I’m thinking about writing my paper on the perceptions and treatment of people with mental illnesses over time in America. I’ll most likely do sort of a summary over several centuries, indicating the more important dates and significant shifts throughout the period. I wish to show the drastic improvement in understanding toward these people, all the while expressing that this issue, albeit not as serious, still exists in our world today.
There has been a drastic shift over time from the previous cruelty and misunderstanding of those afflicted with serious disorders, and even the more moderate ones. I plan to highlight the major shifts from aylums and institutions, to modern psychiatry, psychology, and medicine. As we move along through time, I wish to show that there is still a definite stigmata that comes along with misinterpreted psychological terms (i.e. therapy, schizophrenia, etc.).
I hope to provide, through well-researched sources, examples of this previous mistreatment and history, as well as insight into its effects upon current public opinion and culture.
I believe that this is actually a fairly big issue and other people really should care about it. Although the treatment and medical understanding of mental ailments has drastically improved over the years, public understanding is still sorely lacking.
There is still a lot of labelling and ignominy that accompanies mental illness. This is observable in many ways, from its use as derogatory slang (“You’re insane!” or “Man, he’s such a spaz.” etc.) to its representation in the media and other avenues of pop culture.
People are legitimately suffering from all sorts of disorders. More often than not, people tend to shy away from getting help for fear of judgment from their peers! I’ve personally known people who have suffered immensely under this burden. I hope to bring some of this to light and help bring more understanding to this situation.
Any suggestions and tips would be greatly appreciated!
My major is Premed, so mental illnesses greatly interest me. Schizophrenia is a particularly interesting one, and, as you mentioned people often misuse or misunderstand it, most don’t know that there are multiple forms of schizophrenia, and only the paranoid form actually has any correlation with violence. I think the topic is great!
This is a great idea for a paradigm shift. There are so many levels of mental illness that have been researched more recently that have profound impacts on how we all relate to each other. I think the healthcare and medical systems have improved greatly in the past decades but still have room for improvement as more and more becomes known about mental illness. Increased sensitivity in every day language is definitely important, as you pointed out. I think your idea seems well thought out and like a great topic for you!