The Role Of Mental Health

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, treatments were usually inadequate for people with severe depression. As a result, many desperate people were treated with lobotomy, a surgical operation involving incision into the prefrontal lobe of the brain, which had become a popular “calming” treatment at the time. Lobotomies were often unsuccessful, causing personality changes, inability to make decisions, and poor judgement; or even worse, coma and sometimes death. A popular treatment for schizophrenics called Electroconvulsive therapy, was also used as a treatment for depressed

Mental health has been a recurring topic in present society and it is a very large section of health care in general. Health can be termed as an absence of disease, but it really is much more than that and should encompass every facet of the human, mind and body. The WHO defines mental health as a state of well-being in which an individual can function properly and productively, cope with life stressors, and contribute to community. Mental health is dependent on many factors, mainly social, biological, and psychological (WHO). A mental disorder is a condition of alterations

Lobotomies, which are surgical procedures that cut and scrape different connections in the brain, were very common practice. They were thought to help cure mental illness, but often ended up causing more damage than good.

During the early to mid 20th century, not much was known about mental illnesses or what caused them, which was the way it had been for many years before. One of the somewhat common perceptions about mental illness was that these disorders were caused by possession or negative spirits. This can be most likely be attributed to the wide influence of the catholic church and the belief that exorcisms or psychosurgery could possibly cure incurable or intractable mental illnesses. Psychosurgery developed into the more common procedure known as a lobotomy, where the connections between the prefrontal lobe and the prefrontal cortex are cut with the intention of freeing the patient from delusions and side effects of other mental illnesses. Lobotomies began as a surgical procedure which needed to be performed in an operating room, as it required holes to be drilled through the scalp and into the skull. This meant that though the procedure was seen to show some

This surgery was founded by Portuguese doctor Egas Moniz. He learned of two Chimpanzees who had their frontal lobes removed in order to change their emotions and actions. So he came up with the idea that this must be tried on humans with mental disorders to see if it can cure them. A separation tool was made and Dr. Moniz began doing frontal lobotomies at the “Libson Insane Asylum” (Harriet Hall 2015.) Dr. Moniz began to notice that his patients began to act “more docile and seemingly content” (Harriet Hall 2015.) These actions were complete opposites from their original actions of rage and violence. So without any further studies Dr. Moniz would publisher his work winning him a Nobel Prize in medicine and he became critically acclaimed with this work. At the time the Nobel Prize committee claimed it to be “the most important discovery ever made” pertaining to psychiatric therapy (Harriet Hall 2015.) due to its limited time of research the horrible side effects were never addressed till after the multiple procedures were done. The case of Bennie Sternberg being a prime example. Bennie suffered from schizophrenia and would sometimes act out in fits of anger. The Sternberg family was more or less pressured into having Bennie go through the surgery. Post-surgery Bennie was not the same. His family would account that Bennie “did not speak a word” he would “barely move” (Harriet Hall 2015.) He

Frequently, it’s difficult to maintain a certain procedure which benefits both the patient and physician. The growth of The Prefrontal Lobotomy was sought out to assist patients with issues regarding mental illnesses, and conditions of psychological disorders. The Prefrontal Lobotomy is said to be successful, but there have been certain times where the procedure has caused death upon a patient. It’s a controversial procedure that has been done widely since it’s prime era. It was widely performed for decades to treat Schizophrenia, Manic Depression and Bipolar Disorder. (Lobotomy: Definition, Procedure, & History; Lewis, 2014)

An aspect of treatment that was new to me during this chapter was psychosurgery. I had heard of a lobotomy prior to the chapter, however, had never truly knew what it was. This method of treatment is not used today. A prefrontal lobotomy was once the most common form of psychosurgery. The procedure involved placing an icepick under the patient's eyelid, tapping the pick with a hammer, and trying to sever the connections between the frontal lobe and the thalamus. Before the procedure began, patients underwent electroconvulsive therapy until they were unconscious. The individual’s who went under this procedure exhibited violent behavior or lacked emotional control. The process stopped in the 1950’s once the antipsychotic medications became available.

There is evidence to support the claim that exercise benefits a variety of mental health disorders, including depression (Carek et al., 2015). Exercise benefits the brain on several fronts. On the neurophysiological scale, the overall increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) prompted by exercise facilitates neurogenesis and neuronal health (Ernst et al., 2006). Additionally, exercise stimulates the release of endorphins in the brain, which are another compound that promote healthy brain cells. Endorphins are a type of opiate peptide that is derived from certain proteins in the brain. Endorphins can have holistic beneficial effects on neurogenesis around the brain, but they have been found to often especially benefit hippocampal

Into today’s society mental health has become something that is becoming more known to individuals. Mental health is something that is as serious as a physical illness but it is still feared and misunderstood by many people including those who are diagnosed with mental illness. There are many forms of mental illness that include; anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder and phobias and panic disorders. Many individuals with mental health seek help from doctors and are usually prescribed different medications. Dealing with a mental health issue is hard enough as it is because many people misunderstand them and they carry a stigma with the mental illness that needs to be overcome by the individual. For those newly diagnosed medications are given to help improve the psychosis, hallucinations and major depressive disorder with great success, but for many the medication that is given has a side effect that makes the patient gain large amounts of weight throughout treatment. Not only are you dealing with stress from being diagnosed with a mental illness and learning to cope but now you are also given the stress of caring extra weight around and having people judge you because of your weight gain not knowing what exactly is going on with you and your body both mentally and physically. This paper is going to focus on research done involving the beginning use of atypical medications and their side effects including weight

Daniel noticed that individuals normally assisted others out of selfish needs. The team developed an interest in establishing ways of distinguishing motives by the parties involved. Students were tasked with listening to tapes from radio programs. In one of the interviews, the interviewee talked about a grisly car accident that resulted into losing both limbs. She narrated about her tribulations and how it affected her studies. Students who listened to the interview were tasked with sharing lecture notes and meeting the interviewee. The experimenters modified the extent of empathy by telling one of the groups to focus on how she felt (high empathy level), and another group another group was not concerned with any of that (low empathy level). Experimenters additionally varied the impact of not helping. The low cost group indicated that the interviewee will finish at the bottom. The results acted as a confirmation of the empathy-altruism hypothesis. It was identified that the high empathy group indicated they they would most likely help in such circumstsnces as compared to the low empathy group that helped out of self

The concept of mental health and illness is dependent on an individual’s cultural and/or socioeconomic background (O’Brien, 2013). I believe that the concept of health is much more than physical health. I perceive health as a balance between the mental and physical state. When a disturbance occurs to this homeostasis, it leads to mental illness. Prior to commencing this unit, I identified mental illness as an illness that occurs due to poor mental well-being and therefore, remains as a permanent illness. I perceived individuals with mental illness to come across as aggressive, violent, and have an intellectual disability. For my mental well-being, I do my best to obtain a well-balanced diet which includes three meals a day. Involve myself in regular physical activities such as going for walks, doing Pilates or yoga. I also enjoy doing some mindfulness activities and meditations in order to deal with stress and negative emotions.

Addressing the issue of mental health to parents is never an easy task, however if it is done in the correct manner it could be painless. As a childcare worker, if I were to talk to a parent about their child’s mental health I would aim to confirm their emotions and be supportive by talking about the challenges that come with mental health. I would attempt to normalize the situation for them by focusing on their child’s well-being and looking at the end result instead of the immediate struggles. After I had addressed the issue, I would then sensitively discuss with them the factors of the child’s life that may be affecting their health; being sure to never make assumptions or put the blame on any one thing. Keeping the child’s best interest in mind, I would discuss some treatment options the child has. I would explain how the mental health system works and prepare them for the obstacles they may face, but reassure them that it would be worth it for the child’s sake. We would go through the different programs they could use and the levels of intensity they may need. Finally, after all the intense material I would talk to the parents about how they are feeling. We could discuss some stressors they are currently experiencing, and some that may come up. My main goal of the conversation being the parent walking away feeling informed and calmed about the situation.

ental well-being is a worldwide benefit that we all share. It is also a fundamental and integral component of our ability as humans to think, interact with others, enjoy life and earn a living. The mental health of an individual is shaped by the comprehensive of features plus inequalities of social, economical and physical environments in which the person resides. The Mental Health Foundation suggests that mental health is an arbitrating factor between both economical and social conditions. Health and wider social problems are significant properties experienced by those with poor mental health. In contrast, good mental health supports individuals to lead a healthier lifestyle, thus allowing individuals to reach their potential, both jointly and independently.

According to Mayo clinic, mental illness refers to a wide range of mental health conditions such as, but not, limited to schizophrenia, psychosis, depression, and anxiety to name a few. Disorders of this nature can impact the quality of life for the individual by affecting the person's mood, thinking and behavior (Parekh, 2015). Consequently, this impingement on the person’s personality produces psychosocial changes that may negatively impact relationships and coping in their everyday life. Many people have mental health concerns from time to time. According to Parekh (2015), mental health issues are not uncommon and occur in one out five adults in the United States. Over the last twenty years studies have explored the correlation of spirituality and the effects on mental status (Garcia & Koenig, 2013, p. 2623). Can the quality of life improve for patients diagnosed with mentally illness by empowering them (P), with holistic approaches to apply concurrently with their treatment plan such as, spiritual care (I) compared with non-holistic or traditional therapy alone (C), evidence by a decrease in the Pittsburgh Agitation Scale (PAS) score (O)?

Living a healthy life can be done in many ways and often times are only partially obtained. A person can be healthy mentally, physically, and emotionally. Mental and physical health can often take over the importance of being emotionally healthy. All three are equally important, and sometimes none are achieved at all.