...Mental Illness Ellen is a 35 year old laboratory technician, she is happily married and has a beautiful three-year-old daughter Emily. Unfortunately in the last three years she has been unable to enjoy her life or her family as well as she wants to. She has been suffering from a severe form of Postnatal Depression which has forced her to leave her job and spend eleven months in a psychiatric hospital. While now on the road to recovery, Ellen admits that the hardest part of her illness is coping with the attitude of others: "I had no history of mental illness prior to my daughter being born. I was happy and successful in life but now I find myself being treated as an alien. People, including family and friends, seem not to know what to say to me - so they say nothing. Little is known by the majority of folk about "clinical depression", so you're treated as an outcast". 1) Poor mental health is something which will probably affect everyone of us to some degree, either directly or indirectly, at sometime during our lives. 2) But despite the fact that mental disorder is classified as an "illness" which can be "treated" just like physical illness, many psychiatric patients can identify with Ellen's experience of feeling like an outcast. 3) Society can be very uncomfortable around those with mental health problems and as a result, there is a general reluctance among people to admit to mental distress or to reveal that one has been hospitalised, taken medication or had...
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...Mental illness is an important topic that is rarely spoken or taught in today’s society. About half of people in the world have a mental health disorder, yet most people don’t know what it really means to have a serious health problem. There are numerous theories on why these disorders happen; additionally, some disorders in the world are still a mystery to the science community and also millions of people share these personal experiences through writing. What is Mental Health and its comparison to Mental Illness Numerous people in today’s society have yet to fully understand what mental illness is; therefore, they really need to understand the meaning of the word. According to the article “What is Mental Illness,” mental health is foundation for thinking, communication, learning, self esteem, and it also plays a key role in close relationships. Sadly people with mental illness suffer with thinking skills, learning new things, expressing emotion, and it also causes problems in their social lives, but this does not mean that people with disorders can’t manage their lives on their own....
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...changes in approach to mental health/illness within Australia from the 1970’s to the 1990’s. You will need to include at least three (3) government enquiries/investigations which have helped shape government direction in the provision of mental health services. A Federal Government Inquiry released in the same year as the 1955 State Grants (Mental Institutions) Act provided large amounts money to institutions for capital works, was damning of the ‘inadequate’ mental health system, highlighting low standards of care, abuse and overcrowding (Stoller, 1955). As a result of this, there was a wider general interest in mental health. In what could be the beginnings of deinstitutionalisation in Australia, as the report also called for an increase in community services. Funding provided by the government in the seventies was pivotal to the establishment of community mental health services being more assessable with outreach and after care programs being setup in hospitals. This also heralded the beginnings of many Non government and independent services. * In 1983, the Richmond Report, release in New South Wales, advocated strongly for further deinstitutionalisation and an increase in community services for people with psychiatric disabilities. It suggested a change in funding arrangements from hospitals to community based care services, the expansion of integrated community based services, the separation of developmental disability services from mental health services and a decrease...
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...consequences. Australians suffered extreme trauma, both physical and psychological. These effects were particularly present throughout the ordeal; however, they were also ongoing for many years after. During captivity in the Changi, there was a dramatic increase in illness and mortality rates. The major factors for illness were the inadequate diet through lack of quality and quantity. Secondly, the hazardous and excess labour...
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...Topic: Institution: 1. Introduction Mental illness is considered to be a wide range of conditions on mental health and also known to be a disorder affecting an individual’s behavior, thinking and mood. Some example includes addictive behaviors, eating disorders, schizophrenia, anxiety disorder and depression. From time to time, most individuals are known to have numerous mental health concerns. Mental health concern are actually not mental illnesses but if they persist and the symptoms and sings result to recurring stress that affect an individual’s ability to function, then they can be considered to be mental illness. Mental illness is quite a big problem to an individual and usually turns an individual to be miserable throughout their day if they are not well managed. Counseling (psychotherapy) and a medication combination is mostly used to manage mental illness. Mental illness symptoms and signs are known to be varying depending on particular circumstances, disorder and numerous other factors. An individuals behaviors, thought and emotions are mostly affected by a mental illness. most mental illness are known not to improve on their own but they get worse if they go untreated over a long time and causing a lot of damage. Treatment of mental illness varies depending on the mental illness type, its severity and the form, kind or type of treatment that will work to a particular individual. Two individual having a similar mental illness condition might have to treat them differently...
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...Vulnerable Populations The term Mental Illness covers a wide variety of disorders ,which can be mild to severe in nature. These disorders cause a breakdown in thoughts and behaviors making it difficult to impossible for a person to cope with daily life. There are more than 200 classified forms of mental illness (Mental Health America, 2011) and include different forms of depression and other emotional disorders, anxiety disorders, dementia, and personality disorders. It is estimated that there are more than 50 million Americans living with one form of mental illness or another. Knowledge and understanding of mental illnesses has come a long way in the last century, before this time many were labeled as being possessed by demons. In order to “cure” them, people were often subjected to physical and emotional abuse; it was often believed that the only way to exorcise the demons was to beat them out of a person. People were locked away and isolated from the population at large, neglected and abused there was little hope or understanding for a person suffering from mental illness. Great strides were made in 1908 after a man named Clifford Beers released an autobiography titled “A Mind That Found Itself” (Mental Health America, 2010). Beers had spent time in a mental institution after his brother’s death and had witnessed firsthand the inhuman treatment of the patients, after his release he began a national movement to humanize the treatment of those with mental illnesses. From this early...
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...Are people with mental health problems at increased risk of committing violence? | Holly ButlerCCJ10January 27, 2015 | Abstract There has been significant interest in Australia and indeed the world as to whether people with a mental illness are at increased risk of violence. In particular, the diagnosing of current or even future offenders has offered a wide insight not only into mental illness as a stand-alone but to whether it is a major trigger in acts of violence. Offenders with mental illness have attracted substantial attention over the recent years, given their prevalence and poor outcomes. A number of interventions have been developed for this population (e.g., mental health courts) and they share an emphasis on one component as the foundation of the problem: mental illness. Focusing soley on psychiatric services inadequately tie in with the policy goal of reducing recidivism. The validity of mental illness being linked t criminal behavior points towards moderated arbitration techniques and the effect of mental illness on other “recidivism” is to some extent interceded by system impartiality and shame. The recognition of mental illness being tied to offenders been identified as a feasible tool to decrease the escalating level of offending amongst juveniles, and indeed has been implemented in varying forms as a diversion away from the criminal justice system. In this essay, the notion of people with mental health problems are not at increased risk of committing...
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...dealing with any sort of vulnerable population it is important to consider that many of them will have co-occurring disorders. For example, many people who are substance abusers will often have an undiagnosed mental health issue that they may be self medicating for, or even a diagnosed disorder but have no insurance or way of getting the help him or her may need. The history of Mental illness is hard to believe. Many people went through enormous misery coping with the illness, especially with the public beliefs towards the mentally ill population. People with mental illness were seen as possessed by demons or animal- like. Because of this, the mentally ill were treated horrifically. The mentally ill were often treated similar to what was seen in the movies. Humans were tied down or put into strait jackets, beaten and tortured in an attempt to try and release the demons that possessed him or her. “In 1900, Clifford Beers, a Yale graduate and young businessman, suffered an acute breakdown brought on by the illness and death of his brother. Shortly after a suicide attempt, Beers was hospitalized in a private Connecticut mental institution. At the mercy of untrained, incompetent attendants, he was subject to degrading treatment and mental and physical abuses (Mental Health America, 2012). Because of what Beers went through, he decided to help make a better America. His struggles “sparked a...
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...Vulnerable Populations The term Mental Illness covers a wide variety of disorders ,which can be mild to severe in nature. These disorders cause a breakdown in thoughts and behaviors making it difficult to impossible for a person to cope with daily life. There are more than 200 classified forms of mental illness (Mental Health America, 2011) and include different forms of depression and other emotional disorders, anxiety disorders, dementia, and personality disorders. It is estimated that there are more than 50 million Americans living with one form of mental illness or another. Knowledge and understanding of mental illnesses has come a long way in the last century, before this time many were labeled as being possessed by demons. In order to “cure” them, people were often subjected to physical and emotional abuse; it was often believed that the only way to exorcise the demons was to beat them out of a person. People were locked away and isolated from the population at large, neglected and abused there was little hope or understanding for a person suffering from mental illness. Great strides were made in 1908 after a man named Clifford Beers released an autobiography titled “A Mind That Found Itself” (Mental Health America, 2010). Beers had spent time in a mental institution after his brother’s death and had witnessed firsthand the inhuman treatment of the patients, after his release he began a national movement to humanize the treatment of those with mental illnesses. From this early...
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...FAMILY PAMPHLET TO MINIMIZE STIGMA FOR PERSONS LIVING WITH A SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS A project presented to The Faculty and Staff of Saybrook University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (M.A.) in Psychology by R. Paul Johnson San Francisco, CA December 2013 Approval of the Project FAMILY PAMHLET TO MINIMIZ STIGMA FOR PERSONS LIVING WITH A SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS This project by R. Paul Johnson has been approved by the committee member below, who recommended it be accepted by the faculty of Saybrook University in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts in Psychology Project Committee: Theopia Jackson, Ph.D. Date Abstract FAMILY PAMPHLET TO MINIMZE STIGMA FOR PERSONS LIVING WITH A SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS R. Paul Johnson Saybrook University Individuals with mental illness have long experienced societal prejudice and discrimination, including among healthcare professionals. However, the stigma that comes from family and friends may have greater adverse impact. This project-reviewed literature on the stigmas associated with a diagnosis of a serious mental illness (SMI), as experienced by the person and family, as factors that may contribute to family/friends inadvertently perpetuating stigmas. Therefore this project integrates literature review findings and the author’s personal/professional experiences in the design of a pamphlet intended to be utilized by...
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...led globalization of mental health has increased the interest of public health officials and psychiatrists throughout the world. The Cultural and social values, and attitudes of a particular society influence the beliefs that people have about mental illness. The knowledge about mental illness has spread globally, and it has begun to break down some of the barriers between cultures and countries. There has been a substantial increase in research on the stigma related to mental illness; however, the stigmatization of people with mental illness continues to cause discrimination. Stigma, myths and misconceptions lead to discrimination. In addition to the many aspects of discrimination that have been discussed it is important to know that the mentally ill in our society often lose their ability to make decisions. The stigmatizing beliefs concerning mental illness have given the public and lawmakers an opportunity to control the mentally ill. Due to discrimination, the mentally ill have blatantly suffered many human rights violations. Society can improve this situation by continuing their education effort and enforcing legislation in order to help the mentally ill feel more accepted by society. Globalization has increased the communication and interaction of people between countries and cultures; specifically, it has influenced the exchange of ideas concerning mental health. Ethan Watters points out in his article called “The Americanization of Mental Illness” that “For more than...
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...Incarceration of people with mental disorders José Miguel Avendaño Monroy Colegio Británico Research Skills Abstract This paper explores many published articles, and statistics that report and explain on results from research the incarceration of people with mental disorders, founding and explaining why criminals with mental disorders (schizophrenia, and major depression) should be incarcerated instead of being sent to a psychiatric center?; founding that there are many factors that can start the development of mental illness such as combination of biological, psychological, and environment factors (Hall-Flavin, 2015). Also it was set the most common mental disorders in inmates, that were schizophrenia, major depression, and bipolar disorder. Additionally it was present that up to the fifty five percent inmates suffer a mental disorder (Glaze & James, 2006). Also it was present a murder case which occurs in Perú, for demonstrated that people with mental illness can be highly dangerous in certain moments and they may affect the people who is surrounded them. In conclusion, there is still a long and endless debate between the same society trying to convince and prove why criminals with mental illness should be or not incarcerated. Keywords: mental disorder, criminals with mental disorders, recidivism, bipolar disorder, criminal rates. Incarceration of people with mental disorders I. ABSTRACT II. INTRODUCTION III. MENTAL DISORDER a. Definition...
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...“Mental illness refers to a wide range of mental health conditions- disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior”, (Mayoclinic). People diagnosed with mental disorders reflect on their past to institute the reason being in the condition they are faced with firsthand. A diagnosis of a mental health condition is not only a fraction of the behavioral effect of the average human being’s behavior, but a dosage of daily struggles one will experience firsthand. Mental illness is a controversial issue, however society needs to understand that mental illness is not something you are born with, but solely a condition that affects the path you take, because of life events and traumatic experiences, not genetic inheritance (The Telegraph). To begin with, mental disorders are nothing to be ashamed of, these conditions associated with changes in thinking, behavior, and functional abilities, however mental illness has become a large factor in contributing to American society. In other words, being diagnosed with a mental disorder impacts the American society in various ways, such as the troubles in daily functioning, distress, and traumatic involuntary memory. In fact, organizations such as the World Health Organization issued a report that 25 percent of the American population is affected by a mental or behavioral disorder during their life (Schmidt). For example, society and individuals romanticize mental illness far too often, social media plays a large role because people aspire...
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...along with a host of many other agonizing and heart wrenching emotions. When the addicted person also carries a mental health disorder along this journey, it can become an even more treacherous and dangers path. These are indeed two very complex struggles for one human being. The combination of a person suffering an alcohol or substance abuse disorder and a mental illness disorder are identified has having a dual diagnosis. Dual diagnosis has different causes, difficulty in trying to diagnose and difficult to treat and it affects many in our world today. Most importantly, a dual diagnosis is most difficult on the individual who suffers with the disease. Dual Diagnosis Definition and Types What does dual-diagnosis actually mean? A dual diagnosis disorder occurs when an individual is affected by both chemical dependency and an emotional or psychiatric illness. Both chemical dependency and psychiatric illness may affect an individual physically, psychologically, socially and spiritually (The Dual Diagnosis Recovery Book, 1993). The most common mental health issues that coincide with addictions are ADHD, anxiety, depressions, bi-polar, schizophrenia, personality disorders, eating disorders and PTSD. The combination of a mental health illness and an addiction can exasperate the symptoms and triggers of the individual’s illness to dangerous physical and mental levels. These disorders combined can effect each disease and interact with each other dramatically because they...
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