Mental illnesses (Article)

[prownced]

Okay I wrote this for the school newspaper, since they were short on health articles; I was hoping to do an editorial, but c'est la vie.

Any (constructive) critisism is most apreciated, as are comments. I haven't had anyone edit this yet, except me, and all the writers here know how easy it is to miss your own mistakes.

Forget the Stereotypes

When you think of the phrase mental illness what sort of image comes to mind? If you instantly picture a scene out of a movie –any movie- you’re most likely on the wrong track, but not to worry, the reason informative articles are written is in fact, to inform.

It’s been estimated that over the course of our lives, more than twenty percent of the population will be affected by some kind of mental illness. This statistic seems fairly high, if you only take into account the “classic” mental illnesses like schizophrenia. But the truth is that this statistic includes eating disorders, like bulimia; personality disorders, like narcissism and mood disorders like depression. This brings about a question that is in a constant state of debate: what is a mental illness?

The answer to this is not as straightforward as labeling someone as “crazy” and deciding that they need to be locked up for the rest of their life. This is not only stereotypical but has also been proven a hundred times over not to accomplish anything. A mental illness is not one exact definition or another; depending on the type of illness or disorder, its cause and definition varies. For a first example, let’s use one of the most well known mental illnesses; schizophrenia. While many people have made the assumption that people suffering from schizophrenia are “faking it” or are just seeking attention, the real scientific explanation is that this illness is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain that at times can be passed on genetically. As a second example, personality disorders like obsessive-compulsive disorder (or OCD,) are generally caused by alterations in thinking, mood and behavior; although all types of mental illnesses can fall under this description.

While all mental illnesses fall under the same generic category, there are many different types of them. This spectrum can often cause people to confuse illnesses and their symptoms and Hollywood hasn’t been much help in clarifying them. One of the most often confused mental illnesses is Disassociative Identity Disorder (or DID.) Usually mistaken for schizophrenia, this mental illness’ most well known symptom is the splitting of personalities. DID is caused by repeated abuses or traumas and an individual’s defense mechanism of disassociating themselves from these situations. Based on the “disassociated” memories, different personalities are formed. There is the “host” personality or the original, then there can be up to or over thirteen other personalities which become dominant depending on the situation being faced. Although the two mental illnesses are often confused and schizophrenia is often used as an interchangeable term, the symptoms of schizophrenia are distinctly unrelated. The characteristic symptoms of schizophrenia are delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech and behavior. Schizophrenia can be broken down into three general groups: catatonic, where particularities of movement or lack there of are visible; paranoid, where delusions, beliefs and vivid hallucinations are present and disorganized type, which is categorized by thought disorder and lack of or decline of emotional responses. These mental illnesses may be better known but it should be kept in mind that they only make up a small five percent of all mental illness diagnosis and that the most common ones like depression and anxiety disorders can in some cases be kept secret.

There are many ways that mental illnesses can be cured or treated but the first, and arguably the most difficult, is to seek help. It might sound simple but this can be much more difficult than going to the doctor and asking for a prescription, since there seems to be a stigma and stereotype attached to the mentally ill. After seeking help from a psychiatrist or someone equally qualified, there are different ways of receiving treatment that differ by the illness’ type and severity. One of the most common treatments is psychotherapy, which is generally a series of verbal exchanges in an attempt to discover the cause of the illness and to help with recovering from it. Another fairly common treatment is medication, which is not to say that patients are drugged senseless, but means that prescribed medication is given to help stabilize certain brain or body functions that may add to the severity of the illness. One of the most common of these is when drugs are taken to stabilize hormones or other chemicals in the brain to help prevent fluxes in mood and to prevent hallucinations. Arguably the most important success factor is the support and understanding of friends and family to help give patients the will and motivation to triumph over their illness and the stigma that comes with it. The stigma that comes with mental illnesses is so engrained into our society that we don’t even give a second thought about it. Haven’t you ever noticed that even while such a large percentage of the population suffers from a mental illness, they’re never discussed? If mental illnesses were treated as they were: an imbalance of biological chemicals and a series of unfortunate events, then the stigma that went with them would be nonexistent.

For the moment and in our society, there are two things to remember about mental illnesses, the first being that they affect everyone, whether directly or indirectly. The second is that all mental illnesses are treatable to a degree and many people diagnosed with them are able to live fulfilling lives. Forget the stereotypes; remember the facts.


(the end)

So, how to improve this? I need to submit it fairly soon, so any pointers are a very good thing. (I hate writing news articles and essays... gimme stories!)
_________________
Meow.