Mentally Ill Stereotypes

Mental illness significantly affects many around the world. In fact, about four-hundred and fifty million people worldwide suffer from one or more of the different known mental illnesses. That is one in every four people. Severe mental health issues such as severe anxiety disorder, antisocial personality disorder, schizophrenia, or sensory perception disorder are illnesses which are common among the people responsible for the numerous mass shootings in America. Many believe the possession of firearms in the hands of the mentally ill are the real cause of mass shootings. I agree with this statement. However, I do not solely blame the criminal for their actions due to their mental illness. Creating stricter gun laws, expanding mental health awareness

A lecture i attended started off with uneasy jokes about how the mentally ill behave. Dr.Goldberg went on to explain his daily duties of working at a mental hospital and the things he experiences while working there. When an audience member asked how the workers deal with situations where the patients don't take their medicine, Dr.Goldberg laughed and stated something along the lines of “well we just hope and pray they don't kill us.” This specific statement along some other questionable jokes, helped me understand how he viewed his patients in the hospital-stereotypical. However, Dr.Goldberg was able to provide some real life examples of how the mentally ill are dehumanized where he works. He went on to explain that the people in those institutions are very limited to the things they are able to do and the choices that they can make. Simple choices such as what to eat, what to wear, and what to do in your freetime are made for the mentally ill by the workers. The patients are forced to take medication against their will and are also limited to everyday things such as being outside. There is so much dehumanization that occurs that the mental hospital doesn't feel like a place where the patients are receiving help. Instead, the patients themselves refer to being at the mental hospital as “doing time” as they would in

Various studies have been conducted on numerous aspects considering mass shooters, the most prominent focusing on why shooters perform these tragedies, and what can be put in place to avoid these shootings. However, not everyone has agreed with each other when it comes to solutions, and they see issues with laws that may be set in place. The source of the issue is hard to localize, because there are many different characteristics apparent in mass perpetrators--there is no one thing that can link every single perpetrator together--hence the reason there are conflicting views. Some have taken the perspective that there is no way we can solve these problems with a single piece of legislation, while others believe red flag laws can prove effective

Along with depression and dementia, the various illnesses defined as psychotic disorders are significant factors in relation to gun violence. It is terrifying to learn that people suffering from these disorders are allowed to carry guns and use them as they please. Psychotic disorders are a collection of severe mental illnesses, including identity disorder, agoraphobia, and most prominently, schizophrenia and bipolar syndrome. Wynne calls schizophrenia “a pervasive impairment in bioprocessing,” meaning that the illness diminishes certain brain functions of a person. He suggests that a patient of schizophrenia might believe that everyone is out to kill them. Hence, their logic for committing gun violence is that they are protecting themselves.

Angela Davis, in her researched book, Are Prisons Obsolete? , analyzes the perception of our American prison systems. Davis’ purpose is to inform the reader about the American prison system and how it effects African- Americans and those of any other race, though blacks are the highest ranking number in the prison systems. She creates a blunt tone in order to easily convey her message without bias.

One side calls them weapons of war, the other side claims the term “assault weapon” is merely an intimidating term used to scare liberals and anti-gun advocates. In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed a national ban on assault weapons. The assault weapons ban comes with a sunset effect and every 10 years the ban automatically expires and every gun advocate crawls out of hiding to make sure the ban doesn’t renew (“Should the government restrict access to assault weapons?”). Congress needs to stand up to the NRA to reinstate the ban. Assault weapons are militarized styled guns that are meant to kill a mass number of people at an alarming rate and these weapons should not be in the hands of ordinary citizens.

Gun Violence has become a serious issue In the United Sates. “According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, 467,321 persons were victims of a crime committed with a firearm in 2011. In the same year, data collected by the FBI show that firearms were used in 68 percent of murders, 41 percent of robbery offenses and 21 percent of aggravated assaults nationwide.” (NIJ). Most homicides are committed with firearms and the numbers continue to increase. Based off of research, males are more likely to be in possession of firearm. The reason this seems to be true is due to the stigma of a man being tough and violent. In order to fix this, psychologists need to develop and evaluate schools, workplaces, prisons clinics and other

It seems as if we cannot go a day without seeing news stations reporting stories involving criminal behavior; crime is everywhere, it is all around us. We have become so accustomed to the prevalence of crime in our streets that we can no longer distinguish a criminal from a law-abiding citizen, and we live our lives in fear that we will become a victim. Although we cannot pick out a criminal from a group of people, typically we can recognize when someone is affected by a severe mental illness. According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, “Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S.—43.8 million, or 18.5%—experiences mental illness in a given year.” When the news stations report a story involving a mentally ill criminal, many people begin

There are a lot of misconceptions of gun violence and how it correlates to the mentally ill population. A 2011-2013 survey shows that people believe that gun violence is more likely to occur due to someone who is mentally ill rather than someone having an easy time buying a weapon. One of the first things people think about when the hear the latest mass shooting news is that the perpetrator had to have been someway mentally ill. They take this statement, twist it, and then say that all those who are mentally ill are violent. An article on mental illness and how it correlates to gun violence stated “Only 23 percent had a documented psychiatric history of any kind ― which means 3 out of 4 did not.” This shows us that more likely than not, those

In summary, mental illnesses are induced by a chemical imbalance of the brain; they range from depression to borderline personality disorder to schizophrenia, and without proper treatments, they could result in abnormal behaviors including criminal tendencies, violent outbursts, and sudden mood swings. Mental health is a topic which is often stationed on the back burner. In fact, many mentally ill people are not diagnosed or treated because mental health is not a part of the standard educational system. Police officers are inadequately equipped with the knowledge of how to deal with the mentally ill, and dozens of cases have been in the news of police not knowing how to react to their erratic actions (Times). A survey in 2008 presented

Social workers daily experience cases that are intriguing. However, a social worker presented with a case that involve adolescents and trauma is presented an intricate and prodigious case. The trauma experienced by adolescents in these events put adolescents at a high probability of at-risk behaviors and disconcerting life events. The Cyntioa Brown case is a prime example of how an adolescent who has experienced traumatic life experiences displayed at-risk behaviors associated with disconcerting life events.

Understanding your own cultural heritage and some of the stereotypes and biases that come along with are critical when entering the field of healthcare because by understanding who you are and where you came from will give you perspective on not only your own life but many of the lives you will help in the field of healthcare. By understanding the bias and stereotypes that come with your cultural and ethnic heritage it helps in developing your complete identity as an individual which will help in the healthcare field in numerous ways. Knowing your own cultural stereotypes will help in the healthcare field by giving you an understanding of who you are which in turn will give you a better appreciation for the other cultural and ethnic barriers

Schizophrenia is one of the most recognizable mental illnesses that the world knows, this comes with benefits as it does with consequences. The benefit being that many people have heard of the term, but a minute group truly know about it. This has led to a society where it is commonplace to ostracize those with the illness, which subsequently leads to negative effects on those diagnosed. It is as if society still has not developed a sufficient system in which Schizophrenia fits in. People with heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s, all receive sympathy and yet people will Schizophrenia seldom receive the same. This societal separation and fear has progressively led to the development of the current stigma surrounding the illness. The general

The articles The Myth of Mental Illness and Road Rage: Recognizing a Psychological Disorder addressed the issue of mental illness in two completely different contexts. Both authors agreed that societal context plays a large role in classifying what is “mental illness”. In The Myth of Mental Illness, Thomas S. Szasz was critical and sceptical of the definition of mental illness. Mental illness was defined as a deviation in behaviour from psychological, ethical or legal norms. He then proceeded to ask the reader, “Who defines the norms and hence the deviation?” He claimed that it is the society that decides what is considered as the norm, implying the significance of society in the classification of mental illness. In Road Rage: Recognizing a

This essay seeks to answer the question “Is psychology just common sense?” by underlining the differences between the two through the use of psychological concepts to explore a popular statement of common sense; “People with Mental Illness are violent.”.