...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 as one treatment may not...
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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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...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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... In today’s world there are places that still uses force as a means of treatment or punishment for the mentally ill. The patients are chained down, sexually assaulted and beaten. Whatever society thinks of mental illness this type of treatment has to stop. Once we have educated ourselves on mental illness, we can begin to have a better understanding of those people who suffer from these types of diseases. If we look to the past we can see where we went wrong and correct those mistakes. Mental illness is something that can be traced throughout history. By looking back over the past of mental illness we see that there were infinite numbers of mistakes made a long way. We cannot allow those same mistakes to take place again. By breaking the cycle and avoid those same mistakes we can build a better future for the mentally ill. This is why I believe it is important to study the past of mental illness. Evidence indicates that Mental illness can be traced as far back as the early Egyptians. What we know today about mental illness is far different then what early Egyptians believed. The early Egyptians believed that all diseases had some type of physical affect on the body as well as the mind. The Egyptians did not differentiate between mental and physical illness. They did believe that the heart was the cause of mental illness. During the time of early Egypt, many believed that the cause of mental illness was from some type of loss usually money or status. Egyptians...
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...Did you know that nearly 19% of adults in the U.S. alone deal with some kind of a mental disorder? Or that 20% of the youth population have been diagnosed with one of these disorders? To put that into a different perspective, that means one in every five people may possess some form of a mental illness, whether it is depression, an anxiety disorder, or OCD. Mental illness is not a rarity in today’s society, but instead it is an extensive obstacle for everyone that has these disorders. Mental illness is existent all over the world in many people, and it is important to be knowledgeable of it and essential to be understanding of the people who suffer from it. I have always been curious about mental illnesses ever since I was able to understand what it was. I have read books about people with mental disorders, studied statistics about mental illnesses, and researched it extensively on the Internet. First, I...
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...Mental illness has become an epidemic in the prison system. Most offenders with mental illness go untreated, and those who do receive treatment often get it in the form of forced medication. Some prisons have implemented treatment plans for inmates to try to treat any mental illness or substance abuse problems. Unfortunately, the staffs in the prisons are inadequately trained to detect those who need help and in turn prisoners are not given the proper coping tools or medications. Most of these reform programs are designed for short-term prisoners and focuses on a 9-month plan. The individual is then released with the high rate of returning to prison within the next 3 years. How can we correct how mental illness is treated in the correctional...
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...Case Study on Mental Illness Cherelle Floyd HCA/210 March 2, 2011 Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life. Serious mental illnesses include major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder. The good news about mental illness is that recovery is possible. Mental illnesses can affect persons of any age, race, religion, or income. Metal illnesses are not the result of personal weakness, lack of character, or poor upbringing. Mental illnesses are treatable. Most people diagnosed with a serious mental illness can experience relief from their symptom by actively participating in an individual treatment plan. In addition to medication treatment, psychosocial treatment such as cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, peer support groups and other community service can also be components of a treatment plan and that assist with recovery. The availability of transportation, diet, exercise, sleep, friends and meaningful paid or volunteer activities contribute to overall health and wellness, including mental illness recovery. Metal illnesses are serious medical illnesses....
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...Mental illness has always been subject to stigma and social discrimination (Mirnezami, Jacobsson & Edin-Liljegren (2015). Beliefs about mental illness are important for several reasons including shaping how individuals seek treatment as well as influencing the likelihood of a patient being rejected by the public (Schnittker, (2008). The changing nature of mental illness explanations from psychosocial to biomedical has been said to have both a brighter and darker side in terms of the effect of this on the social stigma and public beliefs associated with these conditions (Pattyn, Verhaeghe, Sercu & Bracke. (2013), that is, there are both benefits of, including the increase in help-seeking behaviours; and deficits resulting from the resulting stigma associated with this model of explaining mental illness. Despite the premise of the biomedical model, there are mixed consequences stemming from this in regards to how a person with mental illness see’s themselves as well as how they are viewed not only by the public, but also by their treating physician, as mentioned by Haslam and Kvaale (2015). For this essay, social stigma can be defined as, or measured by, the desire for social distance or reluctance to undertake in social contact with a person with mental illness (Angermeyer, Holzinger, Carta and Schomerus...
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...Treatment of Mental Health: Institutionalism versus Community Care Sandra L Pauwels Saint Leo University Treatment of Mental Health: Institutionalism versus Community Care For many centuries people with mental illness have been shunned and avoided as if they had the plague. Many view the mentally ill as frightening and horrifying individuals. Our treatment of them has often reflected current or prevailing public sentiment of them. In 400 B.C., Hippocrates viewed people with mental illness as having a physiology of “dis-ease”, or, rather, an illness (Randy MacLowry, 1999-2002). Hippocrates’ position was definitely not the popular opinion. The opinion held by the general population was that mental illness was a punishment for displeasing the Gods. From the beginning in the Middle Ages, locking our mentally ill individuals away from society was common. Because we feared the mentally ill, they were considered to be outcasts of society. Some were even executed as witches in the early days of our country. (Micah Steele, 2009). It was believed that the mentally ill were possessed by demons or witches. The mentally ill were shunned, banished, or locked away because they were feared. Because people believed that mental illness could be “caught” from those who were afflicted. In the 1980’s focus shifted from long term facilities that locked up the mentally ill to community mental health centers. It was hoped that treating individuals within the community would help people understand...
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...people with disability. In this paper, I will be comparing two films, a documentary and feature film, about mental disability. The documentary that I will be using in this analysis is People Say I’m Crazy, a 1989 documentary film by California Mental Health and Silver Lining Playbook(2012) an Academy Award nominated feature film. The comparison will be as followed: a topics will be presented, next the findings in the documentary, and finally how mental illness is portrayed in the feature film. In this paper I will talk about medical treatment, family and community support, and media representation of people with mental illness. Before I jump into these topics, a summary of these two films are necessary to provide context. People Says I’m Crazy People Says I’m Crazy is a 56 minute documentary by the California Network of Mental Health Clients made in 1989. This documentary is based on the findings from the Well-Being Project, a survey conducted in 1987 to explore what factors promote or deter the well-being of persons commonly labeled as mental ill in California. The statistics from the Well-Being Project survey are included in the documentary to provide focus by the mental health consumers relate their experiences. Silver Lining Playbook In this film Patrick “Pat” Solatano, Jr. (played by Bradley Cooper), a diagnosed bipolar mental patient, is released from a mental health facility in Baltimore after eight months into the care of his parents Dolores and Pat Sr. Pat learns...
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...The term “mental health care” may mean many things in different peoples perspectives or opinions, it may mean more common treatments such as therapy, family or individual, or it may entail more specific types of treatments for more severe mental illnesses such as Major Depressive disorder(MDD), Bipolar, and Schizophrenia. The way mental health care will be referred to in this paper is the care, treatment, and conditions of any type of mental illness patient. A very small amount of these mental illnesses may include any form of dementia, autism, Major Depressive Disorder(MDD), Schizophrenia, and attention deficit disorders(ADD). This term also refers to the quality of care given to any patient no matter in which situation it is given, inpatient,...
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...community” (Alarid & Del Carmen, 2011, p 3). With the number of offenders growing community corrections seeks to reduce recidivism, impose appropriate punishment upon offenders, as well as prepare offenders for re-entry into society. These missions or goals of probation and parole agencies are diminished due to an emergent amount of offenders with mental illnesses entering the community corrections system. “Within the context of the overall grown in community corrections populations, probation and parole officers are coming into contact with a disproportionately high number of people with mental illnesses (most of whom have co-occurring substance use disorders)” (Prins & Draper, 2009, p 1). Moreover research has found that offenders with mental illness are some of the most complex group to supervise within community corrections (Prins & Draper, 2009). “More than 60 percent of severely mentally ill offenders released from prison in 2005 returned to prison within two years” (Missouri Department of Corrections, 2011). In addition to higher recidivism rates than offenders without mental illness, offenders with mental illness are more likely to be violent recidivists (Ditton, 1999). Nearly 1 in 5 violent offenders on probation were identified as mentally ill (Ditton,...
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...2011 In 2000, The British Journal of Psychiatry published the article “Involuntary Out-patient Commitment and reduction of Violent Behavior in Persons with Severe Mental Illness” in which states that serious violent acts committed by individuals with mental illnesses are statistically rare events. Still, the potential for violence in a proportion of persons with severe, persistent and often untreated psychiatric disorder stimulates public fear, prevents general acceptance and inclusion of persons with psychiatric disabilities and limits normalization and effectiveness of community based mental health services. Violent behavior among persons with severe mental illness causes public concern and is associated with illness relapse, hospital recidivism and poor outcomes in community based treatment. Violent behavior in persons with psychiatric disorder causes great public concern and is recognized by mental health clinicians as a significant problem associated with illness relapse, hospital recidivisms and poor outcomes in community based treatment. Involuntary outpatient commitment is a legal intervention designed to benefit individuals with severe mental illness who need ongoing psychiatric care and support to prevent dangerous relapse, but who are reluctant or unable to follow through with community based treatment (Swartz 1999). Lowest risk of violence was associated with extended outpatient commitment combined with regular outpatient services, adherence to prescribed medications...
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...population has a mental illness. However, an estimated 44% of those in jail have a mental illness (About Criminal and Juvenile Justice). The topic of mental health in criminal justice is crucial because it intersects with several fundamental aspects of society, including justice, public safety, and human rights. Caring about mental health in the criminal justice system reflects our commitment to support the well-being of all individuals. While recognizing the profound impact of mental illness on society, it is essential to ensure that mental illness does not serve as a justification for any crime. With this understanding in mind, the complexities of mental health issues while maintaining the integrity...
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...stigma and mental illness It appears that negative views of mental illness are common with in the public. According to Overton & Medina people suffering from mental illness are often portrayed as weird, defensive, and sometimes hard to talk to. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary (1990), mental illness is defined as, “mentally distorted, mad, or crazy” (Russel, 1990). Generally, concepts about mental illness tend to be subjective, leading to difficulties in defining mental illness. Johnstone (2001) gives a broader definition of mental illness, believing that mental illness relates to the individuals spectrum of cognitions, emotions, and behaviours that damper relationships required for work, home, and in the learning facilities (Johnstone, 2001). This definition is also referenced in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders which categorizes the symptoms that are used to diagnose mental illness. 8 out of 10 people in Australia who experiences mental disorder will more like will experience stigma, stigma is a the behaviour of people toward people with mental disorders, stigma has been seen on many people, Stigma refers to negative, unfavorable attitudes and the behavior they produce. There are many people who experience mental disorders and when they newly get depression they don't go and ask for professional treatment because they don't want to be labeled and they don't want people calling them names, that is why a lot of people who get depression...
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