Mental Illness HSP3UC

Define Mental Illness Each group will have a mental health issue

What is Mental Illness There are different kinds of mental illness’ each characterized by different sets of symptoms that affect how we think, feel and behave. Symptoms can include depressed mood, extreme mood swings, disturbances in thought or perception, obsessions or fears, or other overwhelming feelings of anxiety. Most mental disorders cannot be definitively diagnosed with an objective medical test.

Stigma Around Mental Illness

Stigma Surrounding Mental Illness People with mental illnesses are seen as “dangerous” and “unstable” There is the idea that the cause of mental illness is personal "weakness” Some believe that those suffering from mental illness cannot be social contributors

Do They Fit the Stigma? Bi-Polar Depression Suicide Attempt Clinical Depression Bulimia

Canadians on Mental Illness 50 per cent of Canadians who would tell friends or co-workers that they have a family member with a mental illness This is compared to 72 per cent and 68 per cent who would discuss diagnoses of cancer or diabetes, respectively 46 per cent of Canadians think the term "mental illness" is used as an excuse for poor behaviour and personal failings. 1 in 10 Canadians think that people with mental illness could "just snap out of it if they wanted." 1 in 4 Canadians is afraid of being around someone who suffers from serious mental illness. 1 in 9 Canadians think depression is not a mental illness, and one in two think it is not a serious condition. -Survey from Stats Canada

The Danger of Stigma People with mental illness and their friends and family often say that the stigma and discrimination they face is worse than the illness itself Self-stigma occurs when people with mental illness and their families internalize society’s negative attitudes towards them, leading to self blame and low self esteem Aside from being personally painful, stigma is dangerous.  It prevents people from asking for help in the first place. It leads to feelings of helplessness and hopelessness – when, in fact, people can and do recover from mental illness.

How Common is Mental Illness? Statistics show that one in every five Canadians will have a mental health problem at some point in their lives Mental illnesses account for a large percentage of hospital stays every year  Almost all Canadians know someone with a mental illness

Mental Illness: A History

Stone Age In pre-historic times, Mental illness was believed to have come from evil spirits Different tribes had different methods of dealing with this issue, but it usually involved spells, or a treatment called Trepanation

Sample Trepanation

Trepanation  Trepanation is the practice of drilling a hole through part of the skull without damaging the brain. It was believed to allow the spirits trapped inside the skull to release. Skulls with trepanning holes dating back more than 10,000 years have been found in Neolithic Europe and South America. Surprisingly, the survival rate grew as high as 90%

Ancient Greece Hippocrates was the first notable people to reject the idea that mental illness was not completely caused by evil spirits He proposed that mental illnesses came from the environment, and he suggested that the treatment depended on what caused the problems “Madness” was associated both with negative and positive aspects. It was believed that madness could lead to prophesy and inspiration

Rome Rome followed the pattern of Greece, and improved on the Greek idea of environment as the main contributing force Eventually, Rome began to publicly fund organizations to help the mentally sick It was believed that a good diet of fruits and vegetables could cure those suffering from mental affliction

The Dark Ages

The Middle Ages With the end of the Roman Empire, there was a return to superstition and fear Patients who were mentally sick were believed to be possessed by witches There was also the myth that madness stemmed from wolf spirits, creating a belief in lycanthropy or werewolves Exorcisms were a popular method of curing mental illness

16th Century London, England opened the world’s 1st mental institution, Bethlem hospital (otherwise known as Bedlam) The hospital was focused on keeping individuals restrained and away from society Had very brutal methods of “treating’ individuals Treatment was so barbaric that some in London would pay to watch the inmates

Bethlem Hospital Mental hospitals made even healthy individuals insane

Age of Enlightenment-18th Century In the 18th Century there was a new sense of duty to do something with those who were mentally handicapped Asylums were built throughout the western world. Although these asylums were intended as refuge for the mentally ill, abuses were common There was a great increase in the number of people diagnosed with mental illness In 1870 London Ontario opened a provincial lunatic asylum (now LPH)

Early Twentieth Century In the beginning of the 20th C Sigmund Freud and other psychoanalysts began to explore mentality As a result, psychoanalysis sought to explain the source of mental illness The First World War introduces the idea of shellshock 3/5 soldiers returned from the war with some kind of emotional disorder

Medical Practices in the mid-20th Century In the mid 1950’s there was a new approach to mental health to do more than just house those suffering New, more brutal treatments emerged These treatments built off the research done on the brain Electric Shock Therapy

"She was absolutely violently suicidal beforehand "She was absolutely violently suicidal beforehand.  After the transorbital lobotomy there was nothing.  It stopped immediately.  It was just peace.  I don't know how to explain it to you; it was like turning a coin over.  That quick.  So whatever he [Dr. Freeman] did, he did something right."

Medication In the 1960’s, the western world went through a process of deinstitutionalization Medication became more readily available, and those suffering from less serious mental illness could be treated outside the asylum Although it allowed most people to become productive members of society, many faced problems where they could not adequately take care of themselves Canadians are the highest per-capita users of medication

Defining Mental Illness Today Categories Anxiety Disorders Mood Disorders Personality Disorders Schizophrenia Eating Disorders Substance Disorders

Defining Mental Illness Mental illness is a label for behaviour that does not meet social expectations What does this explanation of mental illness imply about our assessment of mental illness?