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Essays on the impact of mental health
How mental health affects life essay
How mental health affects life essay
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According to U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, one in 25 Americans lived with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression. This topic is explored in the song, “Lifted Up (1985)” by Michael Angelakos. Angelakos expresses his experience with mental illness and how he tried to fix it on his own, but ultimately failed though out the song. His use of storytelling, metaphors, and jabs at the healthcare system help him convey his message. Starting off, the song begins on a mellow note and builds to the chorus; the lyrics tell a story of trial and error. The first line in the song, “Tell me what does it take to make good now,” shows Angelakos is telling us something is wrong (Angelakos). This is him telling the listener that he is trying to right a wrong. The music, however, is cheerful and off sets the sad lyrics. Angelakos does this throughout the song. In the chorus he sings, “I took your hands and …show more content…
In the first verse he uses clouds to show his point, “Oh, and now all of the clouds are combining,” and in the second verse, “Now the rain and the thunder are clashing” (Angelakos). The clouds signify the storm, bipolar disorder, coming out again, and the rain and thunder show his bipolar disorder is full effect. On the surface, these words don’t hold a deeper meaning, but with his background the words provided a whole new meaning for the song. Angelakos gives an insight on how he views his wife in the first verse and chorus. He sings, “I’ll stay ‘till the open the gates,” and “The sky broke apart and you appeared. Dropped from the heavens, they called me a dreamer” (Angelakos). He thinks of his wife as an angel that was sent to him from god. The aforementioned gates are the gates of heaven and his angel (wife) “fell from the heavens.” Using metaphors, Michael Angelakos also leaves a message about how taboo the topic of mental illness
In the first stanza, first line; I saw two trees embracing, this means that there is a couple that is in love. In the second and third line we see that the male is weaker “one leaned on the other, as if to throw her down” and in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh line we notice that the female has the strength, willpower and is dominating. In the second stanza, line one, two and three we see that the female being dominant makes the male feel broken and intimidated. In line four “the most wind-warped, you could see”, hear we see that there is a major problem between the two.
Poetry conveys emotions and ideas through words and lines. Long Way Down gives the story about a boy named Will, who wants to avenge his brother. He believes that a guy named Riggs killed his brother. He takes his brother’s gun and leaves his family’s apartment on the eighth floor. On the way down the elevator, he is stopped at each floor and a ghost from his past gets on.
The stigma and negative associations that go with mental illness have been around as long as mental illness itself has been recognized. As society has advanced, little changes have been made to the deep-rooted ideas that go along with psychological disorders. It is clearly seen throughout history that people with mental illness are discriminated against, cast out of society, and deemed “damaged”. They are unable to escape the stigma that goes along with their illness, and are often left to defend themselves in a world that is not accepting of differences in people. Society needs to realize what it is doing, and how it is affecting these people who are affected with mental illness.
The Day the Voices Stopped is a “Memoir of Madness and Hope,” written by Ken Steele (Steele & Berman, 2001, p. 1). As a reader, my experience of this book was like a rollercoaster and I found myself very emotionally invested. When terrible things happened to Ken, I truly felt sick to my stomach while reading them; but when good things happened, I also felt like there was still hope left. Ken Steele’s memoir described how stigma is extremely prevalent in mental illness and individuals are forced to overcome massive obstacles in their lives.
Mental illness is an increasing problem in America. Currently about 26.2% of Americans suffer from a mental disorder. A mental illness/disorder is a medical condition that disrupts a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, and ability to relate to others and daily functions. Mental illness can affect humans of any age, race, gender and socioeconomic status. However the care that is needed to effectively cure and help the people affected by the illness is not equal for everyone here in American, especially for African Americans.
The speaker of this song is facing both internal and external conflicts which consume his mind into nothing but sadness. The internal conflict faced involves repeated accounts of failure faced by the teenage boy that in return diminish his self confidence and lead to his isolation from society. This internal conflict increases the division between the two parts of his brain, increasing his depression. In addition the external conflict described in the song adds more weight to his loss of confidence. The speaker describes being let down by multiple people and wanted to be helped but seems to be let down and stuck in his own mind.
Mental illness is more common than one would like to believe. In reality, one in five Americans will suffer from a mental disorder in any given year. Though that ratio is about equivalent to more than fifty-four million people, mental illness still remains a shameful and stigmatized topic (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.). The taboo of mental illness has an extensive and exhausting history, dating back to the beginning of American colonization. It has not been an easy road, to say the least.
The discussion of mental health is slowly being brought to the social surface to create a more inclusive society for those dealing with a mental illness. However, those with a mental illness are continuously being affected by stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination by those who simply don’t comprehend the complexity of the human brain (Glaser, G.2017). As more people become mental health activist, they are exposing the plethora of issues surrounding the overall mental and physical stability of those who are negatively affected by the social construct of what it means to be normal.
In the story “A Worn Path”, Eudora Welty describes an old African American woman named Phoenix Jackson walks into the town to get her grandson’s medicine. Her name “Phoenix Jackson” is the most important metaphor. Her name alludes to the mythological bird “Phoenix”. Phoenix is the unique bird which lives for five to six hundred years. When its body becomes old and it is time for them to die, Phoenix bursts into flames and then reborn from its own ashes to live through another cycle. Phoenix’s startling ability to regenerate itself is the symbol of immortality. A Phoenix can represent sun, fire, pain, birth, death, rebirth, sacrifice, and power.
In the book Metaphors We Live By, authors George Lakoff and Mark Johnson address the traditional philosophic view denouncing metaphor's influence on our world and our selves (ix). Using linguistic and sociological evidence, Lakoff and Johnson claim that figurative language performs essential functions beyond those found in poetry, cliché, and elaborate turns of phrase. Metaphor permeates our daily experiences - not only through systems of language, but also in terms of the way we think and act. The key to understanding a metaphor's effect on behavior, relationships, and how we make sense of our environment, can be found in the way humans use metaphorical language. To appreciate the affects of figurative language over even the most mundane details of our daily activity, it is necessary to define the term, "metaphor" and explain its role in defining the thoughts and actions that structure our conceptual system.
Once upon a time, long ago in the mists of time, sprawling brick structures housed countless individuals with mental disturbances. These massive structures were known to the world as mental asylums for the insane. In reality, the majorities of these individuals were not insane, but in contrast were suffering from mild mental problems such as depression or anxiety. These people were looked down upon in society and were labeled as "freaks" or "batty" because of their mental disorder. In the early twentieth century, mental issues were considered taboo. If a family had a sibling or relative who was suffering from a mental disorder, they were swept under a rug; to be taken care of at another time. These days, these immense structures are an object of the past, a bygone era. Many asylums still stand tall as monuments to the world of health care, while many do not stand at all.
There is a widely accepted stigma surrounding those suffering from mental illness. This narrow and often grossly misinformed perspective or single story has negatively affected countless lives and when left unchecked, can bring about a great deal of harm. Single stories and stereotypes are dangerous. A young woman by the name of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has both experienced them and participated in them. In her 2009 TED talk, Adichie discusses how the single story perspective negatively
The preponderance of mental illness is irrefutable; whether mild or severe; intermittent or chronic. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), approximately 1 in 5 adults in the US are affected by mental illness each year. Of those, 4% suffer from serious mental illness to a degree that substantially impairs their ability to function in society, costing $193.20 Billion per year of lost earnings.2 In short, the mental health
Throughout the song the tone changes from a disappointed and unsatisfied feeling until it progresses into a hopeful and maturing tone. This transformation of tone follows the story almost perfectly and allows the reader to feel a connection to the transformation of the protagonist. This transformation from “expecting the world” (line 1) to realising that some things must happen for others to come into motion “the sun must set to rise” (line 24) is especially impactful and emotional when paired with the lines “ This could be para-para-paradise, para-para-paradise” that are repeated to show her newly established happiness and maturity. Ultimately, this progression from disappointed
The purpose of this would be to help raise awareness for mental health, education on how to deal with mental illnesses both interpersonally and intrapersonally, and to remove the stigmatization around mental illnesses. Throughout history mental illnesses has received a negative connotation closely tied to violence and currently this stigma is still relevant.