...Lorella Croswell 21 March 2013 Discrimination Continues To Harm the Mentally Ill; Throughout the World In recent years, the American 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...
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...Dorothea Dix, an advocator for the mentally ill, changed the lives of such people directly. She spent countless years working towards her cause, and regardless of the multitude of setbacks she encountered, was able to thrive and reign with her visions. Dorothea Dix advocated for the humane treatment of the mentally insane to be changed, however, in order to achieve her vision of benevolent management of the mentally ill, she overcame many setbacks, including personal struggles, gender inequality, and difficulty with legislation. Before laws were created to mandate civil treatment of the mentally ill within prisons, hospitals, or other institutions, those people were treated very poorly. The mentally ill were confined to cages and other small areas, in a way not suitable for a human being to live. The states did not provide heating for the patients. The way that the people were maintained led Dorothea Dix to begin a career centered on advocating their rights. “The popular belief was that the insane would never be cured and living within their dreadful conditions was enough for them” (Bumb). The social...
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...communities contain a mentally ill population. Their behavior is considered to be inappropriate and abnormal. Every society has cultivated solutions in which to treat the mentally ill in order to prevent disruption of the strong civil function. Normal behavior varies through generations and societies. When deciding if a person is mentally ill, the generation and culture must be taken into consideration. Approximately 26 percent of the U.S. population suffers from mental illness, with six percent of that percentage suffering from such debilitating mental afflictions that their ability to function is limited. The History of Mental Illness In ancient times, mental illness was thought to be madness caused by demonic possession. Skulls of the “mad” were drilled to allow the demon to escape. During the middle ages, mental illness was believed to be the result of witchcraft and demonic control. The tormented were treated as criminals and subject to torturous acts. They were often tied up and thrown into bitterly cold waters. If the person floated, they were considered to be a witch and were murdered in an inhumane and heinous manner. If the suspected sunk, they were found not guilty of witchcraft. The freezing water was accepted as a cure for “madness.” By the mid 1700’s, mental illness was considered an issue for the afflicted’s family. As the American colonies grew, the mentally ill began to negatively impact the society. Almshouses were used to board the mentally ill. Specialized hospitals...
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...The uncontrolled distribution of LSD to children at the Harvard Medical Center through Professors Alpert and Leary are all broad examples of how the neglect and mistreatment of the human population has deliberately killed us off and caused the arousal of unknown diseases and pathogens that seep into our body all due to a shot administered by our fellow doctors (Kansra, N. and Shih, W.C., 2012) ( Referred from http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2012/5/21/harvard-lsd-project-leary/ ). Human experimentation's dark history began when the line between treatment and experimentation was blurred. In the early 1960s, the public began to notice the ethical neglect for test subjects by their experimenters. Those charged with administering research funding, took not of the public furor generated by the exposure of gross abuses in medical research; doctors and scientist alike began to use the data and notes gather from the Nazi experiments before and after World War II, in order to conduct these unethical experiments. People who unknowingly and willingly volunteered to participate in these experiments, were placed into unkempt conditions and unsanitary environments. The promotional and uncontrolled distribution of thalidomide throughout America, labeled as an experimental drug; the administration of cancer cells to senile and debilitated patients at the Brooklyn Jewish Chronic Disease Hospital (Katz, 1972). As a result, the public was very sensitive to these experiments since...
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...evidence of individuals who were dealing with schizophrenia. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (2013), Schizophrenia is defined as abnormalities in five domains which are delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking and speech, disorganized or abnormal motor behavior, and negative symptoms (p. 87). For this reason, this article will examine the history of Schizophrenia from three time periods which is in the 1800s, mid 1900s, and in the 21st century. 1800s In the 1817, the first moral-treated asylum was opened in America by the Philadelphia Quakers along with the Congregational Church in 1818 (Whitaker, 2002, p. 25). The Quakers and the church would not use any form of treatment to treat the mentally ill, however; they would help the people cope with their illness by creating activities for them such as gardening or playing games (Whitaker, 2002, p. 26). In the asylum, there were people who varied in mental illnesses. Emil Kraepelin, a psychiatrist, was one of the first people who presented schizophrenia in a category which he called dementia praecox. He would diagnose his patients by putting them into categories based on the symptoms and the patterns of the symptoms (Lyons and Martin, 2014, p. 33). Kraepelin believed that those who had schizophrenia was because of a genetic or biological cause. He believed that schizophrenia, or dementia praecox was caused because of an abnormality in the person’s sex glands. Kraepelin was a large contributor...
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...visitors. Women during this time are seen as overly-dramatic and not as smart as men. Since her husband is also her doctor, the way her husband isolates her possibly leads to her condition worsening later in the story. According to Esposito, “In the late nineteenth century, "women's diseases" such as "hysteria" were often associated with actions or emotional responses that were seen as inappropriate for women.” As well, doctors in the nineteenth century knew little to nothing about mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. This means that although the narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper” may not have been mentally ill to begin with, her isolation caused her to mentally decline. As well, Emily’s emotional response to the death of her father and the passage of time causes her to be labeled as crazy by the citizens of the town. Eventually the isolation causes her to become mentally unstable enough to kill Homer. The limiting ideology of the time period causes Emily to actually develop a mental disorder. The narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper”...
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...Mentally Ill in Prison PSCH/610 Mentally Ill in Prison Abstract The increase in incarcerated individuals with mental illness in the preceding decades has made the prison system a prevalent mental health provider even though they are not prepared or equipped for such task. Prison life is tough on an individual’s mental health; overcapacity, lack of privacy, violent behavior, lack of activity, inadequate health services, seclusion from family and friends, and the insecurity of what life holds after prison contribute to the inmate’s mental health. Inmates whose judgment is altered or impaired by depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other severe mental illnesses are impacted more severely by the tribulations of prison life. Inadequate mental health services is also something mentally ill inmates face, this absconds them undertreated or mistreated. Numerous prisoners do not receive proper psychotropic medication due to the lack of mental health services and care, further impairing their capability to function. The security mission of prisons tends to overlook mental health considerations. Prison rules and codes of demeanor teach staff about security, safety, supremacy, and power. Coordinating the needs of the mentally ill with prison regulations and goals is almost impractical. Factors of the sources and effects of the concern between prison and mental illness will be observed in this research proposal. Reforms will be provided to improve mental health...
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...Mad in America…or just Mad. The healing hand is commonly known as a “mothers touch;” gentle, pure, healing. But what exactly is the healing hand? According to sources the healing hand is when “the practitioner alters the patient's energy field through an energy transfer that moves from the hands of the practitioner to the patient:” (Medicaldictionary.com) The healing hand of kindness is what Robert Whitaker entitles the second chapter of his book Mad in America. (Whitaker, 19) No, the healing hand is not the topic to my essay, but it is the first step in coming to terms with the why this chapter is just mad. When you combine two terms, both in relative meaning, it turns into a contradiction. The healing hand is kind. Kindness is a friendly act toward another. So where is the contradiction? The first section of the book describes accounts from a man names Benjamin Rush, from his book Medical Inquiries and Observations Upon the Diseases of the Mind. (Whitaker, 21-22) It describes patients being treated as animals: beaten, sedated, and verbally abused. (Whitaker, 22) This was the healing hand for many patients until 1793 when, as the book describes, was the lunacy reform in Europe. “Moral treatments,” and I use that phase sparingly, included, one pound of bread a day, extreme heat and cold weather in concrete cells, and sedation. Physician Philippe Pinel thought by talking to his sedated patients he was connecting with them, understanding their sorrows. He described this new...
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...Mental Health Services is defined as “assessment, diagnosis, treatment or counseling in a professional relationship to assist an individual or group in alleviating mental or emotional illness, symptoms, conditions or disorders” (bcm.edu) Mental health services didn’t start out the way it is now. It’s evolved into something much more than what it used to be. During Colonial America, society believed that insanity and mental health disorders was caused by a full moon at the time of a baby’s birth. Those without family were placed in prisons and were chained to walls. The first hospitals built in 1773 were designed to keep those with mental illness away from society and not treat them. The mistreatment of the mentally ill in prisons during the 19th century inspired the increase of creation of institutions to treat them. The society’s focus on these patients led to state legislative committee in 1827 to look into institution conditions. The construction of a 120 bed hospital...
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...CMU 201: Introduction to Leadership Tanjie Hoover April 15, 2013 Search For a Leader Case Study: Gloria Steinem Gloria Steinem was born in 1934 in Michigan. She spent her childhood going back and forth between Michigan, Florida and California. After he parents divorced whenever she was 11, Steinem and her mother moved to a dilapidated home in Toledo, Ohio. Over the next few years, young Gloria was responsible for caring for her mentally ill mother. Whenever she finally left home to go to Smith College, she was determined to challenge the status quo and majored in government, an unusual choice for a woman of that era. She graduated in 1956 and was awarded a fellowship that took her to India, where she worked for the Independent Research Service as a freelance writer. Steinem’s first official act of feminism was in 1963 whenever she went undercover at the Playboy Club in New York City as a waitress. Her article, which was published in Show magazine, exposed the club’s mistreatment and overt desensitization of women. In the late 1960’s, Steinem was instrumental in the development of New York Magazine. It was there that she found her platform for political change. After she reported on an abortion hearing, she felt the need for more reform in this area of women’s rights. Over the years, she published many essays and articles about abortion and other women’s issues that were previously considered taboo, like domestic violence. Steinem went on to form Ms. Magazine...
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...number of older adults who are mistreated annually at more than two million (Swagerty, 1999, p.2804). A U.S. National Elder Abuse Incidence Study confirmed that reported elder abuse cases are only the "tip of the iceberg" (National Center on Elder Abuse, 2003). The study also shown that two-thirds of the offenders were adult children or spouses. Additionally, elders are being abused in nursing homes, hospitals, or other institutions; in one study, 36 percent of nursing home staff stated that they had witnessed at least one physical abuse incident with an elderly patient (Nelson, 2002). Clearly, elder mistreatment or abuse of the elderly is a growing social occurrence. Unfortunately, our elder population is considered to be easy targets because they are perceived to be fragile and defenseless. Elder abuse is defined as representing all types of abusive behavior or mistreatment toward an older adult; this includes acts that are intentional or unintentional. Abuse takes many forms ranging from financial exploitation, scams, physical acts of violence, along with neglect and psychological abuse. There is no common pattern of elder abuse, acts can be performed by random strangers, to...
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...HUS1011/30 22 May 2013 What is the Historical Background of Human, Maternal, and Child Services? Since the beginning of time there has been a basic need for human services. It has helped to make a big impact, and a difference, in our society now and then; and has helped to maintain a positive and long lasting difference in peoples’ lives, and it helps to improve our nation. How much do we know about the history of where it all began, and what challenges had to be faced in order for improvement to be made in the lives of the people? First, we must begin at the start of where it all began, a half a million years ago; the Stone Age. The first Human Service worker began assisting individuals with their needs was called a shaman, or medicine man; they did a surgical procedure where they would cut a hole (with a sharp stone) into the skull of an individual to help let the evil spirits that had possessed them out. They believed in the supernatural in those times, as well as, that everything bad was from something evil, and it must be eradicated immediately by rituals or rites. It was very hard to be able to find a place to live or get food because the environment was so hard, so the healthy had to assist the disable, sick, and elderly family members, if not they would not be able to get the basic necessities of survival. There were no agencies or programs for individuals who could not do for themselves to get assistance; the family was the main source of help. As time...
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...The focal point of the story is the yellow wallpaper, which holds inside it numerous unmistakable and productive analogies showing the treacherous segregation and mistreatment of women. The protagonist’s descent into madness begins shortly after they move into the new house. Slowly, Gilman uncovered more understanding into the importance of the wallpaper all through the story. She utilizes a gradual pace to reveal small pieces of metaphors that portrays to the audience the image of the male power. The writer was under the care of the renewed neurologist S. Weir Mitchell, whose healing methods she strongly disapproved sentiment which she expressed to him in a letter. Jane F. Thrailkill explains that “Mitchell submitted Gilman to his celebrated rest cure, that in calling for isolation, physical inaction, massage, mild electrical stimulation, and fattening” (Thrailkill 526) would improve her health condition...
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...“The field of Human Services is broadly defined, uniquely approaching the objective of meeting human needs through an interdisciplinary knowledge base, focusing on prevention as well as remediation of problems, and maintaining a commitment to improving the overall quality of life of service populations.” (National Organization for Human Services) Sounds incredible, no? This idea of bringing unique gifts and talents forward in order to provide vital human needs, in an environment that is accountable, and relies upon checks and balances (or introduces same) while seeking to stem new or growing problems, while staying steadfast and focused in order to deliver a better life to people in need. In undertaking the task of this paper I was excited when I found a reference to King Athelstan. He established what is the first recorded almshouse – in York in the 10th Century. I also found that the oldest established charity still in existence is thought to be the Hospital of St. Oswald in Worcester, founded around 990. What I found disturbing is that even though the almshouses in Great Britain survive and thrive – after many adaptations to this day – the almshouses established in the United States evolved to become very bad places. (Almshouses.org website) In our text, we read that in the United States, human services were established and modeled according to the Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601, and that the first principle laid down in the colonies defined poor relief as a public responsibility...
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...If creativity is about imagination and original ideas, defining the word creativity is not creative. So how do we ‘define’ creativity? In modern society people tend to have systems, structures, organizations and definitions for everything. There are too many definitions of creativity due to the nature of it. According to Gomez in his article, What Do We Know About Creativity? He proposed that we can separate them in three basic categories; First the artistic creativity, focusing on being a creator and reflecting ‘’inner needs, perceptions and motivations’’. Second the scientific/technological creativity, more about environmental sustainability and innovations. Last the hybrid creativity found in fields for example architecture, which ‘’exhibits both a novel problem solution and the personality of the creator’’(32). Creativity is often misunderstood or misinterpreted when discussing its presence in modern society. People make the argument that 50-hour workweeks, and living life continuously on the hamster wheel, an average human doesn’t have time to be creative. This argument is further developed by referencing the current American public education system as aiding in undermining and undervaluing the creative process, and creative people. Similarly, other systems are guilty of the same behavior, for example low-status corporate jobs, the labor force, and even the military/police. However, these are jobs where creativity has little tangible value. Where is creativity valued? Obviously...
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