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Schizophrenia treatment options essay
Social causes of schizophrenia essay
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Saints, Scholars, and Schizophrenics is the ethnographic study of a small town of An Cloch'an on the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland. Nancy Scheper-Hughes lived in this small village in order to gain perspective to why there was such a large number of schizophrenic cases within Ireland, and also why such a large percent were unmarried males. She wanted to dissect the issue of why these individuals were so prone to schizophrenia and what cultural factors cause these high rates. Scheper-Hughes interviewed both individuals in the village but also patients in the nearby mental institution. She relied heavily on thematic apperception tests and interviews for her conclusions. She found several cultural factors create an environment for high rates of schizophrenia.
Economic conditions at the time Scheper-Hughes visited were grim. The loss of several social institutions, such as schools and churches, affected moral among these rural communities (lecture). Also the initiatives by the Irish Department of Lands to forced farmers into early retirement, and land was then bought by agricultural capitalists caused changes to traditional farming life (Scheper-Hughes 107-108). With this initiative there was less emphasis on farming and landownership became more a symbol of past traditions (Scheper-Hughes 104).
In Ireland there is a large social stigma attached to those diagnosed with schizophrenia. Conformity is highly valued and reserved behavior is always expected (Scheper-Hughes 157). Schizophrenia is viewed as a chronic, life long condition, since those diagnose must be on medication the rest of their lives(Scheper-Hughes 166). The labeling theory explains these stigmas as use for “community definitions of normal and abnormal behavior, varia...
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...ation patterns and social stigmas to show that while schizophrenia patients maybe biologically predetermined, there are a number of social constructs that cause schizophrenic symptoms to rise to the surface. She concluded the economic hardships, mass emigration out of rural villages, and loss of the traditional farming lifestyle as reasons for schizophrenia. Twenty years later Scheper-Hughes returned to An Cloch'an, and the cultural changes such as a booming tourism, increased income, and less emphasis on traditional farming changed individual's thinking patterns and socialization within the community. Today there are less instances of schizophrenia among the citizens of An Cloch'an, which has proved Scheper-Hughes' theories of socialization and social stigma as the reasons for the high rates of schizophrenia when she first started her research (Scheper-Hughes 27).
This essay will discuss how and most importantly, why mental health policy has developed in Northern Ireland throughout the 19th and 20th century. It will first illustrate life inside the asylums, the policies that supported institutionalisation, and why change was needed. Next it will establish the progression in policy to support community and integrated care; it will examine this change and its effectiveness throughout society. Moving onto the 21st century, it will focus on a few of the main policies established throughout this period. Finally a conclusion will be made, assessing the current policy in Northern Ireland and how far we have to go to enhance the quality of life of those struggling with mental illness.
“Update on Family Psychoeducation for Schizophrenia” was published in the March 2000 issue of the Schizophrenia Bulletin by Oxford Journals. Schizophrenia Bulletin is written for medical academics specialising in the field of Schizophrenia and assumes a background understanding of the field. However it is aimed at “the widest possible audience” (Oxford Journals, para 2, 2012) and thus seeks readership of those involved in the field, in a less medical nature also.
Evans, Juli. Schizophrenia: Living with Madness Here and in Zanzibar 1992. Occupational Therapy in Health Care, 8.1(1992): 53-71. Print.
Schizophrenia is a deteriorating progressive disease, consequently, it is resistant to treatment for the individual suffering schizophrenia. (Catts & O’Toole, 2016). In most cases the individuals suffering from schizophrenia, are resistive to treatment, in most cases, individuals suffering from schizophrenia, and are resistive in taking antipsychotics. (Catts & O’Toole, 2016). Jeremy doesn’t see himself as a “schizophrenic”, he states that “he’s happy naturally”, and often he’s observed playing the guitar and doing painting in his room. Weekly, he has an intramuscular medication to treat his disorder, crediting the support of his wife. It is indicated that the morality rate, in patients suffering from schizophrenia is higher, despite the considerable resources available, in Australia. New data show that in 20 countries, including Australia, only 13.5% meet the recovery criteria, which means that 1or 2 patients in every 100, will meet this criteria per year. (Catts & O’Toole, 2016). This means that there’s a decline in providing support and services to individuals like Jeremy suffering from a mental illness such as Schizophrenia. Many individuals become severely ill before they realise they need medical treatment, and when receiving treatment it is usually short-term. (Nielssen, McGorry, Castle & Galletly, 2017). The RANZCP guidelines highlights that
This stereotype contributes to the stigma individuals’ face and encourages social exclusion and intolerance, especially in schizophrenia (Ray & Brooks Dollar, 2014). Ken sought out help and went to the emergency room because he recognized he was severely depressed. There, the doctor promised he would not be put in restraints, yet when he was taken to the hospital, he was placed in restraints because it was company policy (Steele & Berman, 2001). Due the stigma that individuals with mental illness are violent, Ken was not treated fairly (Stuart & Arboleda-Florez, 2012). Stuart and Arboleda-Florez (2012) are very credible authors to be writing on the effects of stigma in mental health. Both authors have experience in psychiatry, combatting stigma and mental health issues.
People with a psychosis have difficulty dealing with day to day. Living in poverty or an abusive environment places serious strain on an individual’s mental health (Association, 2001). There is thought to be three causes to mental illness (Association, 2001). The first is genetic and some researchers suggest the mental illness is inherited (Association, 2001). Psychological is the second and this is when the individual expresses low self esteem which can lead to depression. The third is socio-cultural, or stressor of life. This is when the family structure or ways of communication could induce abnormal behaviour (Association, 2001).
Corrigan argues that clinical diagnosis might exacerbate the stigma of mental illness. In Corrigan’s study clinical diagnosis adds groupness for the collection of people with mental illness which worsens the level of prejudice (Corrigan 34). Corrigan states that this ultimately leads to overgeneralization, as there is an assumption that all individuals diagnosed with the same mental disorders behave the same way (Corrigan 34). According to Corrigan the stereotypic description of mental illness perceives to the public that, people with diagnosis are not likely to recover from those disorders, which can lead to pessimistic attitudes from the public (Corrigan 35). Corrigan suggests that one of the solutions is to understand the diagnosis dimensionally rather than the traditional categorical diagnosis (Corrigan 36). Another solution Corrigan suggests is for the mental health providers to have individual contact with people who are recovered from mental disorders as they are living a life that challenges the stigma (Corrigan 36). The final solution Corrigan suggests is to replace assumptions of “poor prognosis with models of recovery” (Corrigan 37). Corrigan mainly focuses on the stigma of mental illness in independent living and work settings. One might wonder how the stigma of mental illness can influence in university settings, where the average age of people influenced is younger than people in work settings. Universities must use variations of education and contact in their initiatives in order to effectively reduce the stigma of mental illness.
BIBLIOGRAPHY Arasse, Daniel. Complete Guide to Mental Health. Allen Lane Press,New York, 1989. Gingerich, Susan. Coping With Schizophrenia. New Harbinger Publications, Inc. Oakland, 1994. Kass, Stephen. Schizophrenia: The Facts. Oxford University Press. New York, 1997. Muesen, Kim. “Schizophrenia”. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. Microsoft Corporation, 1998. Young, Patrick. The Encyclopedia od Health, Psychological Disorders and Their Treatment. Herrington Publications. New York, 1991.
Thoit, Link, Bruce G., and Jo C. Phelan. "Labeling and Stigma." Handbook of the sociology of mental health. Springer Netherlands, 2013. 525-541.
Throughout her presentation, she explains how public stigmas, once again, cause label avoidance pushing many who need help away from treatment. She then goes on to explain how these stereotyped behaviors cause discrimination towards people with a mental illness from employment to housing which only leads to the creation of more stigmas. Finally, she states how the impact of stigmas is associated with the reduction of self-esteem, overall poor health, and problems with interpersonal relationships (Willits). By using this presentation I am able to connect what we have learned about mental health stigmas to my article. First off, for example, Morris explains how psychiatric units invoke people to imagine a frightening place where insane patients are strapped down and poked and prodded for care (Morris). This stereotypical idea relates to how Willits described general stereotypes associated with mental illness such as crazy and dangerous (Willits). On top of that, Willits explained how these stigmas have negative consequences for patients (Willits). This relates to Morris’s explanation on how the stigma around institutions has caused these units to shut down forcing many people to be homeless or live in jail
Millions of individuals will be affected by poor mental health, although anyone can experience these problems, there are people from certain backgrounds and social situations who put themselves at greater risk; there are many more factors than can influence or worsen the disorder. There are current theoretical models that analyse mental health stigma as a complex theme that involves many features, such as; social environment/backgrounds, stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, behavioural problems and discrimination (Świtaj et al., 2014). There are many authors of different articles that agree that stigmatisation cannot be understood to it full extent without considering the perspective of people with mental illnesses, who ultimately play an important
...tion. Studies show that there is a link between health status and family relationships and its influence to the weakness, adjustment, and recovery of a schizophrenia patient. Social factors such as social deprivation, poverty, ethnicity and immigration have been linked to causing schizophrenia. Research done in the 1980s and 1990s stated that there were high rates of schizophrenia in the Afro-Caribbean community in Britain. This signifies a link between the illness and ethnicity. However, studies done recently have showed that a high level of schizophrenia in immigrant populations. This signifies the factor is migration rather than ethnicity.
Claire Henderson, Sara Evans-Lacko, Clare Flach, Graham, Thornicrofi. "Responses to Mental Health Stigma Questions: "The Importance of Social Desirability and Data Collection Method." Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. Mar 2012. Vol 57, No3. Nursing/Academic Edition. Web. 01 Apr 2014.
Walker, E., Kestler, L., Bollini, A., & Hochman, K. M. (2004). Schizophrenia: Etiology and course. Annual Review of Psychology, 55(1), 401-430. doi: 10.1146/annurev.psych.55.090902.141950
The two different types of stigma have different effects on the attitude towards those with mental health issues. The public stigma can lead to discrimination and prejudice. The prejudice and discrimination that result from the public stigma can prevent those diag...