Mental Health: Stigma or Acceptance
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been highlighted. Today it is now becoming more accepted and recognised as an illness, with a variety ental illness is not an inven- of conditions affecting people in tion. It has always been present in many different ways, from anxiety humans, but never really been un- to depression: bipolar disorder; derstood. A person’s mental health obsessive compulsive disorder; schizophrenia; eating disorders; aucan determine how they react in tism; Alzheimer’s; the list goes on. certain situations, or not react at all. Such an illness can be disabling and destroying, and is generally accompanied with a lack of understanding. Many famous people in history have suffered silently and it is only in recent years that this has 4
Attitudes may have changed and treatments concerning this may have vastly improved over the centuries, yet there has always been a huge stigma ignited by fear attached. Unfortunately, this continues today. Fearing the unknown is a normal human trait and so education is paramount in achieving awareness and reducing intolerance. Despite all the suffering and stigma involved, there are some positives to men-
tal illness. Some sufferers have been influenced heavily in producing their work, artists have used their sufferings to their advantage developing beautiful works of art, musicians have delivered amazing compositions and authors have published top selling fictional works. I will look at the correlation between mental health and its consequences.
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“ H UMANKIND CANNOT BEAR
V ERY
MUCH REALITY ”.
T.S. Elliot
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ny disease of the mind can be quite
restricting, some more than others depending on the intensity. Here is a brief overview of well-known disorders:
Agoraphobia causes patients distress when in public situations, crowds or even just outside. This then brings on the onset of panic attacks and sufferers eel the need to avoid social situations. Alzheimer’s is an illness usually of the elderly, were the mind reverts back to past years, believing they are back in that time frame. Bereavement is a major part of mental illness. The loss of a loved one can cause great sadness and eventually bring on symptoms of depression, anxiety and obsessive disorders. The subject often feels worthless and if not treated, can end up in a dangerous mind-set. Bipolar, or manic depression, sees the subject develop mood swings from one extreme to another. Doctors have difficulty in correctly diagnosing this and a serious level of the disease will often result in suicide attempts. Body dysmorphic disorder permits the victim‘s perception of themselves to distort. This disorder can be dangerous, leading to other conditions such as anorexia nervosa, also a mental condition with physical effects. Depression causes the sufferer to feel lethargic and lose interest in things they once enjoyed. A lack of motivation is 10
prominent and even everyday thing like dressing can be a chore. Kleptomania is a disorder that produces an intense urge to steal unneeded items and overpowers rational thought. Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) portrays behaviours that cause the sufferer to perform ritualistic behaviours on an intense scale which can deeply impact on their life. Panic disorder creates feelings of intense fear and anxiety and often occurs without warning. Parkinson’s disease is an illness caused by the slow regression of dopamine in the brain which is responsible for motor skills. This can cause the patient to experience tremors, loss of balance and coordination, slurred speech and diminished facial expression to name a few. Post-traumatic stress disorder is caused after witnessing or being a party to a traumatic event. Often a person with PTSD will experience flashbacks and frightening thoughts. It is very common in soldiers. Schizophrenia includes irrational thinking, confusing fantasy with reality. Delusions and paranoia are experienced. Sleep disorders are quite common. Sleepwalking, narcolepsy and insomnia are just a few and have a huge impact on someone’s life causing other health issues.
Many of these disorders go hand in hand, and patients may need special care. Unfortunately, sufferers may selfmedicate in an attempt to minimize the symptoms.
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alien to them. We as a society should recognise that some actions are because of illness and not because they want to be disruptive. With the relevant information and awareness, we can begin to help those that need it; to be patient with those who cannot control behaviours; to show some kind of understanding, even without personal experience. The earlier we identify certain behaviours symptomatic of certain conditions, the better. If we have learnt one thing, it is that history is our greatest teacher.
athering all the information
highlighted how much people do and do not know. Education has vastly improved but more needs to be put in place. Preventing the government and the media from portraying false information would allow communities to understand the real plight of people suffering from mental illness. The survey I created indicates people may need to learn how to recognise symptoms and a change in their emotions that is
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“The appearance of things changes according to the emotions; and thus we see magic and beauty in them, while the magic and beauty are really in ourselves�. Kahlil Gibran
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“Rummaging in our souls, we often dig up something that ought to have lain there unnoticed� Leo Tolstoy 20
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