The Problem Of Mental Illness - 1605 Words

Eight years old was the age when Elyn Saks experienced the first symptoms of an illness that would later threaten to tear apart her entire future. To complicate the situation, she was not dealing with an entirely physical illness. Although she did not know at the time, Saks was suffering from the beginnings of the notorious mental illness called Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is widely known for the way in which it inhibits a person’s sense of reality, causing hallucinations and delusions among those who suffer from it. This disease is often the first idea that comes to mind when anyone says the phrase â€Å"mental illness.† The world society still fears and romanticizes the concept of much mental illness, illness that often devastates lives. Media portrayal of the topic has caused many to regard it as a taboo subject, but this issue is one that needs to be addressed. I became interested in the topic of mental illness when I was in the eighth grade, due to struggles that I began to notice within myself. Now, three years later, I have been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and major depression. There are misconceptions surrounding and engulfing mental disorders and I felt that it was important that I fight not only for my own benefit but for others battling these illnesses as well. The views in modern day of mental illness are varying from accepting to a complete denial of a problem. It hurts those suffering from mental illness when the uneducated public majority beatsShow MoreRelatedThe Problem Of Mental Illness858 Words   |  4 Pages Forget all the stereotypes of mental illness. It has no face. It has no particular victim. Mental illness can affect an individual from any background and the black community is no exception. African Americans sometimes experience even more severe forms of mental health conditions because of unmet needs and barriers to treatment. According to the Office of Minority Health, African Americans are 20 percent more likely to experience serious mental health problems than the general population. That’sRead MoreThe Problem Of Mental Illness1412 Words   |  6 Pagescan be no gainsaying as to the fact that the problem of providing adequate mental care for mentally ill citizens is not new (Turnquist, n.d). As a matter of fact, according to the Center for Social Studies Associate Laboratory (2010), mental illness has always necessitated a challenge with regard to the society’s capacity to not only integrate such individuals, but also provide care to them. One key impediment sur rounding the matter of mental illness, according to Unite for Sight.org (2013), is cultureRead MoreThe Problem Of Mental Illness2557 Words   |  11 PagesThis paper will analyze the problem of mental illness in American society. Firstly, this paper will discuss why mental illness is such a large problem. Access to equal treatment is not available for all. Therefore, when not addressed or treated, mental illness can lead to further social issues such as gun violence, suicide, homelessness, and incarceration. This paper will also address three government policy solutions that help treat the severely mentally ill, ease their transitions back into theirRead MoreThe Problem Of Mental Illness912 Words   |  4 PagesMental illness affects many people throughout the United States each year. Some people classify it as any psychiatric disorder that is the cause of untypical behavior. Many years ago, doctors locked up mentally ill patients in mental institutions and basically forgot about them. Medical professionals housed the mentally ill in different corridors of the hospital. Sometimes, they stayed in isolation and were in some type of restraints. Once government officials realized that neglect was getting outRead MoreThe Problem Of Mental Illness1952 Words   |  8 Pages2014, we are almost up to 15 per 100,000. It may not seem like much, but it really adds up. Especially when people choose to ignore the problem. Mental illness is a very serious thing, it just needs to be accepted and should not be ignored. About 57.7 million people have a diagnosable mental disorder, and that is just ages 18 and older. One in five teens have a mental disorder that impacts their day to day life, and people wonder why the suicide rate is so high in teens. It is not anyone s fault forRead MoreThe Problem Of Mental Illness1683 Words   |  7 Pagescancer or the flu, both of which would provide you with stomach pains. However, the treatment of course, would look very different. The following is true of mental illness; many different diagnoses possess similar symptoms. This is why it is so important to perform meticulous examinations to arbitrate if the child is actually suffering from a mental issue and if so, which one. It is vital to understand what is really causing certain behaviors in your child, because just as medicine, the diagnosis thatRead MoreMental Illness : A Mental Health Problem778 Words   |  4 PagesPeople with a mental illness are still people. When I say this, you probably think to yourself, â€Å"Well, isn’t that obvious?† But yet, when someone tells us they are feeling depressed, most people will say â€Å"It’s just a phase, get over it.† or â€Å"You’re feeling sad, just be happy.† They brush it off and ignore it, thinking that this person will be okay. When in reality, 1 in 4 people in England are dealing with a mental health issue, and only 1 in 8 are actually getting treatment for their illness. This meansRead MoreMental Illness Is A Social Problem1501 Words   |  7 PagesMental illness is a health condition that affects an individual’s moods and thinking in a way that changes how that person relates to other people in society. The functioning of the affected person is also altered and usually results in the person failing to perform some of the daily activities that the person has previously engaged in. Mental illness can be considered a combination of both social and health complications, affecting the social life of the people who fall victim in many ways (ElliottRead MoreMental Illness : A Social Problem1290 Words   |  6 PagesIntroducing Mental Illness The social problem I have chosen to write about is mental illness. This problem is important to talk about â€Å"because of the number of people it affects, the difficulty of defining and identifying mental disorders, and the ways in which mental illness is treated† (Kendall, 2013, p. 227). â€Å"About 57.7 million people, or one in four adults, in the United States suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder† (Kendall, 2013, p. 229). â€Å"Many of these illnesses begin in childhood orRead MoreMental Illness As A Social Problem982 Words   |  4 PagesMental Illness as a Social Problem Introduction Mental illness is a turmoil that is portrayed by unsettling influences in a man s idea, feelings, or conduct. Emotional instability alludes to a wide assortment of scatters, running from those that bring about gentle misery to those that impede a man s capacity to work in day by day life. Numerous have attempted to make sense of the purposes behind emotional instabilities. These reasons have been taken a gander at and considered for a great many