the first treatment preformed on record, showing that one would chip a hole into the human skull to release evil spirits. Later on, the Ancient Egyptians
Mental illness: Mental illness is a term that is used to describe a condition that affects many people, this condition is often a serious disorder in a person's behaviour or thinking. Mental illness affects around 10-25% of people living in the UK at some point in their life. [Sabp, 2015] There are many different types of mental illnesses; Examples of mental illness include depression, phobias, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, addictive behaviours and schizophrenia. Mental illnesses can range fro m minor illnesses such as having a phobia to being more severe such as having depression or anxiety. [Mayoclinic, 2015] All of these metal illnesses can be treated in some way however they can become a serious part of a
Mental illness involves mental health disorders that affect people's mood, thinking, as well as behavior. Mental illness varies from depression, anxiety disorders, addictions, and schizophrenia. Everyone has a mental concern at one point in his life, but it becomes a concern when there are continuous signs or symptoms that cause stress affecting the functioning ability of a person. Mental illness makes people miserable and inhibits their ability to operate effectively either at work or in school. Medical practitioners describe mental illness in different ways, including conditions characterized by the impairment of a person's normal cognitive nature, psychological, emotional or behavioral functioning. A
Mental illness is a health problem which affects a persons’ thoughts, behaviours, feelings and interactions with people. There are different types of mental illnesses, with different degrees of severity. Some major types of illnesses include; schizophrenia, anxiety, bipolar mood disorder, eating disorders, personality disorders and depression (Government of Western Australia Mental Health Commission, 2010).
Mental illness has been around since the beginning of recorded history. Mental illness was not recognized and those suffering were labeled as retarded. “Terms
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.
Mental illness has a history at least as long as recorded history. It also has a history of misunderstanding, stigma, and discrimination, all of which are still present in today’s society. In some cultures it was believed that individuals were overtaken by spirits that were good and evil, and some believed that peoples strange behavior was caused by inner conflict because of their sins, or that they were possessed by the devil and some thought they were gifts from God. Different civilizations in different parts of the world during different eras had their own concepts of what caused mental illness and struggled with how, or whether to treat it. Often no distinction was made between mental and physical illnesses. Different cultures believed all illness was attributed to physical causes, for example the heart caused mental disturbances.
Mental health problems are still with us because scientists haven’t developed the right drug treatments yet
Early-on specifically during the Middle Ages, mental illness was believed by many as demonic possession and religious’ punishment. Some trailblazers sought to cure mentally ill individuals by conducting non- religious techniques, and instead incorporating a change in environment, or even administering certain substances/medications that where heavily used during that time; that were thought of as medical treatment. The
What is Mental Illness? Mental illnesses are disorders of the brain that disrupt a person's thinking, feeling, moods, and ability to relate to others-and if severe interferes with all aspects of daily living.
Mental illnesses are health conditions involving changes in thinking, emotion or behavior or a combination of all three (What is Mental Illness). Mental illnesses are associated with distress or problems functioning in social, work or family activities. Mental illnesses take many forms, some are fairly mild and only interfere in limited ways with daily life, such as certain phobias and other mental health conditions are so severe that a person may need care in a hospital. Mental illnesses can affect anyone, regardless of your age, gender, income, social status, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, background or other aspect of cultural identity (What is Mental Illness).