Mental Illness And The Family

a. Hook: Sickness is often classified by those who are not educated on mental disorders, as exclusively a physical illness, like a broken bone or a sore throat. Many people do not see a mental disorder as a legitimate illness but rather something that can be controlled but mental illnesses affect more than 54 million Americans (Mental Illness and the Family). But just like a physical illness, a mental illness requires diagnosis and treatment.

b. Tie to Audience: Many of you may have a family member, or friend who is living with some type of mental illness, or maybe you, yourself are living with one as well.

c. Credentials: I have always had an interest in psychological disorders and psychology in general, especially since I personally know people who live with mental illnesses. Also, when I get my nursing degree I want to specialize in psychiatric mental health.

d. Thesis: With there being over 200 documented mental illnesses (Mental Illness and the Family), I cannot talk about all of them so I am only going to be discussing the three most common ones.

e. Preview of Points: The four most common mental illnesses I will be discussing are:

i. Depression ii. Anxiety iii. Schizophrenia

II. Body Point 1-Depression

a. Transition: Depression is probably the most recognized mental disorder. While it is normal to feel sad occasionally, depression is classified as more than just sadness. Depression interferes with your ability to function and do everyday tasks. People with depression do feel sad but what differentiates depression from sadness is that people with depression feel like they are “living in a black hole” and feel hopeless and worthless on a day to day basis (Depression Symptoms).

b. Evidence: Symptoms of Depression include, ...

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...nd treatment options for the three mental illnesses I discussed.

b. Restate Preview of Points: The three most common mental illnesses I have discussed are depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia.

c. Restate Thesis: With over 200 documented mental illnesses, it is impossible for me to discuss all of them in the short amount of time I am able to speak.

d. Link Back to Audience: Those of you who already knew a lot of these facts, I hope I did not leave out any important details and those of you who did not know many of these facts I hope you learned something.

e. Link Back to Credentials: I hope my acquired knowledge from psychology class and research of mental illness has efficiently better educated you.

f. End with Impact: Mental illnesses come in many different forms and now I hope that I leave you with a better understanding of these three common mental illnesses.