Mental Illness Essay

What is a mental illness classified as? Medical professionals often state that mental illness “considered a clinically significant behavioral or psychological syndrome experienced by a person and marked by distress, disability, or the risk of suffering disability or loss of freedom” (Varcarolis, 2009, p. 12). According to the Nation Alliance of Mental Illness in the U.S. alone there a 1 in 5 chance a person is likely to suffer from a mental illness, this roughly translates to 43.8 million or 18

suffering from a mental illness were cast away from society. Those admitted were locked away within the confines of an insane asylum, where they were ruthlessly tortured; many never seeing signs of improvement and subsequently never seeing the freedoms that lie beyond the confines of the asylum. Thus it is not hard to believe that as awareness of this treatment spread, civil rights activists took action toward protecting these patients. Patients diagnosed with mental illness were granted the following

During the “Change Direction” mental health event First Lady Michelle Obama said, “At the root of this dilemma is the way we view mental health in this country. [...] Whether an illness affects your heart, your leg or your brain, it’s still an illness, and there should be no distinction.” Unfortunately, there is a difference in the way society views mental illness compared to other ailments in the body. Stigma around mental illness has had very immense adverse effects on the willingness of undiagnosed

According to the Mayo Clinic, a mental illness can be defined as a disorder, or multiple disorders that can all be on a spectrum, that can affect mood, cognitive abilities, and the way one acts. Mayo Clinic’s definition also includes the specification that, to be considered a mental illness, the symptoms generally effect a person’s ability to function in common life situations, all while causing quite a bit of stress. It becomes obvious that these types of diseases can be just as damaging as physical

Mental Illness Mental illness refers to many disorders that affect your mood, thinking, and behaviour. There are many different types of mental illnesses with different severities such as depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and addictive behaviour. Having a mental illness is so common in Canada, 1 in 5 people encounter some degree of it. Many of your friends and family may be suffering from some form of mental illness without you knowing it. This can be because it is at

Life with a serious mental disorder such as schizophrenia and others, usually never falls within the boundaries of what could be considered ‘easy.’ Long treatment regiments, intense medications and sometimes debilitating symptoms are just a few headlines in the laundry list of hardships that befall those diagnosed with a serious mental disorder. Even with all this, they then must face society and its uncanny ability to stigmatize and isolate these people. While certainly not anything new to this

Running head: STIGMA AND MENTAL ILLNESS 1 STIGMA AND MENTAL ILLNESS 5 Stigma and Mental Illness Barbara A. O’Brien Moraine Valley Community College Stigma and Mental Illness According to the World Health Organization, more than 450 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with a mental illness” (“Mental Disorders”, 2001, para. 1). Research has documented a significant relationship between mental illness and stigma. “Stigma is defined as a sign of disgrace or discredit, which sets a person

Consequences of Untreated Mental Illness One in five Americans suffer from a mental illness (SoRelle). In a country where mental illness is common, victims are still afraid to seek help for their disease. More often than not, this is due to the negative stigma that surrounds it. Unfortunately, the refusal to garner help for mental illness can lead to negative consequences that are entirely preventable. Although there are negative stigmas that surround it, untreated mental illness leads to incarceration

Having a mental disorder is a challenge you face for the rest of your life and on a daily basis. In reality, you have another everyday challenge as well. Society will forever look down at you and your disorder as if it did not matter or you were crazy. In the Fall of my sophomore year in high school, I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and Anxiety. I live with it every day and I lived with it for a long time even before I was diagnosed. The problem with telling someone about it was crucial

horrifying situations, so of course there is going to be side effects. But there is a wide range of mental health conditions that is not limited to only war veterans. According to The Huffington Post, 25% of the adults in America experience mental illness, but only 36% receive treatment. So what is happening to the 64%? Why aren’t they receiving treatment? Mental illness is