Verified Document

Stigma Of Mental Illness Essay

Related Topics:

Schizophrenia, Dissociative Disorder and Bipolar Disorder While some symptoms of schizophrenia, dissociative disorder and bipolar disorder might seem similar, prompting individuals to suspect that the three different mental health disorders are interchangeable, the reality is that these three problems are quite distinct. This paper will discuss the broad differences between them as well as way to educate the client about his or her disorder, his or her family about it, and ways to reduce stigma.

As the DSM-5 points out, schizophrenia a mental disorder that causes the patient to experience hallucinations, delusions, irrational speech patterns, anti-social behavior, a loss of willpower/motivation, or even a possible catatonic state at times. Symptoms include incoherent speech, paranoia, distorted perceptions, confused or disordered thinking, and an inability to concentrate. This broad spectrum of symptoms should be seen for at least a month, with behavior being monitored for up to six months (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive disorder, as its latter name suggests causes the sufferer to experience wild swings in mood from intense euphoria to major depression. Bipolar patients tend to have grandiose ideas about what they can accomplish during their manic episodes and then when they experience a crash in mood, the depression sets in and a great feeling of despair overwhelms them.

Dissociative disorder occurs when two or more distinct personalities, each with their own self-identity, vie for control within a person’s consciousness (American...

Memory recall is affected as the split personalities take control. Some form of trauma may be the cause of this disorder.
Educating the client about his or her disorder should focus on letting the client know that he or she is not defenseless. Many people have been diagnosed with these disorders and have gone on to have normal, functioning lives (Saks, 2009). With the help of a strong support system, medication if necessary, and therapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy, these disorders can be effectively treated (Hooley, Butcher, Nock & Mineka, 2017). Keeping a positive and optimistic outlook can help the patient to alleviate stress and fear surrounding his or her condition. Likewise, it is important to invite the patient to partake in the development of the treatment process. The more engaged the patient feels during the treatment development process, the more likely the patient is to take ownership of the treatment and experience positive returns once it is implemented (Foo et al., 2017).

Additionally, educating the family of the patient is also important. As Saks (2009) points out, a great deal of fear and prejudice based on ignorance of the disorder can cause people to demonstrate bias towards others. People who do not understand the nature of a disorder or who think it might be contagious will make for bad supports for the patient. They must either be educated or replaced with more sympathetic and knowledgeable people who can provide the support that the patient will need during the treatment process. Patients first have to be stabilized and depending…

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Mental Illness: What's in a
Words: 2556 Length: 7 Document Type: Term Paper

When one throws the element of ethnicity into the mix, the process of diagnosis becomes even more difficult. Let us take, for instance the effect of religion on the diagnosis of a mental illness. In some religions it is considered to be "normal" to experience visions, see ghosts, and talk to the dead. However, from a strict clinical standpoint, these things do not exist and therefore indicate a break from

Mental Illness the Foremost Question Relating to
Words: 2457 Length: 7 Document Type: Term Paper

Mental Illness The foremost question relating to mental illness concerns about its very existence - whether mental illness actually exists or not? According to Thomas Szasz, mental illness is a mere myth (Szasz, 1960) and does not exist, as illness can be defined only in terms of physical pathology and most mental disorders have no such demonstrable pathology. In a similar viewpoint, it was argued that biology was not relevant to

Mental Illness Is a Highly
Words: 1926 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

Edwards challenges the extreme on the other end as well, i.e. that total wellness sis the only possible state of being labeled healthy. The scholar sites the World Health Organization's definition of wellness as complete mental and physical wellness as far too broad and encompassing and illegitimates the reality of human existence. (16. Edwards, CC2010, pp. 0090) Edwards ultimately argues that the challenges faced by both those who believe

Mental Illness Is a Common
Words: 946 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Null Hypothesis 2: The mentally ill are not particularly at risk of substance abuse or criminal activity. 4) Independent and Dependent Variables Independent variables that might influence the study focused on the mentally ill include other influencing factors such as support from family, friends, age, and the use of psychotropic drugs. Independent variables that can influence the study includes attitudes and stigmatization by professionals at institutions that house mentally ill inmates. This can

Mental Illness African American Youth
Words: 1688 Length: 6 Document Type: Research Paper

African American Youth with Mental IllnessPart 1: BackgroundObservationThe African American Youth experience unique structural and contextual hurdles as they transition from childhood into early adulthood. While their experiences vary, similar cultural phenomena are prevalent and make this population more prone to mental health challenges than white peers. According to Snowden (2020), one in every five African American youth (9 million) has a severe mental illness, and less than half of

Mental Illness and Treatment
Words: 621 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Inclusion of Cultural Factors Into the Mental Health Treatment Mix Today, the United States and numerous other Western nations have experienced fundamental shifts in their demographic composition, and a growing body of evidence indicates that cultural factors such as different views of mental illness, interpretations of behavior, and family structure have fundamentally changed counseling and psychological treatment. In response, clinicians have sought to integrate evidence-based practices that take into account cross-cultural

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now