The Role Of Mental Illness In Society

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.

Although the stereotype towards the mentally ill is very current in society, it is not to say that all of the public agree with it. For example, there are many stereotypes of different ethnic groups but not everybody would agree with them. In contrast, prejudiced people will endorse these negative stereotypes, an example of this being that ‘those who are mentally ill are violent’, as a consequence this then

Attitudes toward the mentally ill started to change in the 60’s and 70’s from both the communities and professionals. The two began to recognize that the mentally ill had rights to live an independent life style like that of ordinary citizens. Before this, people with mental illness or developing disabilities had been institutionalized, giving strong medications, sedated and isolated from the rest of society. Living amongst the community, they receive their medication as well as interact with the general public. In addition, they also interact with security personnel and law enforcement officers, and all too frequently with unfortunate consequences. (Russell, 2012).

For many centuries, religious, spiritual and cultural beliefs preponderated societal actions and beliefs for those with mental illnesses. In ancient Greece, those with severe mental illnesses were abused because of the perpetuating belief that angry gods influenced them. Those suffering from mild mental illness faced disdain and humiliation. Prince (2003) even asserts “the cultural values of ancient Greece were precursors to the modern stigma that is associated with mental illness” (Kirby & Keon, 2004). In the middle ages, it was the belief that mental illness was routed to supernatural causes. It was believed that these individuals should be burned at the stake, hanged or decapitated to release their soul from being possessed by demons. The beliefs changed in the 17th and early 18th centuries to one that the physical state was impaired by those with mental illnesses because they had excessive passion they inflicted on themselves. These individuals were often physically restrained

The roots of mental illnesses can even be traced all back to Ancient Greece in 400 B.C. where people were believed to have been cursed by the gods when their minds were plagued by these things.

Although mental illness cannot be seen in the same way as external injury, our society needs to become more aware of both the reality of mental illness and the effect of our actions on the mentally ill. There is not enough awareness and research of mental illness and this leads to people being afraid to seek treatment. The mentally ill deserve humane treatment because they are equal to all other humans. Mental illness is a result of chemical imbalances in the brain and traumatic events, and the mentally ill deserve the same treatment and respect as other people with illness and injury. Throughout American history, the mentally ill have not received equal treatment and we should work to help the mentally ill to gain respect and understanding.

400 B.C. marks Hippocrates, a Greek physician, treating mental disorders as conditions rather than curses from gods. From then and through the middle ages, the mentally ill are cared for by family and are relatively free from constraint. It isn’t until 1407 that the first institution specifically for the mentally ill is established (Timeline: Treatments). Crude methods are used within these years to treat the mentally ill throughout these years, such as trephination, purging, and mystic rituals (Vann, Madeline R). Trephination, also called trepanation, is one of the earliest forms of treatment, going back 7,000 years and involves forming a hole in the skull in hopes of “relieving headaches, mental illness, or presumed demonic possession” (Vann, Madeline R). Purging or ‘fixing humors’, is traced back to the ancient Greeks and is the balancing of

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.

Hippocrates believed that mental illness had a physical and a rational explanation and rejected the views of his time that considered illness to be caused by superstitions and by possession of evil spirits. Additionally, he recommended that the treatment of mental illness should be conducted in an asylum, a secure and safe retreat from the chaos and pressures of the environment, rather than having persons with mental illness whipped in public, or incarcerated in dungeons (Stevens, D. 1997).

They would implement horrific smells, horrendous noises, and repulsive potions to make the soul unfit for the illness (Ghinassi 10). If you walk down the street, the aroma of the streets sewage may waft up your nose and yet they expected this to cure a human of the “evil” inside them. However, they were not to far off when it came to connecting the spiritual world to the physical world in an attempt to make people feel better. Ghinassi tells us how yoga uses these exact techniques by calming the body and focusing on breathing to connect the two worlds (10). These concepts are utilized today and are successful in calming the mind, keeping anxiety from creeping

Early civilizations, including, the Greeks, Chinese, Hebrews, and Egyptians, believed that mental illness occurred because a demon took possession of the victim’s body. To avoid further possession, leaders or healers performed exorcisms. The exorcisms’ purpose was to make the host body so unbearable, accomplished by either flogging, starvation, prayers, and vomiting induced drugs, that the demon would leave (Lundy 13).

The referral for this evaluation requested a conclusion about the presence of a mental illness at the time of the offense, as well as an analysis as to whether that mental illness had the effect of rendering Ms. Walters incapable of knowing or understanding the nature and quality of his or her act and of distinguishing right from wrong at the time of the commission of the offense.

Everyone is different in society. There are special individuals, which are affected by mental health illnesses. Mental health issues can affect society both negatively and positively. There are cultures that treat these individuals like the reincarnations of gods. On the other side, there are cultures that isolate these individuals and look for cures to these pathologies. Mental health illnesses are important because they have to be studied to understand their cause, whether it may be biological or environmental. These issues are important because like every type of illness they have to be delicately studied, focusing on treatments to either cure them or reduce the symptoms of the pathology. These people were either conflicted with the ideals of society or they were praised by it. Cultures, which didn’t accept them, closed them up into asylums. Patients inside these facilities were brutally used as guinea pigs for their experiments. The way these people were treated shows how cruel and ignorant people were to the unknown. By learning from histories mistakes we can move forward in improving our society and achieve greatness.

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).