Many aspects have changed throughout history, causing revolutions in technology, gender, relationships, and many more societal conditions. One that I believe that has had a great impact within the 21st century is the transformation of mental health. Throughout history, mental health has always been frowned upon; if you were bipolar, you were labeled insane. If you were depressed, you were labeled as weak. And if you had any other mental condition, you were labeled crazy.
With the 21st century, societies have become more accepting of mental illnesses, as they have even now been considered almost as important as physical health (although I believe it is more important than physical health). In the past, mental health professions had not been very prominent within the medical world, but now there are separate programs in order for further developments in the fields. Physcology allows for study of the mind, as psychologists study different mental illnesses and how they affect the ways humans interact and how they operate in society. Along with psychology fields such as sociology and social work allow people to study how to help those who suffer with mental illnesses, as stigmas around therapy have become less prominent in the social world.
Another important aspect apart of the mental health paradigm shift is that fact that now in doctor’s offices for your yearly check up and other appointments, patients are required to fill out an evaluation of their mental health and how they have been feeling. This to me proves the development society has made towards bettering attitudes around mental health as it has become a serious problem, with a yearly average of about 50,000 deaths by suicide. With this statistic,
This is a very interesting topic, and I think that you’re very correct. There have been enormous improvements in the field of mental health and its treatment. One section of your talk or essay could be based on the previous treatment of the mentally ill (such as lobotomies or insane asylums). This could be an excellent essay. Good luck!
This is a great topic to choose, especially if you focus on how doctors have treated mental illness over the years. There would certainly be a lot to look into with that going back to asylums and archaic treatments to today. My one caution, is to just not be too broad and define what about mental illness you want to discuss! Great choice!
Mental health is a predominant shift, so there’s tons of information especially today about mental health, including the science, social, and historical parts of it. I would try to find some more statistics about suicide if you decide to go that route, or maybe discuss the qualifications for mental illness in the past and now. Overall, it’s a great topic to choose from.