The Center Cannot Hold Essay

Elyn Saks is a very accomplished woman. She has managed to become a published author and an esteemed college professor while suffering from schizophrenia. Her book, The Center Cannot Hold discusses her life as she fought and eventually managed her mental illness. Saks lived a normal childhood with caring parents, but she does recall having several phobias and obsessions when she was younger that were not healthy or normal in their longevity. As Saks matured, her schizophrenic episodes worsened. She recollects an episode in which at the age of 16 or 17 she randomly decided to leave school and walk home, and while she walked, the houses surrounding her suddenly began to appear “very ominous and foreboding”. She began to think that the houses

Mental Illness affects an immense amount of individuals no matter their race, culture or age. It is everywhere we go, yet still an issue some choose to ignore; whether it is the person facing the illness or those around them. People handle their sickness in a variety of ways. Some by using violence as their only answer, others run away from their issue and majority choose to accept and make the best of it. After reading the novel The Secret Life of Bees, it would be easy to think that the main theme is discrimination or family, but in reality it is actually focused on the toll that mental illness takes on a family. The protagonist of this novel, Lily Owens, has always had a troublesome life. Both her parents, Terrence Owens, also known as T. Ray, and Deborah Fontanel are ridden with illness, sadly caused from each other. Lily also meets a new family in this novel after running away from her cruel father who abuses her. This family is also dealing with mental illness. August Boatwright is a member of this family and has been surrounded by this sickness for more than half of her life. Two of her sisters have this problem and it has genuinely affected August for better or worse.

As the Roman poet Horace once said, "adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant." In other words, he believed that challenges are beneficial because they bring out talents that would have stayed hidden otherwise. He thought that adversity would force a person to use their unknown talents out of desperation. Some argue that his theory is irrelevant and that a person 's skills will develop just as well without adversity if they have the capacity, but I believe that hardships will evoke and improve on their dormant talents.

In the essay, “On Being a Cripple,” Nancy Mairs uses humorous diction and a positive tone to educate people about life as a cripple and struggles of people with disabilities. She does this to show how hard it is to be disabled and how it differs from the life of someone without a disability. She talks about the struggles and the fears that disabled people must deal with on a daily basis. Mairs use of rhetoric creates a strong sense of connection and understanding for the reader. Nancy Mairs is successful in using detailed imagery, diction, and tone to educate her readers about the difficulties of living with a disability.

In the movie Short Term 12, a drama about a foster-care facility for troubled teenagers portrays the emotional journey of the teenagers and the staff running the facility. A troubled teenage girl named Jayden is brought into Short Term 12 because her father is not able to deal with her. Jayden has a past of self-harm and upon arrival is disinterested in befriending the other adolescents as she is not interested in “wasting time on short-term relationships.” Jayden displays symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder as she defies authority figures and throws tantrums. Using the illness prospective, Jayden can be diagnosed as having oppositional defiant disorder as well as depression. Antisocial behaviour such as rule breaking, running away and destroying property are actions Jayden engages in, she cusses when she's told not to,

In the last few years, the representation of people suffering from mental illness in popular culture has greatly increased, showing actual teenagers that characters and idols have real problems in everyday life. One of the literary leaders in this psychological revolution is the novel, and recent film, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Throughout this story, the viewer learns about different types of mental disorders from depression, to post-traumatic stress disorder, to schizophrenia. The events that occur throughout this storyline show real-life situations and struggles that teenagers go through. Stephen Chbosky expertly handles the topic of mental illness in the novel and film, The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

In the book Girl, Interrupted, by Susanna Kaysen, one of the biggest focal points is mental illness. Mental illness can be tough to talk about, simply because the phrase “mental illness” encompasses such a wide range of conditions and conjures up images of deranged people, but it is very important, especially in this book. There is a certain stigma that people who are put into mental hospitals because they have medical problems or are insane and a possible danger to society. While this is sometimes true, it is far more common for patients to need help for a disorder, but just don’t know where to go or what to do, and can end up putting themselves or someone else in danger.

At one point or another, everyone has felt insecure about the way they look or apprehensive about how people see them. Throughout every stage of life we’re expected to act a certain way, to dress appropriately, and to respond properly in social environments. What happens when someone doesn’t fit the norm? In the article “Masks” Lucy Grealy shares an emotional story of depression, isolation, self-worth, and loneliness because of how she looks. She was different than people expected her to be. If we don’t fit the ideal cultural assumptions of beauty than who are we? What determines our identity if we’re not socially acceptable? According to Webster Dictionary identity is the qualities and beliefs that make a particular

Mental health is becoming a major section of health care. The movie “The soloist” exquisitely demonstrates how mental health is very important to make a living, take care of yourself and interact with the community. The Soloist film follows a journalist, Steve, who is on the hunt for a good story for his column in the LA Times.  He hears a homeless musician, Nathaniel, playing one day while on lunch who mentioned that he attended The Juilliard School.  From there on Steve tries to form a relationship with Nathaniel, a person who is much more to him than just a homeless musician. Nathaniel suffers from schizophrenia. Throughout the film, Steve learns how difficult it is to communicate with Nathaniel. The movie also exquisitely demonstrates the legal and ethical dilemma the mental health field can develop (Foster, Krasnoff & Wright, 2009).

The movie Shutter Island is overwhelmingly filled with themes of mental health. Before moving into the content of this paper I would like to disclose this movie contains a false and melodramatic portrayal of mental illness, this is not an accurate representation of the field. The movie begins with Federal Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his new partner traveling to a secluded island containing a mental facility for the criminally insane. They are supposedly there to investigate a missing patient, however, throughout the movie we see clips with signs and symptoms that point to Teddy’s own diagnosis of a mental disorder. That maybe Teddy isn’t exactly on the island for an investigation but has his own hidden secrets to uncover. In the final scene, we discover that Teddy (real name Andrew Laeddis) is severely suffering from his own mental health

Demi Lovato’s capacitating speech delivered at the National Alliance of Mental Illness Convention brought awareness to mental health illnesses and how recovery treatments are obtainable with the support of the entire community. The hardships and sufferings brought upon by mental illnesses, the positive possibilities created by the passage of the Mental Health Comprehensive Bill, and the effects of communities coming together to help those suffering with a mental health illness, were mentioned in this speech through the usage of rhetorical devices; tone, anecdote, repetition, and aphorism are the distinct devices included in this speech. All a mental health illness victim needs is hope and support while recovering from this painful experience.

In today’s society, when someone mentions a mental institution most people picture a dark, dirty, and horrendous hospital like structure. While this image may at times be accurate, this was not always the case. Mental institutions, otherwise known as asylums, have a past full of ups and downs. During different time periods standards for care in these facilities fluctuated from proper care to improper care. With more of an understanding of these mental abnormalities we have a better chance of finding solutions and resolving them.

The Into the Light exhibit, located in the Thomas Center, displays a wide array of Virginia Louise Leak’s artwork. Although Leak was diagnosed with a mental illness, she was still able to produce a lifetime of art. I believe her illness is what makes her art so extraordinary and relays a deeper message than what it appears to be on the surface. To me, if you truly desire to understand a work of art you first have to learn about the artist; therefore, before I even began observing the paintings and etchings I carefully read all of the plaques that gave detailed information about Leak’s life, history, and her works of art. Not all of Leak’s painting and etchings are on display for the public, but the artwork that is available to the public is truly astonishing. After observing her art in the exhibit, I carefully picked out three images to describe and interpret.

People on medications who suffer from mental illness may not feel like themselves, so many people fear of losing their selves. Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that causes unusual and extreme shifts in a person’s functioning, mood and behavior further conveyed through erratic mood swings. However, the symptoms delusions of grandeur, and racing thoughts get in the way. It’s very important to be understood when dealing with a mental illness, furthermore remember to work out the manic episodes. The author, Adam Haslett, addresses a daily issue battling a disorder in the story “Notes to My Biographer”. A father, suffering from manic depression, pays a visit to his son, to whom he hasn't spoken in four years. The story Notes to My Biographer,

Today there has been an increase in the awareness of mental health. In the sense that society has begun to take notice of how mental health effects each individual differently. The media has begun to incorporate a variety of illnesses to entertain to their audience. However, many have questioned if the media is accurately portraying these mental disorders. I chose to compare two popular movies Frankie & Alice and the 2007 version film Sybil. Both movies describe the progression of two women who were both diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorders. According to Comer (2015), “people with dissociative identity disorder, once known as multiple personality disorder, have two or more separate identities that may not always be aware of each other’s