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Perspective of Mental Health throughout the Ages
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TOPIC: the views on mental disorders has changed the treatment process. Like before when u heard of someone with a mental disorder.. you would look at them differently.. and considered them ill.. and someone that shouldn't be allowed in society.. but now with mental awareness such as 'bell talk'.. lets talk.. it's made mental illness more aware to the general public.. and which showed that mental illness such as depression is normal. discuss the social factors that were different and how ww2 had an effect on them? Also, I would need some internal factors as well: For instance, how are societal events (e.g., Bell Talk) perhaps shaping the work that psychologists do? ALSO: please don't forget to use quotation marks, and also ONLY use peer-reviewed articles. It can be of any source as long as its peer-reviewed articles.
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Perspective of Mental Health throughout the Ages NameStudent ID
Perspective of Mental Health throughout the Ages
Introduction
Background
The probability of one person among four people to suffer from mental disorders or illness in a life time is high. Some of the mental disorders include bipolar affective disorders, obsessive and compulsive disorders, panic disorders and unipolar depressive disorders (Van der Ham et al., 2011 p. 574). These disorders are dangerous because they change the thinking processes and functioning of the patients besides reducing their productivity and activeness in social roles in the community. Because these disorders are disabling and sometimes they last for along time, the communities from which these people come from are often economically and emotionally burdened. As a result, mental illness has always been associated with stigma hence making even those suffering from common mood disorders and anxiety to refrain from seeking treatment out of fear of stigmatization and discrimination.
Over the ages, people with mental health disorders or illnesses have received negative publicity. They have always been stigmatized in public or private, in spite of the increasing public awareness (Sadik, 2010). People with mental problems were discriminated against and in most times, they were considered unfit of human associations. Although this is like any other health condition that anybody is vulnerable to, many people tend to think that "people with mental health problems are largely to blame for their condition" (Sadik, 2010, P3). In addition, the society treated this group of people like beasts than fellow human beings. Because of their status, the mentally ill could neither have children nor marry because they were not only perceived dangerous but also unable to maintain friendly and beneficial ties with other people who were perceived to be normal. Consequently, it was considered shameful if one of the family members suffered from mental disorders or had contacts with such people. All these increased both pubic stigmatization and discrimination against the mentally ill and their value as humans was not enough to buy them the worthiness of belonging among those who were perceived normal.
In spite of the deplorable conditions of the mentally ill patients which were exhibited through the symptoms associated with this illness- abnormal behavior, including abnormal laughing and talking, loss of memory, aggression and violence among others, these patients worried more about other people’s perception of them more than anything else. According to Stromwall and Holley (2012 p.406) the quality of life lived after people are declared mentally ill depends on the level of stigmatization and discrimination that they are subjected to. In the past, they were perceived as aliens in their own societies and they were considered unworthy or unfit to mingle with other people. Their presence was highly detested such that even they were not welcomed to areas of residence. Landlords were unwilling to rent them houses, employers could not hire them, mental health professional inappropriately hospitalized them, and even primary health care givers withheld much needed services from them. All these was not because of the way people with mental illness acted but rather because of the prejudicial beliefs about them (Corrigan et al., 2003, p. 142)
Stigma and general negativity about people suffering from mental illness and their victimhood affects their self esteem and sometimes it worsens psychiatric symptoms (Stromwall and Holley (2012 p.406). According to Mak, Chong and Wong (2014, p.173):
Public stigma has been identified and recognized as a major
catalyst that triggers a chain of psychological, behavioral,
social, economic, and political sequelae impacting both the
stigmatized individuals and the society as a whole.
The major reasons why people are stigmatized include the possession of attributes that send out a devalued social identity within a particular context, for instance the mentally ill people. This means that instead of using a credible criterion to assess the worthiness of a person, public stigmatization is often attributed to generalized and subjective perceptions of the category of targeted people. According to Mak, Chong and Wong (2014, p.173), Public stigma is "a set of prejudicial attitudes, discriminatory behaviors, and biased social structures that result when a sizable group endorses stigma about a subgroup."
Research has indicated that most people who show symptoms of mental illness do not seek help because they are detested and labeled as "mental patients". It can be argued that their decision is influenced by the negative perceptions that invoke rejection, negative evaluation, and discrimination from the public. This means that soon after people are identified as mentally ill, they are deserted and alienated because they are perceived be unstable, unpredictable and hence dangerous. For instance, in the past these people were separated from the rest of the people into rehabilitation camps not necessarily to be treated but to ensure that the society was free from unpredictable and dangerous people.
Thesis
This paper will seek to discuss the social factors that were different in World War II and how they affected the general perception of mental illness. The aftereffects of the second world war helped people change their perception about mental disorders because victims of war suffered from depression and acute PTSDs that needed both the psychiatrists and the public to help them overcome. The paper will hypothesize that the changing views on mental illness have changed the treatment of mental illness, and patients can come out and seek medical help without fear of rejection in the society. In order for the general public to understand that the mentally ill people were still humans who had the same human rights and needs as them, societal events such as "Bell Let’s Talk" among others took the initiative of making the public aware of mental illness. All these are strategies that have been installed to ensure that stigmatization and discrimination of people suffering from mental illness is exterminated in order to help the mental health victims have a sense of belonging and open to seek help.
Road Map
In order to point out the change in perception about mental health over the ages, the paper will first cover mental health awareness. This will be aimed at offering a rationale on the change in perception. The paper will look into the Second World War as a precursor to reduced mental health stigma and discrimination. Furthermore, the Second World War will be depicted as a turning point to psychiatry. Lastly, the paper will cover how societal events like Bell Let’s Talk have impacted mental health awareness.
Mental Health Awareness
As indicated above, mental illness is a serious health condition that affects patients, their families and the society at large. It has been established that stigmatization and discrimination of mental health patients by the public causes them to avoid seeking treatments and hence endangering their health. Although mental patients were considered unsafe to live with, mental illness awareness opened opportunities for both the general public and the patients to finally work together towards securing the best interest for mentally ill patients and the society. This means that the main aim of mental illness awareness was to promote a peaceful coexistence between the public and the mental patients so that they could feel at liberty to access the available mental health services (Battaglia, 1990 p. 324). One of the most important benefits of mental awareness includes promoting positive perceptions towards mental health and it helps in supporting any available mental health goals, purposed at achieving preventive education on mental illness.
Changing the public perception about mental health opens opportunities for societal events where the public can be educated more regarding mental illness. According to research, many societal events that are held to create awareness have played a major role in not only changing the perception of people concerning mental health, but they have also transformed what psychiatrists used to do (Battaglia, 1990). The stigmatization and discrimination that was once directed towards the mental patient has been countered by talks that have helped nurture the relationships between psychiatrist and their patients. Because the roles played by psychiatrists has been understood better through various societal awareness presentations, it has made it easier for patients to seek help with confidence that psychiatrist will attend them like any other normal people with common illness.
According to Arikan, Uysal and Cetin (1999, p. 98) the stigmatization of mentally ill patient has substantially decreased over the years because of the society has been made aware of the available treatment opportunities for mentally ill patients. This implies that the mental health patients are currently receiving less stigmatization and discrimination than they used to do because the public has been made to believe that it is possible treating mental illness. The perceptions that psychiatric patients are unpredictable and dangerous have been partially but considerably resolved through public awareness of the progress and achievement attained in the treatment of mental illness. This has consequentky inspired change in perception among people to treat the mentally ill with dignity as opposed to depriving them all their human rights including the most fundamental basic rights like breathing. For instance, 100, 000 mental patients who advocated fascist ideologies were executed in the modern day Europe and this massacre became a precursor to policies and attitudes improvement towards psychiatric patients in the 1940s and 1950s (Arikan, Uysal and Cetin (1999, p. 95).
Furthermore, creating mental health awareness can also be accomplished through, "provision of equal treatment opportunities for people with mental disorders [which] seems to be a key factor in reducing the stigmatization of mentally ill people as dangerous, as it would increase the chance of society being convicted about the treatability of mental illness" (Arikan, Uysal and Cetin (1999, p. 95). This means that by increasing mental health care opportunities for the mentally ill people, the public has believed that mental illness is just like any other health condition which if treated in time like nay other illness, it can be treatable. It can be argued that this has made the public to perceive the mentally ill as people deserving to enjoy their human rights and privileges as opposed to beasts underserving of any human associations.
Every person is vulnerable to mental disorders, especially depression. This means that during every person’s life time, there are high chances of coming across a mental disorder patient. In order to effectively deal with depression, public awareness campaigns that contribute to improvement of both attitude towards mental health disorders or improvement of public knowledge about mental disorders in order to solve issues of stigma and discrimination is important. Jorm (2000, p. 401) states that, "knowledge about mental disorders is necessary as it directly affects a person’s approach and behavior towards those patients." The symptoms of mental disorders, contributing factors, attitudes towards the illnesses and the beliefs held by the public are some of the few factors that been dealt with over the years in creating deeper awareness of mental health disorders.
World War II social factors that impacted mental health
Following WW II people did not understand mental health problems. Consequently, the health care system only provided an asylum and other common care to psychiatric patients. Many people, especially the elderly Dutch people had very disappointing experiences before the public awareness of mental illness. This presented few challenges in persuading them to seek help even after the war because they detested and feared being labeled as "lunatics" (Bramsen & van der Ploeg (1999). The atrocities witnessed by war survivors are cited as the major reasons why there was a relatively higher need, and use of healthcare. Those persecuted in Europe endured hardships of the war, the loss of their friends and family members. Likewise also, those in Asia had to endure, "the occupation of the Dutch East Indies by the Japanese followed by the independence struggle of the Indonesians immediately afterwards that forced them to migrate to the Netherlands" (Bramsen & van der Ploeg (1999, p. 255).
The Perception of the public about mental disorders changed soon after the second Word War because of the, "psychological aftereffects of war … [and the increased] populations seeking treatment" (Bramsen & van der Ploeg, 1999 P. 243). The several social atrocities that were witnessed at the war resulted to posttraumatic stress. This means that there was a serious need for victims of the war to seek a dynamic process of adapting to the impending stress. As a result, health care professionals were sort after in order to offer medical help to soldiers and other victims of the war in alleviation of symptom of posttraumatic stress. The lives of many of the war survivors were negatively affected and it needed quick response from both the psychiatrists and the public at large in order to help them through their stress.
A study involving samples of a community which experienced World War II was carried out by Bramsen and van der Ploeg (1999) and it points out that after the war, the number of people with mental illnesses who came out to seek for help were more compared to those who lived in denial. According to the study, the samples included people who sort for help and those who lived with their experiences after witnessing German conquer and inhabit Netherlands (1940-1945). On the other hand, there were others who witnessed the Japanese inhabit the Dutch East Indies in 1942-1945 and the resulting violence of Indonesian’s struggle for independence (1945-1950). According to the study:
885 (22%) respondents reported that, at some time since
WW II, they consulted at least one health care
worker or institution for complaints that they attributed
to the war or its aftereffects. ...
Perspective of Mental Health throughout the Ages
Introduction
Background
The probability of one person among four people to suffer from mental disorders or illness in a life time is high. Some of the mental disorders include bipolar affective disorders, obsessive and compulsive disorders, panic disorders and unipolar depressive disorders (Van der Ham et al., 2011 p. 574). These disorders are dangerous because they change the thinking processes and functioning of the patients besides reducing their productivity and activeness in social roles in the community. Because these disorders are disabling and sometimes they last for along time, the communities from which these people come from are often economically and emotionally burdened. As a result, mental illness has always been associated with stigma hence making even those suffering from common mood disorders and anxiety to refrain from seeking treatment out of fear of stigmatization and discrimination.
Over the ages, people with mental health disorders or illnesses have received negative publicity. They have always been stigmatized in public or private, in spite of the increasing public awareness (Sadik, 2010). People with mental problems were discriminated against and in most times, they were considered unfit of human associations. Although this is like any other health condition that anybody is vulnerable to, many people tend to think that "people with mental health problems are largely to blame for their condition" (Sadik, 2010, P3). In addition, the society treated this group of people like beasts than fellow human beings. Because of their status, the mentally ill could neither have children nor marry because they were not only perceived dangerous but also unable to maintain friendly and beneficial ties with other people who were perceived to be normal. Consequently, it was considered shameful if one of the family members suffered from mental disorders or had contacts with such people. All these increased both pubic stigmatization and discrimination against the mentally ill and their value as humans was not enough to buy them the worthiness of belonging among those who were perceived normal.
In spite of the deplorable conditions of the mentally ill patients which were exhibited through the symptoms associated with this illness- abnormal behavior, including abnormal laughing and talking, loss of memory, aggression and violence among others, these patients worried more about other people’s perception of them more than anything else. According to Stromwall and Holley (2012 p.406) the quality of life lived after people are declared mentally ill depends on the level of stigmatization and discrimination that they are subjected to. In the past, they were perceived as aliens in their own societies and they were considered unworthy or unfit to mingle with other people. Their presence was highly detested such that even they were not welcomed to areas of residence. Landlords were unwilling to rent them houses, employers could not hire them, mental health professional inappropriately hospitalized them, and even primary health care givers withheld much needed services from them. All these was not because of the way people with mental illness acted but rather because of the prejudicial beliefs about them (Corrigan et al., 2003, p. 142)
Stigma and general negativity about people suffering from mental illness and their victimhood affects their self esteem and sometimes it worsens psychiatric symptoms (Stromwall and Holley (2012 p.406). According to Mak, Chong and Wong (2014, p.173):
Public stigma has been identified and recognized as a major
catalyst that triggers a chain of psychological, behavioral,
social, economic, and political sequelae impacting both the
stigmatized individuals and the society as a whole.
The major reasons why people are stigmatized include the possession of attributes that send out a devalued social identity within a particular context, for instance the mentally ill people. This means that instead of using a credible criterion to assess the worthiness of a person, public stigmatization is often attributed to generalized and subjective perceptions of the category of targeted people. According to Mak, Chong and Wong (2014, p.173), Public stigma is "a set of prejudicial attitudes, discriminatory behaviors, and biased social structures that result when a sizable group endorses stigma about a subgroup."
Research has indicated that most people who show symptoms of mental illness do not seek help because they are detested and labeled as "mental patients". It can be argued that their decision is influenced by the negative perceptions that invoke rejection, negative evaluation, and discrimination from the public. This means that soon after people are identified as mentally ill, they are deserted and alienated because they are perceived be unstable, unpredictable and hence dangerous. For instance, in the past these people were separated from the rest of the people into rehabilitation camps not necessarily to be treated but to ensure that the society was free from unpredictable and dangerous people.
Thesis
This paper will seek to discuss the social factors that were different in World War II and how they affected the general perception of mental illness. The aftereffects of the second world war helped people change their perception about mental disorders because victims of war suffered from depression and acute PTSDs that needed both the psychiatrists and the public to help them overcome. The paper will hypothesize that the changing views on mental illness have changed the treatment of mental illness, and patients can come out and seek medical help without fear of rejection in the society. In order for the general public to understand that the mentally ill people were still humans who had the same human rights and needs as them, societal events such as "Bell Let’s Talk" among others took the initiative of making the public aware of mental illness. All these are strategies that have been installed to ensure that stigmatization and discrimination of people suffering from mental illness is exterminated in order to help the mental health victims have a sense of belonging and open to seek help.
Road Map
In order to point out the change in perception about mental health over the ages, the paper will first cover mental health awareness. This will be aimed at offering a rationale on the change in perception. The paper will look into the Second World War as a precursor to reduced mental health stigma and discrimination. Furthermore, the Second World War will be depicted as a turning point to psychiatry. Lastly, the paper will cover how societal events like Bell Let’s Talk have impacted mental health awareness.
Mental Health Awareness
As indicated above, mental illness is a serious health condition that affects patients, their families and the society at large. It has been established that stigmatization and discrimination of mental health patients by the public causes them to avoid seeking treatments and hence endangering their health. Although mental patients were considered unsafe to live with, mental illness awareness opened opportunities for both the general public and the patients to finally work together towards securing the best interest for mentally ill patients and the society. This means that the main aim of mental illness awareness was to promote a peaceful coexistence between the public and the mental patients so that they could feel at liberty to access the available mental health services (Battaglia, 1990 p. 324). One of the most important benefits of mental awareness includes promoting positive perceptions towards mental health and it helps in supporting any available mental health goals, purposed at achieving preventive education on mental illness.
Changing the public perception about mental health opens opportunities for societal events where the public can be educated more regarding mental illness. According to research, many societal events that are held to create awareness have played a major role in not only changing the perception of people concerning mental health, but they have also transformed what psychiatrists used to do (Battaglia, 1990). The stigmatization and discrimination that was once directed towards the mental patient has been countered by talks that have helped nurture the relationships between psychiatrist and their patients. Because the roles played by psychiatrists has been understood better through various societal awareness presentations, it has made it easier for patients to seek help with confidence that psychiatrist will attend them like any other normal people with common illness.
According to Arikan, Uysal and Cetin (1999, p. 98) the stigmatization of mentally ill patient has substantially decreased over the years because of the society has been made aware of the available treatment opportunities for mentally ill patients. This implies that the mental health patients are currently receiving less stigmatization and discrimination than they used to do because the public has been made to believe that it is possible treating mental illness. The perceptions that psychiatric patients are unpredictable and dangerous have been partially but considerably resolved through public awareness of the progress and achievement attained in the treatment of mental illness. This has consequentky inspired change in perception among people to treat the mentally ill with dignity as opposed to depriving them all their human rights including the most fundamental basic rights like breathing. For instance, 100, 000 mental patients who advocated fascist ideologies were executed in the modern day Europe and this massacre became a precursor to policies and attitudes improvement towards psychiatric patients in the 1940s and 1950s (Arikan, Uysal and Cetin (1999, p. 95).
Furthermore, creating mental health awareness can also be accomplished through, "provision of equal treatment opportunities for people with mental disorders [which] seems to be a key factor in reducing the stigmatization of mentally ill people as dangerous, as it would increase the chance of society being convicted about the treatability of mental illness" (Arikan, Uysal and Cetin (1999, p. 95). This means that by increasing mental health care opportunities for the mentally ill people, the public has believed that mental illness is just like any other health condition which if treated in time like nay other illness, it can be treatable. It can be argued that this has made the public to perceive the mentally ill as people deserving to enjoy their human rights and privileges as opposed to beasts underserving of any human associations.
Every person is vulnerable to mental disorders, especially depression. This means that during every person’s life time, there are high chances of coming across a mental disorder patient. In order to effectively deal with depression, public awareness campaigns that contribute to improvement of both attitude towards mental health disorders or improvement of public knowledge about mental disorders in order to solve issues of stigma and discrimination is important. Jorm (2000, p. 401) states that, "knowledge about mental disorders is necessary as it directly affects a person’s approach and behavior towards those patients." The symptoms of mental disorders, contributing factors, attitudes towards the illnesses and the beliefs held by the public are some of the few factors that been dealt with over the years in creating deeper awareness of mental health disorders.
World War II social factors that impacted mental health
Following WW II people did not understand mental health problems. Consequently, the health care system only provided an asylum and other common care to psychiatric patients. Many people, especially the elderly Dutch people had very disappointing experiences before the public awareness of mental illness. This presented few challenges in persuading them to seek help even after the war because they detested and feared being labeled as "lunatics" (Bramsen & van der Ploeg (1999). The atrocities witnessed by war survivors are cited as the major reasons why there was a relatively higher need, and use of healthcare. Those persecuted in Europe endured hardships of the war, the loss of their friends and family members. Likewise also, those in Asia had to endure, "the occupation of the Dutch East Indies by the Japanese followed by the independence struggle of the Indonesians immediately afterwards that forced them to migrate to the Netherlands" (Bramsen & van der Ploeg (1999, p. 255).
The Perception of the public about mental disorders changed soon after the second Word War because of the, "psychological aftereffects of war … [and the increased] populations seeking treatment" (Bramsen & van der Ploeg, 1999 P. 243). The several social atrocities that were witnessed at the war resulted to posttraumatic stress. This means that there was a serious need for victims of the war to seek a dynamic process of adapting to the impending stress. As a result, health care professionals were sort after in order to offer medical help to soldiers and other victims of the war in alleviation of symptom of posttraumatic stress. The lives of many of the war survivors were negatively affected and it needed quick response from both the psychiatrists and the public at large in order to help them through their stress.
A study involving samples of a community which experienced World War II was carried out by Bramsen and van der Ploeg (1999) and it points out that after the war, the number of people with mental illnesses who came out to seek for help were more compared to those who lived in denial. According to the study, the samples included people who sort for help and those who lived with their experiences after witnessing German conquer and inhabit Netherlands (1940-1945). On the other hand, there were others who witnessed the Japanese inhabit the Dutch East Indies in 1942-1945 and the resulting violence of Indonesian’s struggle for independence (1945-1950). According to the study:
885 (22%) respondents reported that, at some time since
WW II, they consulted at least one health care
worker or institution for complaints that they attributed
to the war or its aftereffects. ...
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