What Does Mental Illness Look Like - 1781 Words

What does mental illness look like? Is it the â€Å"weird† kid at school that everyone bullies? Or maybe the latest hair-raising movie about a psycho killer? Mental illness is constantly construed and made to seem dangerous, unnatural, and sickening. Mental illness, as defined by Mayo Clinic, is simply a â€Å"disorder that affects your mood, thinking, and behavior†(Hall-Flavin). These people, who live with mental health issues, including one out of ten teens and one out of five adults, are often treated as if they are outcasts or different(Mental Health Myths and Facts.). From uncharged jailing to not being able to choose what is best for them to plain everyday interaction, persons with mental illness are ostracized and treated unfairly. As a†¦show more content†¦One change that needs to be made for the imprisoned with mental illnesses is to include a mental health wing in our jails. Along with a separate wing, the officers of the institution would need proper training in understanding and helping people who are mentally ill. Similar to this, a prison in Indiana partnered with the Indiana chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to test a mental illness training routine for the officers of the prisons control unit (). The officers completed a ten hour training schedule over the course of five weeks and were monitored after it was completed for nine months(). The study shows that in the nine months after the training the number of occasions where the officers used force against the inmates and the inmates retaliation deceased considerably(). This proves having officers receive minimal mental health training would lead them to understand why these persons might act out and how to prevent it. It would also improve the inmates quality of life by being understood and greatly enhance the state of mind of these casualties of the system. When persons with mental health issues are released, they are likely to be in trouble with t he law again and again since they do not know how to live on their own(). By changing this cycle and adding the mental health wing, we can prevent them from being overlooked and help them before it is too late. To fully preserve persons with mental illnesses rights and enable them toShow MoreRelatedMental Health And Mental Illness1314 Words   |  6 PagesUnderstanding mental health is a very complex concept. The antiquity of mental illness and madness tells two common and defective definitions of mental health. The first, that mental health is the absence of mental illness, while the second that mental health is a state of well-being (Tudor, 1995). The fact that both definitions are reductive and the same word mental health is used to mean mental illness added more confusion to such term. However, it is important to know what really is mental health andRead MoreMental Health is Working on Issues that have Roots in the Mind542 Words   |  3 Pagesaspects of mental health that sh ould be considered when working in the field of social work. One major aspect of mental illness the personal definition of mental illness, because it impacts any biases that may be held. Personal biases shape reactions and may impact the success of treatment if a client falls within the biases. There is also the impact of how society views mental illness also can stop those who have mental illness from receiving the support they need. When thinking about mental healthRead MoreThe Myth Of Mental Illness957 Words   |  4 PagesIn 1961 Thomas Szasz penned a book by the title The Myth of Mental Illness that would go on to cause quite the stir in the world of psychiatry. 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To find out how many levels of psychiatric symptoms I have and what that means to society and people like me, I tested on a set of symptoms suggested by Walter Gove and MichaelRead MoreMovie Analysis : Buck 942 Words   |  4 PagesBuck uncovers the debilitating effects mental illness can have on a family. This is evident as the reader witnesses what MK, the protagonist must deal with his mother’s mental instability and the impact her hospitalization has on the family. The novel mirrors the beliefs and attitudes concerning mental illness, forces one to reflect and empathize with the family’s issues. The theme of mental illness in Buck, like real life, exposes the impact of mental illness within the black community and moreRead MoreThe Psychology Of Mental Illness1177 Words   |  5 PagesWhen it comes to mental illness, I have the point of view of someone who is training to be a health care professional. During my past clinical experience as a nursing student at t he Alberta Hospital Edmonton, I was immersed in an environment filled with individuals who were acutely mentally ill, and two of these individuals were my patients. While â€Å"The Sociology of Mental Illness† is an excellent source of information about mental illness in the context of sociology, based on my experience at AlbertaRead MoreWhat Is Mental Illness?1380 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is Mental Illness? In my essay, I will be looking to answer this deceptively simple question by exploring various avenues, mainly making a comparison both the medical and philosophical differences. I will attempt to first make a distinct definition of what mental illness is as a medical term, defining exactly what it is, how it affects us and people around us. I believe this is an important definition to make as it allows us to better understand mental illness in medicine, mainly how it affectsRead MoreEssay On Girl Interrupted1394 Words   |  6 Pages1993 and continues to have an impact due to its descriptions of mental illness. By analyzing the memoirist’s descriptions of her time spent hospitalized and her perspective on these experiences, it is evident that Susanna Kaysen’s purpose with â€Å"Girl, Interrupted† is to seek awareness of mental illness thus categorizing the work as an autopathography. First of all, Kaysen fulfills her purpose of showing readers what life is like in a mental institution by realistically describing Mclean’s different patientsRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Girl Interrupted 1252 Words   |  6 Pagesabout the struggle of coming to terms with mental health and overcoming personal obstacles to allow treatment and support. While the main character Susanna Kaysen stays in the Claymoore psychiatric hospital, she is introduced to a whole new world, one where she is forced to confront the fact that she has a mental illness and needs professional help. The film begins with Susanna and the other girls from the hospital sitting in somber silence, in what appear to be a wet and dark room just as theRead MoreA Perfect Day For Bananfish By Jerome Salinger1502 Words   |  7 Pagesdeveloped mental issues since returning home and these issues are shown through Seymour’s longing for isolation throughout the story. The unusual part of this fictional tale is the fact that many aspects of Seymour’s life reflect the authors. â€Å"A Perfect Day for Bananafish† does not just inform the audience of the severity of an unknown mental illness, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD, but it almost acts as Salinger’s way to express his true emotion about life. PTSD is a mental illness that affects