The Problem Of Mental Illness

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.

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.

Problem Statement: The World Health Association defines ‘good’ health as: “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” However, in the United States, access to care and funding for mental health care are grossly neglected and underfunded in comparison to other aspects of health care.

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

Through the course of time, mental illnesses have always been in existence due to varying factors and causes. However, as time has passed, the perceptions and available treatments for mental illnesses have also changed as new technology was developed. By looking at the treatments and perceptions of mental illnesses in the early 20th century, we can learn how to properly treat and diagnose not only mental disorders but also other conditions as well as show us the importance of review boards and controlled clinical trials.

The book January First is about a father describing his life with his family and his daughter who has schizophrenia. Her disability is confirmed as the mental illness schizophrenia after the age of 6 years old. The medical model is most used in the case of January and her diagnosis. From a young age, her parents are trying so hard to find out what is going on in her mind. She had seen multiple doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists and had been institutionalized in mental hospital multiple times. No doctor could “fix” her like the medical model suggests.

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.

The article addresses multiple interpretations of the mental disorder: schizophrenia. One of which, characterizes the mental disorder as a disorder that impairs an individual’s perception of reality; leading to significant cognitive and social impairment. Other opinions argue that the disorder should be separated into several different ones; stating that it’s a very serious group of disorders that make the patient experience vivid delusions, hallucinations and on top of other types, states of psychosis. Additionally, schizophrenic patients suffer ongoing side effects such as absence of movement,

I enjoyed every bit of this Introduction to Psychology class. I put together many things about myself and my own life that I didn’t notice before. Now that I have been introduced to the realm of psychology I have a much better understanding of the reasons of behavior that is around me every day.

Today, mental illness is still a recurring sickness that can have positive and negative effects on mankind. William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, takes place in Scotland and features famous characters like Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and Banquo. Macbeth, the tragic hero, is a power hungry Thane whom seeks kingship. However, he lacks ambition and his wife attempts to urge him towards this edge. As Macbeth is urged toward ambitious ways, he commits the murder of Duncan, the king. From this point on, the reader notices Macbeth’s mind starts to deteriorate. As the tragedy continues, the reader also notices Macbeth is not the only one who suffers from an unstable mind,

Mental health issues are increasing and not enough people are receiving adequate health care if any. Mental health can affect anyone regardless of who we are, where we are and how much money we have. And as we watch the news daily, we see people with very serious issues that impact many people. The community is affected either by actual lives loss, our health care system, or quality of life. Working in bed management allows me to see the entire population entering the hospital. Aside from the psych unit, a lot of the patients are being admitted for medical problems have a history of some type of mental health issue that may or may not flaunt itself during there hospital stay, which in turn, negatively affects other patients, staff, their families and increases length of stay.

To carry a mental illness, you carry a world full of confusion and misunderstandings. When someone has a mental illness, it impacts their thoughts, emotions, ability to relate to those around them, as well as functions in their daily lives. Because we can not see the problem, does not mean that there is not a problem. There are many people who has helped change and evolve ideas surrounding mental illnesses. There is a dark and sad history behind people who are mentally challenged, but the most progress of evolving the darkness surrounding it was a woman named Dorothea Dix (1802-1887). During her time, she volunteered to work in an all girls’ prison where she experienced watching the patients and prisoners be inhumanely treated (Parry, 1).

This essay will analyse the statement “Mental illness is a social problem”. This essay will discuss the sociological perspective of mental health within the chosen concept of gender. The main aim of this essay is to discuss and debate ‘for’ mental illness is a social problem within the different gender roles. Gender is not only male and female, it also includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersexual. In Australia there is a very large community of LGBTI. This concept will be analysed by using theoretical and sociological perspectives along with the structure-agency debate. Also the biomedical and social model 's role in relation to the issue. This will help support the statement that ‘mental illness is a social problem’. It is not logical to solely to blame society for all mental illness’ however, it is a strong contributor. This essay will also explore the social contributor to the high rate of mental illness sufferers in Australia. Also, the general consensus and attitude toward individuals with mental health and the ways that mental illnesses are stitgmatised in Australia and each of its states and territories.

In just a small, pink, squishy orb, many thoughts and memories are stored. The inside of a brain has always been a touchy subject, mostly because most just don’t understand how it works. Brains are trying to figure out how it can think, talk, remember, and even change. Everyone’s brain is different, inside and out. Most minds are small and round, but sometimes the brain looks different. In recent studies, scientists have learned the brain can have abnormalities, which usually leads to a mental illness. Another risky subject in the world is mental illness. Some people say that it is made up. Which it is not, because now science can prove how it is. It is not hard to see the difference between a “normal” brain, and an ill one. Someone who studies the nature of the mind is known as a psychologist. A psychologist can be in many different job scenarios, but the most recent expansion is the forensic psychologists. (Cherry) Their job is to determine if someone did the crime he or she did, and if they knew they did or not. For years on end, killers have gotten away scot-free, until the invention of forensic psychology.

Mental illness is a health condition that affects an individual’s moods and thinking in a way that changes how that person relates to other people in society. The functioning of the affected person is also altered and usually results in the person failing to perform some of the daily activities that the person has previously engaged in. Mental illness can be considered a combination of both social and health complications, affecting the social life of the people who fall victim in many ways (Elliott & Huizinga, 2012). There are some health complications that are also experienced with mental disorders. It is also important to note that medical attention forms part of the therapies that try to correct or control this condition. More recently most concern has been on the fact that mental illness is a major social problem in the world (Gonzalez & Rosenheck, 2014).