Mental
illness myth
Have
you ever heard the claim that mental illnesses aren't real diseases? It was said by Thomas Szasz in 1960 when he began to question psychiatry. Thus, the patients of
psychiatric hospitals were acknowledged to be the victims of society which was
spreading the repression against non-conformist individuals. These beliefs are
currently associated with the term of anty-psychiatric. It was firstly used 7
years after the 'Myth of Mental Illness' of Thomas Szasz being released, in
1967 by David Cooper, who, ironically, was a psychiatrist. The anty-psychiatry
consists of a few basic claims, as following:
• Mind isn't an physical organ so it cannot be ill.
• Scientific methods cannot explain subjective deviation from the
norms, because the direct observation (of thought processes) cannot be carried
out.
• Mental disorders might be underwriten as an effect of social/ethical/political
factors.
• The label given for the patients is a fake tool used by society in
order to keep the stability.
• Medical treatment, as well as hospitalization, is harmful for a
patients.
Anti-psychiatry theorem supporters stand for the possibility to gain
the one's own experiences, independently from the social norms and judgements.
They also perceive different aspects of psychiatric treatment, especially
hospitalization and compulsory pharmacotherapy, as a violence. Szasz demanded
the separation of psychiatry and law, which means, among others, the removal of
the mental incompetence state as a factor leading up to the legal
irresponsibility of the commited crimes. Moreover, it woudn't be possible to
take away one's entitlement due to the mental illeness.
As you could have already noticed, all of the sources mentioned in
this presentation come from 60s. It was the time, when many of opponents standed
for their rights and tried to prove psychiatrists wrong. Once, eight 'normal'
metal healthy researchers tried to get access to a few mental hospitals. Seven
of them were diagnosed as schizophrenics, as they claimed that they were
hearing empty and hollow voices. After some time, they admitted that there were
no more symptoms, but the doctors stated the diagnose of 'schizophrenia in
remission' just after 3 weeks.
The same researchers stated the question what could happen in
reverse situation. They spread the misinformation about the patients pretending
to be schizophrenics in a mental hospital. In effect, 19 of genuine patients
were suspected to be frauds. In conclusion, anti-psychiatry gained the stong
evidence of how are the sane and insane people distinguised in mental hospitals
according to the well-known symptomes.
1. Do you think that mental illness is a disease, just like cold,
cancer etc.?
2. Do you consider medical treatments as an effective way of
treating mental disorders?
3. Do you stand for the law saying that someone could have been
unconscious while commiting a crime and therefore one cannot be sentenced?
4. Is, in your opinion, taking away basic entitlements from the
mental disabled individual inhumane?
5. Last, famous study (experiment) was critisized as unethical, what
do you think about that?
Comments
Speaking of law for unconscious people, I think that there should be even easier sentences, because in their’s mental state they are very dangerous for society and should be kept far away from everyone. No matter what is person disorder they should be sentenced and kept either in jail or in mental hospital.
People is such state don’t really think about their entitlements. If they are not capable of rational thinking they need supervisor who will take care of them and for instance decide about medical treatment.
mental illness causes often misbehavior . They don’t think clear, they can’t so healthy people should help them and don’t leave them. mental ilness people can hurt our and themself.
I think every case should be examined individually. Some disorders could enchase or decrease some brain abilities and being different shouldn't be stigmatized when a person isn't a safety threat.
It is very hard to say how to understand crimes done by 'psychos'. This is something I really can't judge. In my opinion it is extremely hard subject that I really can't say anything about, I really don't know how to adjudicate it.
Since my subject for oral matura exam was something like insanity in literature and pop-culture I did some reading, seen some movies... Ans if you're interested I would really recommend a book by Polish author, Jerzy Krzysztoń, called "Obłęd". He wrote it while being treated for schizophrenia in a mental hospital. A really interesting book, gives you some insight it what's going on in metally ill person's head.
For me taking away basic entitlements isn't inhuman in such cases, it's rather attempt to integrate mentally disable people into society.
Regarding to law, I allow something like a crime in affection but I think that it is often abused in order to mitigate the punishment. People who are unable to function in society to such a degree that to make simple decisions need a second person should be deprived of their powers as far as their potential decisions threaten society.
At the same time I am not sure that there is a way to cure people with such diseases with medical treatment, and even more I am sure that such people should be without control from the side of the government.
Depends on the situation, if it is really sick person - through procedure he or she will be moved to the hospital for the people with mental disorders and it is hard to call much better than prison.
In case they are representing danger to the society and themselves then there is no other way. It could be inhumane, but I don't want to be killed by some looney just because some one decided that it is inhumane to deprive him from his rights. If the person cannot fulfill its basic social obligations its rights should be limited.
Maybe yes or maybe no, who knows? ISIS does much more terrible and unethical things.
Every disease that does harm to someone is real for me.
I agree that study was unethical and rather not meaningful. People tend to act like other people when they are spending time with them. It might be not the 'placebo effect' but people wanted to be close with their environment.
As for you 4th question, I agree with Svitlana. I wouldn't want to be harmed by someone seriously mentally ill just because it's not okay to take away their rights. Maybe it's inhumane, but so is, for example, killing other person.
Besides, there are many illnesses and they cannot be treated the same way. For example, I can't imagine dealing with schizophrenia only by theraphy (if I'm wrong though, please correct me).
Besides, I can't agree with your definiton of a mental illness - I am diagnosed with depression and anxiety and I don't feel I'm threatening the safety of other people or doing something illegal. :P
A few days ago I saw a promoted video on youtube - Living with depression (made by Polish people, by the way) and I was really shocked, because most of the people in the comments stated that mental illnesses aren't illnesses at all, but some combo of laziness and making up problems that don't exist.
As a person diagnosed a few years ago with depression, I was really infuriated with those comments. Mental illnesses are illnesses, and they can be as severe as psychical ones. It's not the lack of will, it's unbalanced chemistry in your brain, causing your emotions and behaviour to change. I must say I'm relieved no one here said a thing like that. :)
However, I disagree with people who say here that only theraphy is a 'valid' method of curing a mental illness. There are two types of mental illnesses: the ones caused by some events in your life and the ones caused by the chemistry in your brain alone (sometimes these types are called 'minor' and 'major', which has nothing to do with how serious they are). If you have the first one, it's of course the best to start a theraphy and solve the problems that caused an illness. However, if you have the second type, a theraphy can't do much alone. In both cases, meds can help - from my on experience, if your state is really bad, there's no way you'll seek theraphy, because you're too weak to do anything. Only after you take meds for a while, you're in a state that allows you to take a theraphy.
From what I know to be a psychiatrist you take about 12 years in various fields.
So I will not answer any of your questions, because even after reading your article I do not think I can speak on a topic related to mental health.
2. For me medical treatments are some kind of easy way of solving a problem and to be honest some kind of strong weakness. All the humans are undergoing the same processes and we are able to fix ourselves. The only problem is that we need to be in constant pursue of solutions and happiness. As long as we step out of our journey, bad things happen.
3. There might be a way that a person could have been unconscious during committing a crime and that might be because of strong emotions running in one's body. However, it doesn't exclude a fact that such a person knew what he/she was going to do and such a thing must have had appeared in one's head.
4. In my opinion mentally disabled people should have some entitlements and this is for their serious weakness of mind, however, before getting any money because of their illness there should be an organized treatment session to help those people find a way to get out of a state in which they are.
5. I will not give a comment on that cause I don't have any opinion on this. Everybody got one's own opinion and let's leave it like that.
I have never been in need of such therapy so I can’t tell for sure it is effective or not, but I know some people that were taking medicine to help them fight depression. One thing that people don’t know about depression meds is that they don’t make you feel better – they make you indifferent. You stop caring about anything, you are numb. I think that the best results are obtained if pharmacological treatment is combined with psychological therapy. Help from friends and family is very important too. I recommend watching this short film about depression made by a Polish artist. It helps understand what depression is.
In my opinion it is possible to commit a crime while being unconscious. I have been told many times that I was talking with somebody while sleeping and I don’t remember anything. My mom often wakes my brother up in the morning and tells him what to do today – he wakes up after a couple of minutes and he is completely unaware that he was told to do something. My friend jokes that he makes his girlfriend agree to some things (like vacation plans etc.) while she is asleep (but responsive). There are so many cases of sleepwalkers doing bad things while asleep or mentally challenged people hurting others (just because they don’t know any better). However, I think that not sentencing mentally ill people for the crimes they committed is not good – real criminals may take advantage of this defence strategy therefore making all the truly ill people seem fraudulent.
I feel that our mental helth is just as important as our physical condition.
Some mental disorders are caused by changes within our brain or chemical reactions in our body (not that I'm an expert on the subject), so it's not unreasonable to treat them with medications. I also think that if experts prove that someone can't be held fully responsible for their actions it can be used as a attenuating circumstance. I also think that's exactly why mental illness should be more of a toppic - treating them can in a way prevent many tragedies.
I think the anti-psychiatry is an idea that should stay where it belongs, in the sixties. Just like corporal punishment in schools or wide use of asbestos in construction.
I do not really know much about it but I know it is a really big problem.
I do not know the answer, but i think that because of the lack of reference point we shouldnt evaluate someone's mental health.
I'm sorry, but paying too much attention to "mentally ill" people does not feel like an evolution at all - in fact it seems like a civilizational regress. Don't get me wrong here, I'm not saying we shouldn't try to help them at all, I'm just trying to say that we shouldn't really judge their actions through the prism of the illness, at least until there's a way to really examine the brain and identify disabilities in a scientific way.
Some may think that depression is 'made up', but same people often assume either brain being a magic thing of limitless possibilities and no boundaries, or think that what make people themselves is not their central nervous system but some spiritual mumbo jumbo.
But despite this, I absolutely agree with you (and Svitlana).
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