mental illness

Examples of mental illness in the following topics:

• The Labeling Approach

  • The labeling approach to health and illness claims that mental illness is manifested solely as a result of societal influence.
  • Hard labeling refers to those who argue that mental illness does not exist; it is merely deviance from the norms of society that cause people to believe in mental illness.
  • Mental illnesses are socially constructed illnesses and psychotic disorders do not exist.
  • Scheff published Being Mentally Ill.
  • Scheff challenged common perceptions of mental illness by claiming that mental illness is manifested solely as a result of societal influence.

• Defining "Normal" and "Abnormal"

  • Distorted perception of the incidence of mental illness.
  • Although approximately one in three people will experience mental illness at some point in their life, there are still many people who do not acknowledge mental illness as a public health concern.
  • This means that mental illness seems far less common than it actually is.
  • For example, the field of psychology has recently moved toward using deliberate person-centered language—referring to people as individuals with mental illness rather than mentally ill individuals.
  • The National Alliance on Mental Illness aims to reduce societal stigma and shaming of various mental illnesses.

• Preventing Psychological Disorders

  • Focusing on the prevention of mental illness, rather than only on treating existing mental illness, has numerous health and economic benefits.
  • Prevention of mental illness has a number of benefits, ranging from improvements in individuals' well-being to positive economic and social changes.
  • Risk factors for mental illness include both genetic and environmental influences.
  • Other risk factors may include family history of mental illness (such as depression or anxiety), temperament, and attitudes (e.g., pessimism).
  • This method targets individuals and groups who have a high risk of developing a mental illness based on biological, social, or psychological risk factors.

• Defining Psychology

  • Psychology is the scientific study of human mental processes and behavior.
  • This field ultimately aims to benefit society, partly through its focus on better understanding of mental health and mental illness.
  • The resulting knowledge is then applied to various spheres of human activity, including the problems of individuals' daily lives and the treatment of mental illness.
  • Clinical psychology focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders and mental illness.
  • Psychologists working in a clinical capacity (such as therapists or counselors) work with clients who are struggling with mental illness to assess, diagnose, and implement various forms of therapeutic treatment.

• The Experience of Illness

  • Mental illness contains a diverse factors that contribute to the health of the mind.
  • The recognition and understanding of mental health conditions have changed over time and across cultures.
  • Mental illness is a broad category of illnesses that may include affective or emotional instability, behavioral dysregulation, and/or cognitive dysfunction or impairment.
  • Specific illnesses known as mental illnesses include major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, to name a few.
  • Statistics show that more and more people are being diagnosed with mental disorders.

• Prisons and Asylums

  • Attitudes toward the mentally ill also began to change during the time of the Enlightenment.
  • In England and Europe, mental illness came to be viewed as a disorder that required compassionate treatment to aid in the rehabilitation of the victim.
  • When the ruling monarch of the United Kingdom, George III, who suffered from a mental disorder, experienced a remission in 1789, mental illness also came to be seen as something that could be treated and cured.
  • Dix was influential in the establishment of Illinois's first state mental hospital and the construction of a hospital in North Carolina for the care of mentally ill patients, which was named in honor of Dorothea Dix and opened in 1856.
  • Dorothea Dix was a crusader for the rights of the mentally ill and worked to improve conditions in asylums.

• Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Mental Illnesses

  • Schizophrenia and depression are just two examples of mental illnesses caused by a disorder of the nervous system.
  • Mental illnesses are nervous system disorders that result in problems with thinking, mood, or relating with other people.
  • The American Psychiatric Association publishes the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (or DSM), which describes the symptoms required for a patient to be diagnosed with a particular mental disorder.
  • A more detailed discussion of two mental illnesses, schizophrenia and major depression, is given below.
  • Schizophrenia is a serious and often-debilitating mental illness affecting one percent of the population in the United States.

• Institutionalized Children

  • It has also been argued that institutionalized individuals become psychologically more prone to mental health problems.
  • Juvenile wards are sections of psychiatric hospitals or psychiatric wards set aside for children and/or adolescents with mental illness.
  • However, there are a number of institutions specializing only in the treatment of juveniles, particularly when dealing with drug abuse, self-harm, eating disorders, anxiety, depression or other mental illness.
  • Deinstitutionalization is the process of replacing long-stay psychiatric hospitals with less isolated community mental health service for those diagnosed with a mental disorder or developmental disability.
  • Many state hospitals have mental health branches, such as the Northern Michigan Asylum.

• Exhaustion

  • Exhaustion is the depletion and inability to maintain normal function, this often results in physical illness.
  • The result can manifest itself in obvious illnesses such as ulcers, depression, diabetes, trouble with the digestive system, or even cardiovascular problems, along with other mental illnesses.

• Classifying Abnormal Behavior: The DSM

  • Axis III: Physical issues that may impact mental health, such as diabetes.
  • The DSM also provides a common language for physicians, social workers, nurses, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and psychiatrists to communicate about mental illness.
  • Because the DSM is a system of labeling, it is often criticized for contributing to the creation of social stigma against those with mental illnesses.
  • In the context of mental illness, social stigma is characterized as prejudiced attitudes and discriminating behavior directed toward individuals with mental illness as a result of the label they have been given.
  • Evaluate the pros and cons of the DSM system of classifying mental disorders