The Dark, By Seamus Deane Essay

This article begins by discussing the history of mental illness, going as far back as the 1700s. It goes over professionals in the field, the incidence rate, and treatments, all of this from the different time periods throughout the United States. The author also makes a point to acknowledge the different perceptions there were in the past of mental

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

People with mental health issues have been viewed and treated in a variety of ways within western society throughout time. Historically if an individual displayed behaviours which disrupted their function in society and defied social norms they were viewed as lunatics, insane or even cursed (Cowan, 2008; Elder & Evans & Nizette, 2009). It is from these past issues that many people still have unreasonable thoughts about mental illness; their misconceptions have created unreasonable fears and negative attitudes toward those who experience it. This negativity brings for many the barriers of not only

Mental illness becomes a bigger issue with a long lasting cultural stereotyped due to the manner in which it has long been labelled (Miles, 1988). Although mental illness is very much connected to instabilities in one’s mental health state, as previously mentioned, a person can be mentally healthy but still suffer from a mental illness. What is understood by mental illness is that it

As you will see in this paper, mental illness has been a serious situation for many years. Over the years, there have been different thoughts relating to the causes of mental illness including what the actual situation is and observance of how to treat the mentally ill. This paper will inform you of three different historical periods: Colonial America, Depression & the New Deal and War & Prosperity in which an important aspect of mental health happened in each. I will include some religious and economic information for each period due to the relationship that religion and economy had to the way mental illness was viewed and treated in those periods.

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 disorder (mental illness) is a psychological pattern that is generally associated with a defect or disease of the individual’s mind. It causes a disability that may affect an individual’s behavior patterns in ways that are not part of one’s normal development or culture. Mental disorders are common in the United States. Within any given year, nearly 25 percent of adults and slightly over 20 percent of children are diagnosable for one or more mental disorders. While mental disorder appears to be widespread among the population, the main burden (or threat) emanates from about 6 percent of those who suffer from a debilitating mental illness.” (National Institute of Mental Health, 2011)

Mental illness is a condition characterized by emotions, thoughts, or behavior that are substantially abnormal for a given time and place in history (p. 514). Historically, it has been broadly been defined by self-harm, unrealistic thoughts and perceptions (delusions, hallucinations, magical thinking, etc.), inappropriate emotions, and rapid shifts in moods or beliefs. All these criteria compare the

Mental health—and the stigma that comes along with it—is a very important issue, one of global importance. Shah and Beinecke explain that 450 to 500 million people suffer from mental illnesses (15). Just considering the amount of people who suffer from mental illness is enough to prove that this is a global issue. Despite the large amounts of people who are affected by mental illness, only one third of countries have some sort of program to help (15). This shows the lack of concern for those who suffer from mental illness. Stereotypes affect many people, and those with mental illness are no exception. Everyone has their own preconceived perspectives and notions of mental health, and many of them are uninformed and unjustified. It is up to us to start changing our viewpoints on mental health.

Predominantly, in the West, mental health is described as the lack of a psychiatric illness. Overall, very little science has been completed of “mental health”. Western studies chiefly focus on mental disorders and only by default define mental health.3 Mental illness refers to an array of mental health problems that affect mood, thinking, and, or behavior. Over the course of a person’s life they many experience many mental health concerns, but it does not becomes a mental illness until the symptoms occur frequent enough that they hinder one’s ability to function.7 In Buddhism, what the Mayo Clinic defines as a mental concern would be classified as a mental illness. This discrepancy in translation is important in understanding how the concepts of mental health differ across the

this in order that she would drop me off at the pub. I was keen to get

James Joyce’s, Dubliners is made up of short stories that depict the lives of people in Dublin during the early 1900’s. At this point in history, Ireland was going through a time of distress. The author writes about this time through his stories and characters in the stories “Counterparts,” “Ivy Day in the Committee Room,” and “The Dead.” In these three accounts, Joyce uses the individuals to demonstrate the society of Ireland at this time. He does this using the specific theme of lightness and dark. Joyce connects the humanity based theme of individual and society to the literary theme of light and dark through stories

The typical Irish personality as seen through the ethnography of Nancy Scheper-Hughes is similar among the Irish population. The reason we see these similar traits among the Irish population is because of the hardships that the people go through as they are raised from children to adults. Ireland is known for their high rates of diagnosed mental illness. Through the author’s fieldwork we are able to learn about the personality traits found among the Irish. Nancy Scheper-Hughes states that, “the Republic of Ireland has the highest hospitalization treatment rate for mental illness in the world” (Scheper-Hughes 60). The book titled, Saints, Scholars, and Schizophrenics Mental Illness in Rural Ireland, talks about the mental illness Schizophrenia and mentions reasons why the Irish population has been diagnosed with so many cases. Scheper-Hughes observes, “Schizophrenia is the core problem – more than half of the patients are so diagnosed” (Scheper-Hughes 60).

During lesson, the teacher will ask the students to make a connection between the story and their life. The teacher is looking for students to explain their connection and how this connection helps them better understand the text. If the student can make a clear connection and give an explanation about what they learned from the connection they will pass. If the student does not, the teacher will write down their name and meet with them after the lesson to work one on one with clarify the connecting strategy and work on building the skills needed through further instruction.

As I drifted into sleep that night, I delved head first into the realm my mind had created. Rather than just seeing, I remembered snippets. Clips and blurred images of the events that had occurred at tonight 's festivities flashed through my mind. Thanasis ' joking, Tases ' silver ring, and the odd man who sat in the corner of the hall. His hood pulled far over his head, thereby shielding his face from anyone who might pay him attention. I hadn 't thought much of him, just a lone man, I had thought, and gone about the nights ' high-spirited enjoyments. But something kept pulling me back, urging me to look again. Another image, the man was closer now, standing. I tried my best to avoid staring, but he didn 't seem real. He was there, in spirit perhaps, but something about the edges of his form blurred and rippled. It was as though he were only an image, and not substantive. I hadn 't expected to see him again, having paid him so little attention in the first place. I felt uncomfortable. I felt his gaze and realised that even though I was dreaming, it was unlike any dream I had ever had before. People about me buzzed and chatted, linked arms and drank, while this man, this stranger, moved closer and closer. I couldn 't stop watching him, and I found myself unable to move - whether by fear or by the act of some malignant magic, I had no idea. "Who are you?" I called, hearing my voice echo about the hall, and it was empty. All of a sudden everyone had vanished, and it was just