Psychology Discussion week 7

This is a graded discussion: 25 points possible due Jun 22 at 1:59am

Week 7 Discussion: Psychological Disorders 42 42

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Required Resources Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Initial Post Instructions Psychological disorders are often portrayed in the movies and television shows, but they are not always accurate depictions and may contribute to the stigma that people suffering from psychological disorders experience. What is the role of culture and society in the prevalence and stigmatization of psychological disorders? How can we, as a society help those with psychological disorders overcome the stigma?

Be sure to make connections between your ideas and conclusions and the research, concepts, terms, and theory we are discussing this week.

Follow-Up Post Instructions Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.

Writing Requirements

Grading This activity will be graded using the Discussion Grading Rubric. Please review the following link:

Course Outcomes (CO): 7

Due Date for Initial Post: By 11:59 p.m. MT on Wednesday Due Date for Follow-Up Posts: By 11:59 p.m. MT on Sunday

Course Outcomes (CO) 7

Textbook: Chapters 15, 16 Lesson

Minimum of 3 posts (1 initial & 2 follow-up) Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and an outside source) APA format for in-text citations and list of references

Link (webpage): Discussion Guidelines

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(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/141373)Ganna Shvets (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/141373) Monday

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Hello Professor and classmates,

This week we are discussing psychological disorders, which include anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, dissociative disorders, mood disorders, and schizophrenia. Explanations of different disorders differ amongst countries, and cultural factors influence the specific symptoms of the disorder. Feldman (2018), describes the controversies in disorder classification by the society, for example, what some call mood dysregulation disorder characterized by temperamental outbursts in children between the ages of 6 and 18, others call a temper tantrum rather than a disorder. These controversies prove that our understanding of various disorders and abnormal behavior reflects the society and the culture we live in.

Culture and especially society play a big role in the stigmatization of psychological disorders. Perry, Lawrence, and Henderson (2020) define the stigmatization of psychological disorders as medically unwarranted. This social process of stigmatization influences our attitudes and behaviors—people with mental health conditions identified as problematic and are seen as different. On a larger scale, culture, and social contexts, not only determine, but also shape the mental health of minorities and alter the types of mental health services they use. The first thing we can do as a society to help those with psychological disorders overcome stigma is to try and understand the reasons for their behavior. We must try to “put ourselves in their shoes” and consider their social background. We must educate ourselves on the topic of mental health and mental disorders and promote mental health assessments. We must speak out against stigma, and encourage treatment for those in need.

References

Feldman, R.S. (2018). Understanding Psychology (14th ed.). Dubuque: McGraw-Hill Education.

Perry, A., Lawrence, V., & Henderson, C. (2020). Stigmatization of those with mental health conditions in the acute general hospital setting. A qualitative framework synthesis. Social Science & Medicine. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.112974

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/136348)Krista Tad-Y (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/136348) Yesterday

Hello, Anna.

This line is entirely true:

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“We must educate ourselves on the topic of mental health and mental disorders and promote mental health assessments.”

Prior to this class discussion about Psychological disorders, I am guilty of the fact that I see people with mental disorders as someone dangerous and handful. Perhaps it is because I see fallacies of how they were portrayed on TV. See our sources and information are very important towards understanding the things around us. With what you said, I was enlightened and it gave me a positive outlook about these people who are in dire need of support. That they don’t deserve to be treated as outcasts or someone to be left behind due to wrong beliefs.

If people are properly informed and educated, they have the capacity to make a difference. They learn that they can change a situation and give the right response. Say for example, if we have fever and we are given antihistamine, we will not be cured. But, if we are given an antipyretic or analgesic drug, then we’ll see promising results and improvement.

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/69954)Renee Owens (Instructor) Apr 22, 2020

You may begin posting in this discussion forum on Monday, June 15th.

Psychological disorders are often portrayed in the movies and television shows, but they are not always accurate depictions and may contribute to the stigma that people suffering from psychological disorders experience. Dr. Stephen Hinshaw, a professor of psychology at the University of California-Berkeley stated that, “The worst stereotypes come out in such depictions: mentally ill individuals as incompetent, dangerous, slovenly, undeserving. The portrayals serve to distance ‘them’ from the rest of ‘us’” (Fawcett,

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2015).

*Please be sure to review the discussion guidelines via the link provided above as to make sure you understand how discussions will be graded. Remember to cite all of your sources in APA format (in-text citations and list of references)*

*Initial response should be submitted by Wednesday, June 17th, 11:59 pm MT and discussion requirements need to be met by Sunday, June 21st 11:59 pm MT.*

References

Fawcett, K. (2015, April 16). How mental illness is misinterpreted in the media. Retrieved from https://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2015/04/16/how-mental- illness-is-misrepresented-in-the-media (https://health.usnews.com/health-news/health- wellness/articles/2015/04/16/how-mental-illness-is-misrepresented-in-the-media)

What is the role of culture and society in the prevalence and stigmatization of psychological disorders? How can we, as a society help those with psychological disorders overcome the stigma?

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/148121)Nicolle Bray (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/148121) Monday

Professor,

There are an abundance of psychological disorders. Each one is unique in it’s own way. We can observe someone with a psychological disorder and can be completely oblivious to the fact that they are suffering from a psychological disorder. On the other hand, it can be apparent that someone has a psychological disorder, considered to be behavior that is abnormal (Feldman, 2018). The disorders that are visible to society has built a reputation for all psychological disorders both evident and concealed. Culture and society have built a stigma around those with these disorders. This stigma is established on the lack of knowledge and mislead perspectives society has on psychological disorders (Davey, 2013). People suffering from these are seen as violent, manipulative and in some cases a plea for attention. Along with social stigma, there is self-stigma. This happens when the person suffering perceives themselves they way society does, which can cause shame making the disorder difficult to treat (Davey, 2013). We as society can end the stigma on psychological disorders. Acquiring the correct knowledge on how mental illness functions is a start. In addiction, we can change our negative outlook on those who suffer. Our acceptance of those inflicted can be obtained when our attitude towards them is changed. I personally have several mental illnesses. Being discriminated because of my disorders is not something I

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would wish on anyone. I believe that those of us with mental illnesses can help end the stigma as well, by finding our voice. Speaking up to society and let them see the person we are, not the illness. We have to work together for the stigma to end. Everyone has a part they can do.

References

Feldman, R.S. (2018). Understanding Psychology (14th ed.) Dubuque: McGraw-Hill Education.

Davey, G. (2013). Mental Health & Stigma. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/why-we-worry/201308/mental-health-stigma (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/why-we-worry/201308/mental-health-stigma)

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/141373)Ganna Shvets (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/141373) Tuesday

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Hello Nicolle,

I absolutely loved reading your post! You are right, it starts with everyone speaking up on mental health, and those with disorders speaking up for themselves and getting the assistance they need. The problem will not be fixed unless we voice it. Mental health should be perceived in the same way physical health is. We go to the doctor when we are in pain, it makes no difference whether it is physical or emotional pain, and it is okay not to be okay. Our physical or mental illnesses do not define us, these are challenges that we must overcome, and we need help overcoming. Just like it is possible to live well with physical problems, the same goes for psychological disorders. It is merely a matter of finding the right treatment plan and having a support team. Apart from professional help, other things can positively influence our mental health. Among them are a healthy diet, exercise, ample sleep, and surrounding ourselves with positivity.

Thank you again for sharing and all the best to you,

Anna

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/136348)Krista Tad-Y (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/136348) Yesterday

Hi, Nicolle.

I would like to agree on this line you said:

“Our acceptance of those inflicted can be obtained when our attitude towards them is changed.”

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I second your statement. If we are to label these people with psychological disorders and see them as someone who cannot be accepted by the society, who else will help them? Where else will they fit in? I believe everybody has something within themselves that they find not normal. As for me, some unusual things I discovered are mannerisms. I also have anxiety at certain times and I am narcissistic. But I don’t see it as something alarming. We have our own coping mechanisms, but there are those unfortunate ones who don’t have the abilities to handle the situation.

I think we should look at people, who cannot adapt, in a way that we care about them rather than judging them based on the stigma that was created in our minds by what we see on the television. They need our utmost empathy and help, we need to guide them towards the betterment of their condition.

Thank you for voicing this out.

Krista

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/145729)Amanda Chappell- Walkwitz (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/145729) Monday

Hey, Dr. O and classmates,

I’m sure everyone here is probably familiar with the movie “Finding Nemo”. If not, it’s about a fish named Nemo being stolen from his dad, Marlon, and taken to a faraway place. His dad vows to find him and on the way, he runs into a fish named Dory. Dory has really bad short-term memory, is impulsive, and can’t easily follow multi-step directions. In the end, Dory ends up motivating Marlon to continue searching for his son and they find him. It’s implied that if it weren’t for Dory, then Marlon may not have found the courage to keep going to find Nemo. Many people have equated Dory’s personality to someone with severe ADHD. In the movie it’s played out to be a set of funny, quirky personality traits that she has that somehow lead to the two fish getting out of any trouble that they find.

Unfortunately, in the real world, ADHD isn’t just a forgetful person with a quirky personality who’s mistakes always work out in the end. Clinical characteristics of ADHD include inattentiveness, impulsivity, low tolerance for frustration, and generally inappropriate behavior (Feldman, 2018). This disorder is often diagnosed in childhood, but kids are sometimes misdiagnosed or over-diagnosed because all children display these traits at times (Feldman, 2018). The fact that ADHD is often over-diagnosed contributes to the stigma that many have about it. From personal experience, I’ve learned not to talk about mine and my daughter’s diagnosis of ADHD. Initially after our diagnosis, if the topic would come up in conversation, I would disclose mine and my daughter’s ADHD diagnosis to continue the conversation. That disclosure was almost always followed up by someone saying one or more of these things: “you guys just need more structure in your lives”, “you guys don’t have it, you just need to cut sugar and red dye”, “you just need to discipline her more firmly”, “she’ll

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grow out of it as she gets older”, or my personal favorite “I hope you aren’t drugging yourselves for it, that stuff is one molecule away from being meth.”

As a result of these comments I waited a long time to start medications for ADHD or to get them for my daughter and I was terrified to take it for the first time once I had the bottle of pills in my hand, which is unfortunate because this medicine has completely turned our lives around. It has been noted that the majority of people stigmatizing others with an ADHD diagnosis think that there medications zombify people and zap their personalities (Mueller, Fuermaier, Koerts, &Tucha, 2012), but this couldn’t be further from the truth. On the contrary, proper dosing of medications can allow a person to flourish and increase their self-esteem.

As a society we can shrink the stigma that comes with psychological disorders by starting with the children. Inclusive classrooms have been shown to be beneficial to both children with disabilities and children without them. Children with disabilities score better on standardized testing when in an inclusive environment and children without disabilities show a reduced fear for human difference, growth of social cognition, and development of personal moral and ethical principles (Hehir et. al, 2016). Another way we can shrink stigma is to have high schoolers take mental health or psychology classes while in school. They may or may not do this now, I have no idea as I haven’t been in high school for around 13 years. Finally, there should be some kind of material available at different medical offices, such as a brochure or magazine, or maybe even something that someone can scan with their smartphone to further educate about mental illnesses. It could even, potentially be made into a game. People are much more likely to retain information that way. Educating children and making the next generation a better one is definitely going to be the best bet in my opinion.

References:

Feldman, R. S. (2018). Understanding psychology (14th ed.). Dubuque, New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

Hedhir, T., Grindal, T., Freeman, B., Lamoreau, R., Borquaye, Y., & Burke, S. (2016). A summary of the evidence on inclusive education. ABT Associates Alana, 1-34.

Mueller, A. K., Fuermaier, A. B., Koerts, J., & Tucha, L. (2012). Stigma in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders, 4(3), 101-114. doi:10.1007/s12402-012-0085-3

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/148121)Nicolle Bray (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/148121) Tuesday

Amanda,

I know all to well how the stigma of ADHD can cause problems with those that have it. Along with myself, both of my children have it. My daughter is 10. She was diagnosed at 7. My son is 6 and was just diagnosed a couple months ago. The biggest criticism I faced with my children was the discipline aspect vs medication. I was constantly being told that I just need to have a stricter regimen. My immediate family however are more knowledgeable than most about ADHD, due to witnessing my many attempts to

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control the behavior that is associated with ADHD. The only concern my family seemed to have was possibility of my children becoming addicts because of the medication and my personal history with drugs. However my family was behind whatever decision I made. Even though they suffered courtesy stigma from other relatives. Courtesy stigma is when close relatives or close friends are adversely judged due to their sheer affiliation with individual being ridiculed (LaSala, 2010). I agree with you on education of mental illness. This could be a key factor in ending the stigma of mental illness. Stay strong mama! You are not alone.

Refence

LaSala, M.C. (2010). Parents of Gay Children and Courtesy Stigma. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/gay-and-lesbian-well-being/201008/parents-gay- children-and-courtesy-stigma (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/gay-and-lesbian-well- being/201008/parents-gay-children-and-courtesy-stigma)

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/141373)Ganna Shvets (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/141373) Tuesday

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Hello Amanda,

Thank you for sharing about yourself and your daughter. I could not agree with you more, especially on the proper dosing of medications. One of my best friends was also diagnosed with ADHD. Thanks to her medication, she has become much more confident and accepting of herself. She recently graduated from a nursing school and is now successfully treating patients here in the DMV. Information is key, and educating ourselves and our children is essential in overcoming the stigma of psychological disorders. Holding seminars in schools and workplaces would be ideal for spreading the knowledge and empowering people on the subject of mental health as a whole, and specifically in the area of stigmas. I believe this strategy will gradually affect public opinion, and eventually, psychological disorders will present no more stigma than any other medical condition.

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/154100)Oluwatoyin Olugbenle (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/154100) Yesterday

hello Amanda,

This is a very good discussion recently a friend was telling me her child forgets things too much and can’t just be organized for once so i told her to go see a doctor probably she might have ADHD i was surprised at her reply ” she said i will disciple her till she becomes organized and will inform my pastor

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so they can start praying for her” this is one of the many parent tend to ignore their wards from having proper treatment which can lead to a more serious mental illness such as depression or having a low- self esteem if she is not able to live up to the society expectation. I’m glad you took the best decision regarding you and your daughters treatment.

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/140201)Kristin DiPasquale (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/140201) Monday

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Hello class,

Not only do movies and television shows tend to incorrectly portray psychological disorders, but social media platforms are also at fault. With the growing popularity of platforms like twitter, Instagram, and tiktok, there are pictures and videos from movies and television shows that incorrectly portray psychological disorders that are shared here. People do not even have to watch the movie or show to see these clips.

Culture and society play a role in the prevalence and stigmatization of psychological disorders by the access of spreading false information. We live in a civilization where individuals have access to all kinds of information at our fingertips, and yet people tend to believe websites that are not credible in their reporting. People should be educating themselves on these disorders as opposed to believing in the false representation they see of these disorders online or on the television. The World Health Organization reports that one in four people will be effected by some sort of mental illness in their life (WHO, 2020). This finding shows that now more then ever, society needs to start calling out broadcast that stigmatize mental illnesses and start portraying these types of disorders in correct and ethical ways.

As a society, we should help those who suffer from psychological disorders overcome the stigma by educating ourselves, bring awareness to the spread of false information and portrayals in movies, and have conversations with individuals to see how they want to be treated. As the text states, there are several perspectives on psychological disorders and ways of treating and handling them. But compassion is always key.

References

Feldman, R. S. (2018). Understanding psychology (14th ed.). Dubuque: McGraw-Hill Education.

World Health Organization. (2020). Mental Health Management. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/mental_health/management/en/ (https://www.who.int/mental_health/management/en/)

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/149582)Regina Ebanks (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/149582)

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11:42am

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Hey Kristin!

Thank you for sharing your findings with us. I did not think about the role social media plays in regards to how people perceive mental illness or people with mental illness. Being on social media can deeply affect someone with mental illness because it shows them what certain people think of them and it may make them feel less than. Social media can cause mental illness such as anxiety and depression (Social Media and Mental Health – HelpGuide.org, 2020). I can attest to that. We just need to educate ourselves about mental illness and unplug from social media when necessary.

Reference:

Social Media and Mental Health – HelpGuide.org. (2020). Retrieved June 18, 2020, from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/social-media-and-mental-health.htm

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/149059)Deanna Santiago (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/149059) Monday

There are a variety of psychological disorders that each have different characteristics, symptoms, and side effects. Some of these we are very familiar with such as ADHD, anxiety, OCD, and schizophrenia while some of them we may not be familiar with such as conversion disorder, dissociative identity disorder, and dissociative amnesia. We see different disorders portrayed in movies or tv shows but not very often do we see them in real life. At least we don’t think we see them in real life. Due to psychological disorders affecting a person mentally, we may look at someone and not consider them “ill” because there is no physical abnormality or disorder to see to the eye. “The signs of mental health issues are often unrecognizable to the naked eye” (Alford, 2020). When we do see people suffering from mental illness, many of us will jump to label the person as crazy, abnormal, or insane. Feldman (2018) states, “Society has long placed labels on people who display abnormal behavior. Unfortunately, most of the time, these labels have reflected intolerance and have been used with little thought as to what each signifies.” These disorders also have no preference- they affect males and females of any age which includes young children and geriatric adults.

As a society, we each need to be informed and educated about signs and symptoms of mental illness and psychological disorders. In the moment, it is very hard for the person experiencing an episode to realize and understand what is going on. They may go to do something that can harm their self or others. “Helping individuals affected by stigma to improve emotion regulation skills and to adjust to general life stress can mitigate the effect of cultural stigma on their increased vulnerability to mental health problems” (Burton, Wang, & Pachankis, 2018). If you as an individual do begin to notice signs or symptoms, or just don’t feel like your usual self, it is also just as important to recognize the signs and symptoms. Feldman (2018) says, “…many people do have problems that merit concern, and in such cases, it is important to consider the possibility that professional help is warranted.” It is only with each other that we can stop the stigma and give

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the professional, needed help to those in need.

References

Feldman, R.S. (2018). Understanding Psychology (14th ed.). Dubuque: McGraw-Hill Education.

Alford, S. (2020, May 16). Mental Health Alert Wristbands hope to save lives, assist authorities. Savannah Now. https://www.savannahnow.com/entertainmentlife/20200516/mental-health-alert-wristbands-hope-to- save-lives-assist-authorities

Burton, C. L., Wang, K., & Pachankis, J. E. (2018). Does getting stigma under the skin make it thinner? Emotion regulation as a stress-contingent mediator of stigma and mental health. Clinical Psychological Science. https://www.psychologicalscience.org/publications/observer/obsonline/the-science-behind-cultural- stigma.html

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/140201)Kristin DiPasquale (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/140201) Tuesday

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Hi Deanna,

I think you did an incredible job in your post to tie in our readings with the discussion question. Too often are mental illnesses cast away as unimportant, and this kind of intolerance is what this discussion had the class think more about and reflect upon. I loved your use of this quote from the textbook: “Society has long placed labels on people who display abnormal behavior. Unfortunately, most of the time, these labels have reflected intolerance and have been used with little thought as to what each signifies.” I think it perfectly describes this lesson and what we are aiming to learn and take away from these chapters.

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/149582)Regina Ebanks (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/149582) Monday

Hey everyone!

Psychological disorders / mental illness can be described as conditions that affect your thinking, feeling, mood, and behavior. (Mental Disorders, 2014). These disorders range from OCD, phobias, personality disorders, mood disorders and more. (Feldman, 2018, p 498-513).

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When I was in my therapy session a couple months ago, my therapist said she believes everyone could benefit from therapy. Most people suffer from phobias and anxiety. Psychodynamic therapy and behavioral therapy are ways in which one can aid in psychological disorders. (Feldman, 2018, p 527).

What is the role of culture and society in the prevalence and stigmatization of psychological disorders?

How can we, as a society help those with psychological disorders overcome the stigma?

Reference:

Feldman, R. (2018). Understanding Psychology (14th ed.). nd, nd: McGraw-Hill Education.

Mental Disorders. (2014). Retrieved June 14, 2020, from https://medlineplus.gov/mentaldisorders.html

Culture and society play a part on how people cope with their disorder and whether or not they get help.

As a society we need to normalize the psychological disorders. Educate people about them and make it known that it is okay to seek help.

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/148121)Nicolle Bray (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/148121) Tuesday

Regina,

You made an excellent point on how most everyone could benefit from therapy. I agree with that statement. The stigma that has been placed on mental illness could play a part in why people are hesitant to see a therapist. Public stigma is when the public supports predisposition standards that are negative, resulting in intolerance towards those with mental illness (Grappone, 2018). Self-stigma stems from individuals who suffer from mental illness incorporating public stigma within one’s self (Grappone, 2018). Self-stigma and public stigma both attribute to the roles that society and culture play in how mental illness is seen. Someone could be incorporating self-stigma which could be why they have not reached out for help on their mental illness. Shame and guilt are strong emotions that someone can feel when it comes to their mental illness deriving from how society perceives it. Ending public stigma could nip self-stigma in the butt. Acceptance of mental illness would help as well. Everyone is unique in their

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own way. If society opens their eyes to the truth on mental illness it could be a game changer.

Reference

Grappone, G. (2018). Overcoming Stigma. National Alliance on Mental Illness. Retrieved from https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/October-2018/Overcoming-Stigma (https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/October-2018/Overcoming-Stigma)

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/134158)Maxwell Agu (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/134158) Tuesday

Hi Everyone

One in four adults in the U.S. is diagnosed with a psychological disorder that is to say that psychological disorder which is not easy to determine what is a psychological disorder but the concept of mental disorder (like many other concepts in medicine and science) lacks a consistent operational definition that covers all situations but perhaps, psychological disorder can be define as broadly as psychological dysfunction in an individual that is associated with distress or impairment and a reaction that is not culturally expected (Barlow and Durand, 2011)

People often think of mental health as a very personal matter that has to do only with the individual. However, mental illnesses and mental health in general are affected by the combination of biological and genetic factors, psychology, and society but the interesting aspect of society is its diversity in cultures and backgrounds that affect an individual’s mental health related experiences although, “the explanations of different disorders differ amongst countries, and cultural factors influence the specific symptoms of the disorder” (Feldman, 2018). However, there are many ways in which culture showed its influence on a diversity of experiences. For instance, culture affects the way in which people describe their symptoms, such as whether they choose to describe emotional or physical symptoms. Essentially, it dictates whether people selectively present symptoms in a “culturally appropriate” way that won’t reflect badly on them such as Asian patients tend to report somatic symptoms first and then later describe emotional afflictions when further questioned or asked more specifically. Furthermore, cultures differ in the meaning and level of significance and concern they give to mental illness. Every culture has its own way of making sense of the highly subjective experience that is an understanding of one’s mental health (Sofia, 2017).

Also, explanations for psychological disorders also differ among cultures. For example, in China, psychological disorders are commonly viewed as weaknesses of the heart, a concept that derives from thousands of years of traditional Chinese medicine. Chinese people are more likely than people in Western cultures to express their emotional anguish in terms of physical symptoms such as heart pain, “heart panic,” or “heart vexed.” They also may focus more on the effects that their symptoms have on their relationships with friends and family members than on themselves (Watters, 2010).

The consequences of stigma can be serious and devastating. With stigma comes a lack of understanding

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from others, which can be invalidating and painful, but stigma also carries more serious consequences including fueling fear, anger, and intolerance directed at other people. People who are subjected to stigma are more likely to experience: worse psychological well-being, reluctance to seek out treatment, delayed treatment, which increases morbidity and mortality (Shrivastava, Johnston& Bureau, 2012). More so, Stigma can cause those with mental health disorders to isolate themselves or develop negative thoughts and perceptions. It can also impact access to evidence-based treatment options.

I believe as a society, there are many ways we can help people with psychological disorders to overcome stigma though, society has come a long way in reducing the stigma around mental illness, but we still have a long way to go. Many misconceptions and stereotypes relating to mental illness still exist which education is important, but there are other things we can do to help reduce stigma such as person first language should be avoided for instance, rather than saying “mentally ill person” use “person with a mental illness.” Disorders should not be used as adjectives, e.g., depressed person, also, encourage them to engage in community involvement where they can be inspired, participate in local events, work with organization and as well and talk with legislators to help raise awareness about mental illness because mental health needs to be a priority, and it’s on all of us to make a difference. (Desiree, 2018)

References

Barlow and Durand (2011). Abnormal Psychology: An Integrated Approach, 6thedition. Belmont, CA; Wadsworth

Desiree, P (2018). Overcoming stigma associated with mental illness. Retrieved on June 16th , 2020 from https://psychcentral.com/blog/overcoming-stigma-associated-with-mental-illness/

Feldman, R.S. (2018). Understanding Psychology (14th ed.). Dubuque: McGraw-Hill Education.

Shrivastava A, Johnston M, Bureau Y. (2012) Stigma of mental illness 1: Clinical reflections. Mens Sana Monogr.;10(1):70‐84. doi:10.4103/0973-1229.90181

Sofia, A (2017). Cultural Influences on Mental Health: Community health. Retrieved on June 13th, 2020 from https://pha.berkeley.edu/2017/04/16/cultural-influences-on-mental-health/

Watters, E. (2010). The Americanization of mental illness. The New York Times, p. C2.

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/129318)Amanda Cafiero (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/129318) Tuesday

Hello Everyone,

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“devaluing, disgracing, and disfavoring by the general public of individuals with mental illnesses” (Abdullah, 2011). When it comes to television, movies anything unrealistic in that way, like to portray situations in a completely different light then what is real. Psychological disorders are no exception this topic shows up a lot. Many mental health disorders are portrayed a lot different than reality. On screen phycological disorders are portrayed as something the person has to hide and deal with it on their own. They also act as if this is something taboo that no one has ever heard of or dealt with before. It is crucial for television shows and any form of social media or anything like that in which portrays mental illness that they show it more realistically and show all of the options and help that is available for this.

Reference: Abdullah, T., Brown, T.L. (2011). Mental illness stigma and ethnocultural beliefs, values, and norms: an integrative review. Clinical Psychology Review, https://www.uniteforsight.org/mental-health/module7 (https://www.uniteforsight.org/mental-health/module7)

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/69954)Renee Owens (Instructor) Tuesday

Psychoanalysis

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In addition to reading about psychological disorders, this week we also read about the different treatments for psychological disorders. Feldman (2018) describes psychoanalysis as an insight therapy that emphasizes uncovering a person’s unconscious conflicts, urges, and desires. These unconscious conflicts, desires, and urges are assumed to cause disruptions in emotions and behavior (Feldman, 2018). In this course, we have learned that Freud has been widely criticized for his theories and lack of scientific research to support these claims, however, aspects of psychoanalysis and other concepts are still used today.

Please answer at least two of the following questions:

References

Feldman, R. S. (2018). Understanding psychology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.

Freud Museum London. (2015, October 22). What is psychoanalysis? Part 1: Is it weird? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxaFeP9Ls5c

What is Psychoanalysis? Part 1: Is it Weird?

How does psychoanalysis seek to help people? Explain some of the key concepts associated with psychoanalysis? What are the key differences between Freud’s original methods and contemporary psychodynamic approaches?

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/118078)Anakari Martinez (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/118078) Tuesday

Hello Professor and class,

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The term psychological disorder is sometimes used to what is more frequently known as mental disorders or psychiatric disorders (Cherry, 2020). Some psychological disorders are neurodevelopment, bipolar, anxiety, stress, dissociative, eating, and sleeping disorders, to name a few (Cherry, 2020). Society has long placed labels on people who displayed abnormal behavior by using words such as nuts, insane, looney, psycho, or strange (Feldman, 2019). When a person sees another person not acting “normal”, they automatically assume they are crazy, psycho, and weird, without knowing what that person is going through. People automatically assume that person needs to see a psychiatrist or needs some type of help. Whereas, culture affects the way in which people describe their symptoms, for instance, if they choose to describe emotional or physical symptoms (Andrade, 2017). According to Feldman, through most of human history people linked abnormal behavior to superstition, magic, and spells (Feldman, 2019). People use to even think that if an individual displayed abnormal behavior, they were accused of being possessed by the devil or some sort of demonic god (Feldman, 2019). I believe that as a society, we should educate ourselves more about psychological disorders, their signs and symptom to help overcome the stigma of psychological disorders. We should not judge a person by the way they are acting because we never know what that person is going through or feeling as far as going through a psychological disorder. We should try and help others by getting the help they need.

References

Andrade, S. (2017, April 16). Cultural Influences on Mental Health. The Public Health Advocate. Retrieved from

https://pha.berkeley.edu/2017/04/16/cultural-influences-on-mental-health/ (https://pha.berkeley.edu/2017/04/16/cultural-influences-on-mental-health/)

Cherry, K. (2020, March 19). A List of Psychological Disorders. Verywellmind. Retrieved from

https://www.verywellmind.com/a-list-of-psychological-disorders-2794776 (https://www.verywellmind.com/a-list-of-psychological-disorders-2794776)

Feldman, R. (2019). Understanding Psychology. (14 edition). New York, NY. McGraw-Hill Education.th

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/154100)Oluwatoyin Olugbenle (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/154100) Tuesday

Psychological disorders are often portrayed in the movies and television shows, but they are not always accurate depictions and may contribute to the stigma that people suffering from psychological disorders experience. What is the role of culture and society in the prevalence and stigmatization of psychological disorders? How can we, as a society help those with psychological disorders overcome the stigma?

What is a psychological disorder?

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This is said to be a pattern of behavioral or psychological symptoms that influence various life areas and create distress for the person experiencing the symptoms (Zimbardo 1997). These can range from mood disorders such as depression or bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, eating disorders, dissociative identity disorder, substance abuse disorders just to mention a few. A psychological disorder is diagnosed if these six indicators are present distress, maladaptiveness, irrationality, unpredictability, unconventionality, and statistical rarity and finally observer discomfort. The role of culture and society in the prevalence and stigmatization of psychological disorder are numerous for instead in the fifteenth century Germany believed that people with a mental disorder were possessed by the devil and the cure was to be killed or prosecuted as evidence of witchcraft which most people still believe in till date that if one is mentally unstable they have possessed by the devil and some will say people with ADHD are just been lazy or just stubborn. But most of this mental illness is caused by a combination of biological and genetic factors which they totally have little or no control over, psychology factor and society factor. The cultural factor can impact the way this illness will be described to prevent stigmatization of being called crazy and this factor also will determine the support that will be gotten from the community including a family member and also the available resource.

The way we can help mentally disoriented people overcome stigmatization is by watching the way we address them, by showing compassion, checking on them to see how they are doing and finally creating an awareness that mental illness can be managed and cured if it is reported early.

Reference

Andrade, S. (2017, April 16). Cultural influences on mental health. https://pha.berkeley.edu/2017/04/16/cultural-influences-on-mental-health/

Rubina, K. (2019, July 11). Four ways culture impacts mental health https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/2019/07/four-ways-culture-impacts-mental-health/ (https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/2019/07/four-ways-culture-impacts-mental-health/)

Zimbardo, P.G. (1997). Psychology (2nd ed.). Ann L. Weber

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/134006)Allyn Raatz (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/134006) Yesterday

Hello class!

Psychological disorders can be a very emotional topic. I have someone close to be who struggles with bipolar disorder. It is very true how inaccurate depictions of these mental disorders create a feeling within the struggling person of being misunderstood by society. I hear him quote this saying all the time and this

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assignment drove it home for me. Really understanding what he was saying. “The worst part of having a mental illness is people expecting you to behave as if you don’t” (Dr. Anita Federici). It took a while for me to really understand the totality of this statement. Society views people as normal and abnormal. For people with mental disorders that IS their normal. So, when people expect them to act “normal” they feel it’s an unfair or unrealistic expectation’s stigma of these disorders brings so much shame to the struggling person that it makes treatment more difficult. We as a society shouldn’t ever make anyone struggling with this horrible disease feel in any way “less than”. We don’t make cancer patients feel this way! So why someone struggling with another just as devastating disease do, we as a society feel the need to make them feel shamed along with their suffering? We do them an injustice by incorrectly portraying their illness, yes and ultimately making them feel alone and misunderstood, therefore, creating a bigger problem with treatment. Speaking out against these stigmas is vital for change. But first, we must truly recognize that the struggle is real and out of their control.

“Finally, socio-cultural explanations provide relatively little specific guidance for the treatment of psychological disturbance. Because the focus is on broader societal factors, it is not obvious how to treat disorders in a specific individual” (Feldman, 2018).

References

Feldman, R.S. (2018). Understanding Psychology (14th ed.). Dubuque: McGraw-Hill Education.

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/154100)Oluwatoyin Olugbenle (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/154100) Yesterday

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Hello Allyn

this is so true we make them feel different and see their abnormal behavior as normal they struggle to fit in some are so scared to even speak out recently i lost a friend to depression he was struggling he could tell anyone what he was going through so he wouldn’t me called a weak man i wept when his last note was made public. We should try and show love to people battling with any mental illness and sometime put ourselves in that situation to see if we would be comfortable if we re treated the way we treat them.

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/134006)Allyn Raatz (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/134006) Yesterday

Oluwatoyin,

You are absolutely right. I am terribly sorry about your friend. How horribly heartbreaking. It’s so

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tough as mental illnesses are an awful daily struggle. One friend explained it to me that it felt like a dark cloud followed him everywhere he went. It must be such a sad and dark world to live in. The least we can do is break the stigma so they feel more understood with more realistic expectations of them.

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/136348)Krista Tad-Y (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/136348) Yesterday

Hello, Prof. O and Classmates,

If we are to talk about disorders, we quite have a number of it on the list. Man has labeled disorders as something dangerous, intolerable and unusual. If you are diagnosed with a disorder, people look at you like something that needs to be fixed, beyond normal or below standards that people, too, has set. According to our textbook, if most people behave in a certain way, it is viewed as normal; if only a few people do it, it is considered abnormal (Feldman, 2018). People who are deemed abnormal are equated as those with disorders. In the same way, people who have disorders are expected to be behave in a way that is against the standards of men. More often than not, these are portrayed in movies in an exaggerated representation.

An example of this is the famous movie “Lights out.” In the movie, the killer named Diana was diagnosed with a Skin Condition and developed Schizophrenia. Feldman (2018) defines Schizophrenia (https://jigsaw.vitalsource.com/books/9781260883817/epub/OPS/s9ml/glossary/glossary.xhtml#glo425) as “a class of disorders in which severe distortion of reality occurs. Thinking, perception, and emotion may deteriorate; the individual may withdraw from social interaction; and the person may display bizarre behavior” (p. 508). If you watched the movie, you will see Diana as a ghost, or entity, someone who could get into someone’s head and control them. At the same time, she displays violent behaviors and kills people. Movies gave the image that Schizophrenia is an illness that will horrify people. Other movies I watched such as “Split” is another, but it also showed red flags about Multiple Personality Disorder.

It seems that society is creating the horrors that are yet to exist. The fact that a person with psychosis is already mentally challenged, who else would help them if we wouldn’t? According to the National Institute of Mental Health (2020), Psychosocial treatments can be helpful for teaching and improving coping skills to address the everyday challenges of schizophrenia. Aside from its family, this is why society plays a big role on this matter because they have special participation and the answer towards treatment. People with conditions should be treated as humans and receive proper aid to help them overcome their condition and not be perceived as detriments to the environment.

References:

Feldman, R. S. (2018). Understanding Psychology (14th ed.). Dubuque, New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

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National Institute of Mental Health (2020). Schizophrenia. NIH. Retrieved June 10, 2020 from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/index.shtml

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/129113)Mariechelle Tormis (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/129113) Yesterday

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Professor and Class,

There is a multitude of disorders, whether that be anxious, mood, personality, sexual disorders, etc. there are real people who suffer from these abnormalities. It is prevalent that our society may portray these psychological disorders inaccurately. They put these false characteristics and labels on people who face these issues, which creates this stigma. Most people are guilty of this due to their lack of knowledge. This stigma can cause individuals with these diagnoses to feel unworthy or affect their overall mental health. Not only that, but they could possibly also face discrimination. Discrimination in a way that people start to avoid those with disorders because they are assumed as unstable or harmful (Mayo Clinic, 2017). Sadly, this stigma does not only affect the people diagnosed, but also those who diagnose them. Feldman (2018) writes that “placing labels on individuals powerfully influences the way mental health workers perceive and interpret their actions” (p. 495). This can lead to this difficult process in assessing and properly diagnosing patients. To prevent this matter from reoccurring, we must go against society and treat these people as they should be, not any different because of their illnesses. You never know what someone has gone through to be put in the situation they are in. Keeping this fact in mind can allow us to stray away from the stigma that society and culture have brought.

– Shelley Tormis

References:

Feldman, R.S. (2018). Understanding Psychology (14th ed.) Dubuque: McGraw-Hill Education.

Mayo Clinic (2017). Mental Health: Overcoming the stigma of mental illness. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mental-illness/in-depth/mental-health/art-20046477

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/135846)Sukhleen Dhillon (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/135846) Yesterday

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Hello class,

The media depicts mental behavior in a negative light, and this, thus, influences the manner in which we see mental sickness, even as medicinal services experts. Numerous individuals depend on the media as their fundamental wellspring of data. Most of the general population get their data about psychological wellness from the TV, at that point from the papers, TV news, news magazines, and from the web. Frequently, the data is off base and makes a bogus image of what psychological instability truly is. Individuals are taken care of generalizations that they accept depend on truth, when actually, they are typically founded on false impressions. These generalizations lead to a disgrace, which harmfully affects numerous people.

These disorders range from OCD, phobias, personality disorders, mood disorders, and more (Feldman, 2018, p 498-513). Mental well-being stigma works in the public arena, is disguised by people, and is ascribed by health experts. These morals loaded issue goes about as a boundary to people who may look for or take part in treatment administrations. Individuals regularly consider mental wellness as extremely close to the home issues that need to do just with the person. In any case, psychological instabilities and mental wellness, all in all, are influenced by the mix of organic and hereditary components, brain science, and society. Each culture has its own particular manner of comprehending the profoundly abstract experience that is a comprehension of one’s mental well-being. Each has its sentiment on whether mental behavior is genuine or envisioned, a disease of the psyche or the body or both, who is in danger for it, what may cause it, and maybe, in particular, the degree of shame encompassing it ( Andrade, 2017). Psychological instability can be progressively pervasive in specific societies and networks, however, this is likewise to a great extent controlled by whether that specific issue is established more in hereditary or social components.

Stigma is the point at which somebody sees you in an adverse manner since you have a distinctive trademark or individual characteristic that is believed to be, or really is, a detriment. Stigma can prompt separation. Segregation might be clear and immediate, for example, somebody offering a negative comment about your psychological sickness or your treatment. Or on the other hand, it might be accidental or inconspicuous, for example, somebody maintaining a strategic distance from you in light of the fact that the individual accepts you could be insecure, fierce, or perilous because of your psychological maladjustment.

To diminish mental sickness-related stigma, we have to feel great having discussions about it. The more we talk about emotional well-being conditions, the more standardized it becomes. Stigma is frequently filled by the absence of mindfulness and off base data. Model these stigmas lessening methodologies through your own remarks and conduct and affably instruct them to your companions, family, associates, and others in your range of authority. Spread the news that treatment works and recuperation is conceivable. As a general public, we have to standardize and equalize the mental issue. Instruct individuals about them and make it realized that it is alright to look for help.

REFERENCES:

Feldman, R. (2018). Understanding Psychology (14th ed.). nd, nd: McGraw-Hill Education.

Andrade, S. (2017, April 16). Cultural Influences on Mental Health. Retrieved June 17, 2020, from https://pha.berkeley.edu/2017/04/16/cultural-influences-on-mental-health/

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(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/153599)Kassandra Swygard (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/153599) Yesterday

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Hello Class,

Movies always exaggerate from how things really are. I feel personality disorders which is characterized by a set of inflexible, maladaptive behavior patterns that keep a person from functioning appropriately in society. Is one psychological disorder that movies tend to exaggerate. Unlike the other disorders we have discussed, people with personality disorders typically have little sense of personal distress (Feldman, 2018). One movie that comes to mind for me is Split where the character Kevin has 24 different personalities. Because we see it in a movie portrayed like that often times society will associate that with how it really is, but I have watched videos on someone who actually have a dissociative identity disorder and the switching personalities its much more subtle. Switching can take seconds to minutes to days. Public knowledge of personality disorders is low, and people with personality disorders may be perceived as purposefully misbehaving rather than experiencing an illness (Sheehan, et al., 2016). As a society to help people understand and get over the stigma we have to educate ourselves and watch or read about actual cases and not let only movies or exaggerations become the only way that we see a psychological disorder.

References

Acuna, K. (2019). James McAvoy plays a character with 24 different personalities in ‘Glass’ — here they all are. Retrieved from Insider: https://www.insider.com/james-mcavoy-split-characters-2019-1

Feldman, R.S. (2018). Understanding Psychology (14th ed.). Dubuque: McGraw-Hill Education.

Sheehan, L., Nieweglowski, K., & Corrigan, P. (2016). The Stigma of Personality Disorders. Current psychiatry reports, 18(1), 11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-015-0654-1

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/138321)Chioma Anugwom (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/138321) Yesterday

Hi professor and class, The role of culture and society prevalence and stigmatization of psychological disorders. Culture is defined as a people’s shared way of life, values, norms and beliefs which dictates their approach and outlook to life. The effects of culture and society is quite diverse as they account for the variation in how people communicate

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their symptoms or how treatments and management services are offered. They also determine whether an individual seeks help or not, the type of help and support the individual have around them. There are many ways culture and society affect the prevalence and somatization of psychological disorders for instance: (1) Stigmatization: Every culture has their own way of categorizing psychological disorders or mental health disorder. The growing stigmatization is that psychological disorders or mental health challenges are a sign of weakness. Therefore, should not be discussed in public. It is a thing of shame both for the sufferer and their families. This, in turn, therefore, makes it hard for sufferer to openly discussed it or seek appropriate help on time. (2) Understanding Symptoms: Society and culture influences the way people perceives, feels and describes their symptoms most times people remain in denial of their symptoms because of the fear of stigmatization or label in the society. Therefore, choosing to recognize to talk about it, talk about just the physical symptoms, emotional symptoms or both is determined by the level of the perception of the societal label and stigmatization of the individual and their condition. (3) Community Support: The level of support an individual receives from their families, friends or communities is determined by the cultural and societal values, norms and beliefs in relation to the type of psychological disorder or mental health condition. The societal and cultural stigmatization of psychological disorder or mental health conditions determines the level of support and most time mitigate on the level, quality and how fast help or treatment is sought or provided. (4) Resources: When it comes to understanding specific concern and experiences, finding the right resource for mental health treatment is paramount. Therefore, specific cultural and societal factors and needs makes it difficult and time consuming to treatment options and resources that can accommodate these concerns. There are numerous factors involved in the stigmatization and prevalence of psychological disorders or mental illness, but I just want to mention a few because every cultural and individual faces a unique journey to treatment and recovery. The effect of cultures and society cannot be over emphasized as the vary significantly on the meaning and values they impact to the disorders, the way the individual sees and presents their symptoms and the meaning they make of the subjective experience of the illness and distress . Understanding the role of cultures in mental health and physiological disorders as well as becoming trained in mental health first aid some way, we can help people with these types of disorders. When we understand exactly what psychological disorders are, we can be in a better position to detect it early and offer proper support and adequate help to mitigate the progression of the disease and alleviate the suffering of the individual.

Reference Four Ways Culture Impacts Mental Health – Rubina Kapil 2019 Issues in the Psychiatric Treatment of African Americans. 50 Psychiatric Services (1999) : 362 -368 – Baker, F.M. and Bell, C.C

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(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/149517)Kaylyn Rich (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/149517) Yesterday

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Culture and society can have several effects on the prevalence of perceived prevalence of psychological disorders. Feldman address this best when he talks about how society tends to label people that behave in ways that do not fit within the accepted range of normal behavior. (2018). These labels are often ways to show intolerance for a certain behavior. An interesting example of this has happened over the last 50 years or so in the US. Initially society pushed the idea that those that had mental disorders, or those who were perceived to have mental disorders should be placed in long term care facilities. This lowered the numbers of perceived mental illness in the US because these people were not seen or talked about. In fact, that in and of itself became the problem. Note everyone with a psychological disorder needs long term care. The influx of patients overwhelmed hospitals and often led to seriously degraded care. According to psychology today, “At one point in the 1950s, more than half a million Americans were confined to state psychiatric institutions, many of them for life.” (Ruffalo, 2018). In the 1950’s and 60’s many articles came out showing terrible conditions for patients and leading to a push to deinstitutionalize. This push drastically turned the tide the other way. Now we see loads of people on the streets that are either unable to afford or unable to find the mental health care they need. The bed counts for long term psychiatric care are incredibly low and the prices sky high, making long term mental health care unreachable for low income families. (Raphelson, 2020). The society didn’t want to accept that there are some people that do benefit and need long term heath facilities and now the families are left to care for someone that they don’t have the skills or money to help. This also means that the mental health in this country is perceived to be worse because we have larger numbers of public viewable cases, however it should be pointed out that before institutions shut down it was impossible to have real numbers. I think the best way to address the mental health stigmas of society would to be more open and aware of mental health. Talking about mental health in a public forum is largely a new concept and as long as it remains a taboo concept I think we will continue to see this large swing between over institutionalization and a lack of adequate available beds.

References:

Feldman, R. S. (2018). Understanding psychology (14th ed.). Dubuque, New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

Raphelson, S. (2020). NPR . Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2017/11/30/567477160/how-the-loss-of- u-s-psychiatric-hospitals-led-to-a-mental-health-crisis (https://www.npr.org/2017/11/30/567477160/how-the- loss-of-u-s-psychiatric-hospitals-led-to-a-mental-health-crisis)

Ruffalo, M.L. (2018). Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freud- fluoxetine/201807/the-american-mental-asylum-remnant-history

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/131498)Holly Wolf (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/131498)

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Yesterday

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Hello all,

“Stigma is when someone sees you in a negative way because of a particular characteristic or attribute…Stigma happens when a person defines someone by their illness rather than who they are as an individual”(“Stigma, Discrimination And Mental Illness “, 2015).

Society plays a big role in how not only ourselves but others view a situation. In terms of mental disorders, we see movies and television shows that depict people with these disorders as “crazy”, seeing these actors whom most know nothing about the disorder the character is supposed to have allowed for major misinterpretation of the disorder and that is what affects our perception.

As a society we can break the stigma by normalizing the fact that sometimes people need help, normalizing therapy as well as medicinal involvement to help. We need to stop seeing people as their illness and more as who they care, we should educate not only ourselves but also those around us.

References

Feldman, R.S. (2018). Understanding Psychology (14th ed.). Dubuque: McGraw-Hill Education.

Stigma, discrimination and mental illness (2015). Retrieved from

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/servicesandsupport/stigma-discrimination-and-mental-illness

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/138481)Amber Garay (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/138481) Yesterday

Hello Professor and class,

Now I love hopeless romantic type movies, but I will enjoy watching such movies like Silence of the lambs or something comedic like my crazy ex-girlfriend. These movies lay a plot around a certain type of mental health disorder like the deep inner workings of the man in the silence of the lambs who is cannibalism. I don’t know if science has ever really understood why people do what they do, and most neurologists will states the brain is something beyond fascinating and it is a complex organ. Like for instance, the Netflix documentary about Aaron Hernandez talked about his mental illness CTE. It is a severe degenerative brain disease, they found evidence of brain atrophy and damage to the frontal lobe. It was proven that it was from the concussion during football all those years that caused his mental health to be questioned for his actions in killing those two men. Yet the documentary discussed it briefly and blamed that society and the culture he lived in and hung around was the cause of leading him to kill those two individuals. Most conditions are honestly different in each study many Doctors are stating that most mental disorders are the result of both genetic and

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environmental factors. There is no single genetic switch that when flipped causes a mental disorder. However, it is difficult for doctors to determine a person’s risk of inheriting a mental disorder or passing on the disorder to their children. Now that is one way on how mental disorders are approached by studies another view is through long term drug abuse. In an article about drug abuse causing certain mental disorders it states, “In schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, a study showed that there was a significant positive association between the amount of drug use and the severity of psychiatric symptoms.” (Ringen,2018 p298 ). Now certain studies are showing that long term drug abuse can cause certain mental disorders like bipolar or schizophrenia. No one person even if a brain is dissected for testing after they pass can understand certain behaviors truly. Even the Brain of Ted Bundy never showed much about his reasoning for the killing sprees and along with serial killer John Wayne Gacy, the blending into society along with the Ted Bundy cause of the charisma or charm apparently from each documentary. But each person’s reasoning behind in justifying actions for these men (Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and Aaron Hernandez) was the cause of the culture and society that blamed such behavior for causing these disorders of mental health issues from blame on their childhood and adolescence that lead to mood disorders along with dissociative disorders into personality disorders that lead to more extreme conditions that lead to killing people. A lot of time went into investigating each of these men’s lives along with their history, behavior, and even the details of their childhood and environments. It is just so much that goes into understanding the psychological disorders which in the book Feldman states that such specific a label as “abnormal behavior that causes people to experience distress and prevents them from functioning in their daily lives.” (Feldman,2018). In reality, there is so much that goes into abnormal behavior not just from the above serial killers but from this that cause anxiety, mood swings, and other serious conditions. A lot of these things in science studies states it has a lot to do with hormone imbalance and endorphins. But is more complex and varies from each patient. Like I mentioned earlier there is no on/off switch and a lot of time goes into each study and helping each individual because the condition may be the same but the approaches and studies further into each patient’s life are much more complex than just a simple label.

References

Feldman, R.S. (2018). Understanding Psychology (14th ed.) Dubuque: McGraw-Hill Education.

Ringen, P.A, Melle, I., Birkenaes, A.B, Engh, J.A., Faerden, A., Vaskinn, A, Friis, S., Opjordsmoen, S., Andreassen, O.A,(2018) The level of illicit drug use is related to symptoms and premorbid functioning in severe mental illness, Acta Psychiatry Scand: 118: 297–304, DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2008.01244.x

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/143197)Deisy Nazario (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/143197) Yesterday

Dr. Owens and classmates,

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Psychological disorders are known to “affect one’s being through a range of experiences and phenomena of varying severity that alter thinking, perception and consciousness about the self, others and the world” (Malla et al., 2015, para. 5) Society’s persuasiveness has an effect of hindering people to freely express themselves about how they are feeling because of the fear of being labeled. Feldman (2018), states that society has long placed labels on people who display abnormal behavior (p. 493). Consequently, stigma prevents individuals with psychological disorders from seeking the help they need. Mental disorders are often seen as a weakness because it is believed that one should be strong enough to combat environmental factors experienced, such as childhood trauma, and quickly get well. In an effort to help overcome stigma, we can take a variety of steps as a society. First, we must get educated about mental illness and the similarities and differences in psychological disorders. We can pass on our knowledge to educate others. We can also support people experiencing mental illness by encouraging and treating them with respect.

Sincerely,

Deisy Nazario

References

Feldman, R.S. (2018). Understanding Psychology (14th ed.). Dubuque: McGraw-Hill Education.

Malla, A., Joober, R., Garcia, A. (2015). Mental illness is like any other medical illness: A critical examination of the statement and its impact on patient care and society. Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, 40(3), 147-150. https://doi.org/10.1503/jpn.150099

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/102994)Alyssa Tidy (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/102994) Yesterday

Hello Professor and class,

The topic this week is psychological disorders and their prevalence and stigma within society and culture. This I can view from a more personal perspective due to having depression and anxiety myself. The big film industry as well as television makes it seem like having a psychological disorder makes you handicapped or incapable of handling daily activities. They show people hiding their problems from others in fear of judgement. Which from a personal perspective is pretty accurate to a degree. Society does not really want to k now the issues of the others unless it puts them in a good light for helping. There is such a misunderstanding of these disorders from society that people don’t even believe it is even a disease but more of a person being unable to push through things to be happy or feel better. This coupled with the issue that people with psychological disorders are made to feel secluded from society due to not fitting the societal norm. Men especially have an issue here, it is in our society and culture that men are strong and the stabilizers. They can not be weak or let anyone see them as such, so they tend to bottle up the most which

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leads to bigger issues or untreated ones. Critics of the DSM argue that labeling an individual as abnormal provides a dehumanizing, lifelong stigma (Feldman. 2018).

The best way for society to overcome these stigmas is through education and better understanding of the disease. The thought that these things are so easily fixed is naive. There are medications and therapies that help people through these issues. Society needs to understand this issue better to be able to realize someone needs help and be able to openly talk about it without being told they are crazy or fear of becoming crazy.

References

Feldman, R.S. (2018). Understanding Psychology (14th ed.) Dubuque: McGraw-Hill Education.

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/133839)Ugo Onuorah (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/133839) 12:42am

Hello Professor and Class,

Culture affects the way in which people describe their symptoms, such as whether they choose to describe emotional or physical symptoms (Andrade, 2017). For example, Chinese people are more likely than people in Western cultures to express their emotional anguish in terms of physical symptoms such as heart pain, “heart panic,” or “heart vexed (Feldman, 2018). This means people can present symptoms of their mental disorder in ways their prevailing culture dictates is feasible. Every culture has their own way of understanding the highly subjective experience that is a person’s mental health (Andrade, 2017). People of different cultures have different views or ideas of whether a mental illness is real or imagined, whether illness affects the mind or the body or both, and the level of stigma surrounding it (Andrade, 2017). Unfortunately, culture influences how a person decides to cope with their mental illness and seek treatment, and how they do so. Cultural influences also extend to the support system for a person. They can determine how much support they get from their families and communities when coping with their mental illness and seeking help for it (Andrade, 2017). As a society we can help those with psychological disorders overcome stigmas associated with mental health through many means. We can help by educating ourselves and victims, showing victims how to redefine their relationship with mental illness, encouraging and providing avenues for seeking treatment, fighting discrimination in all forms, and more. Mental illness is largely overlooked in society and as aspiring health professionals we should try not to be part of the problem.

References

Andrade, S. (2017, April 16). Cultural Influences on Mental Health. https://pha.berkeley.edu/2017/04/16/cultural-influences-on-mental-health/

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(https://pha.berkeley.edu/2017/04/16/cultural-influences-on-mental-health/) .

Feldman, R. S. (2018). Understanding psychology (14th ed.). Dubuque: McGraw-Hill Education.

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/144401)Trisha DelEon (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/144401) 12:43am

Hello class,

Psychological disorders are something that is very serious and should be seen that way by everyone. Often our society and culture think people with anxiety, phobic disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, depression, bipolar disorder ect.. , are just doing things like this for “attention”. Growing up in a hispanic household that was what it was seen as. I suffer from very bad anxiety and other conditions that make me feel as if I am crazy and I get very angry with myself because I want to be “normal” so bad but I cannot. I think anxiety is my biggest enemy in life, it arises without external justification and begins to affect my daily functioning (Feldman, 2018).

As my family grew to understand my psychological disorder, unfortunately for most latino families that never happen. I have friends that are also hispanic and they all tell me their parents never take their mental health seriously. Suffering from a psychological disorder could be seen as a “weakness”. According to Diana Lorenzo who is a psychiatrist, she says that mental health issues have a stigma in that Latino community and they would prefer to ignore these conditions over talking about them openly (Overcoming Mental Health Stigma in the Latino Community, 2017).

The best way our society and culture can overcome these stigmas is by showing more awareness to them and demonstrating that people suffering from these disorders are strong. It is not easy to have your mind deceive you on a daily basis so being able to go through it and still surviving should be seen as a sign of great strength. There should also be more talk on how serious these psychological disorders can be and what are things people with these disorders experience. This will help people get an insight on how difficult living with a psychological disorder can really be and give more respect to people who deal with them and are trying to live their everyday life considering the circumstances.

References

Feldman, R.S. (2018). Understanding Psychology (14th ed.). Dubuque: McGraw-Hill Education.

Overcoming Mental Health Stigma in the Latino Community. (2017). ConsultQD. Retrieved from: https://consultqd.clevelandclinic.org/overcoming-mental-health-stigma-in-the-latino-community/

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(https://consultqd.clevelandclinic.org/overcoming-mental-health-stigma-in-the-latino-community/) (https://consultqd.clevelandclinic.org/overcoming-mental-health-stigma-in-the-latino-community/)

-Trisha DeLeon

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/140851)Bernadette Young (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/140851) 1:44am

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Hi everyone,

Psychological disorders can be described as the behavior that differs from the average person or behavior that most people would consider inappropriate (Feldman, 2018, p. 488). Psychological disorders are defined and categorized by the American Psychiatric Association in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental

Disorders, Fifth Edition, or DSM-5 (Feldman, 2018, p. 488). Some of these disorders are generalized anxiety disorder, personality disorders, or substance-abuse disorders (Feldman, 2018, p. 488).

Society and culture play a large role in the stigmatization of psychological disorders by showing characters with disorders in a negative way. In a study by Smith et al., the characters with psychological disorders from the top 100 movies in 2016 were characters with violent behavior, were dehumanized and called names, had an addiction, or their disorder was minimized (Smith et al., 2019, p. 2).

As a society, we can help those with psychological disorders overcome the stigma by holding the media accountable for the portrayal of characters with psychological disorders. We should require more accuracy as to the depiction of these characters in film and television. As a society, we should be advocating for more education in the stigmatization of these disorders so that people are not afraid to speak up if they need help. We should also be educating people about psychological disorders and recognizing abnormal behavior to assist those that may need professional help.

References

Feldman, R.S. (2018). Understanding Psychology (14th ed.). Dubuque: McGraw-Hill Education.

Smith, S.L, Choueiti, M., Choi, A., Pieper, K., Moutier, C. (2019). Mental Health Conditions in Film & TV: Portrayals that Dehumanize and Trivialize Characters. Retrieved from http://assets.uscannenberg.org/docs/aii-study-mental-health-media_052019.pdf

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/113660)Christyle Sinclair (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/113660) 1:59am

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Professor and Class, Initial Post Instructions Psychological disorders are often portrayed in the movies and television shows, but they are not always accurate depictions and may contribute to the stigma that people suffering from psychological disorders experience. What is the role of culture and society in the prevalence and stigmatization of psychological disorders? How can we, as a society help those with psychological disorders overcome the stigma?

A film that I love portrays a young teen boy who lives life with autism, with his older sister (who has no

abnormalities), and his two parents, is called “Atypical”. Autism, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is defined as, “to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and nonverbal communication.” (What Is Autism?, n.d.). My younger brother was diagnosed with autism at two years of age. Although he is not the same age as the main character “Sam”, the majority of the film dictates what individuals on the spectrum face. There are flashbacks throughout the film of Sam’s’ childhood of negative stressors he has endured. Many of them resulted in anxiety, tantrums, and hair-pulling. My brother Benjamin is classified as a high spectrum autistic, or high-functioning autism, and judging on what I recall from the show I believe Sam also has high-functioning autism.

“According to this definition, behaviors that are unusual or rare in a society or culture are considered abnormal.” (Feldman, 2018). Although Feldman states that one in two individuals in the United States is likely to experience psychological disorders at some point in their life, people with psychological disorders can often be looks down upon (Feldman, 2018). They may be deemed unfit for tasks, and liability for several companies. As a society, to break the stigma and understand how life is with psychological disorders, schools should have a larger curriculum on psychological disorders. In addition, perhaps donating to any of the many psychological disorders foundations could aid in advertising to spread awareness about the several psychological disorders many individuals face in everyday life.

References

Feldman, R. (2018). Understanding Psychology. Dubuqe: McGraw-Hill Education. What Is Autism? (n.d.). Retrieved from autism speaks: https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/148780)Shakira Commander (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/148780) 2:19am

Hello everyone,

Psychological disorders are often portrayed in the movies and television shows, but they are not always accurate depictions and may contribute to the stigma that people suffering from psychological disorders experience. What is the role of culture and society in the prevalence and stigmatization of psychological disorders? How can we, as a society help those with psychological disorders overcome the stigma?

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I can understand from a personal level because I suffer from depression and PTSD. I see on television PTSD is often portrayed at military veterans or for depression it is typically without people of color. Television needs to normalize civilians suffering from abuse PTSD and show this illness can affect those across the board. Also, accurate information needs to spread specifically amount black people. We are taught that depression doesn’t effect us and this is harmful to our mental health. We need to show ways we can cope and overcome negative feelings and ideas with more representation.

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/129318)Amanda Cafiero (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/129318) 11:14am

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Shakira,

I also suffer from anxiety and depression and the stigma that is associated with mental illness needs to be addressed. I agree that many television shows do not shed the proper light on this topic. They really don’t show and portray the realness that it is. Mental illness does not discriminate and it affects more people then we think. There has to be more resources available.

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/129113)Mariechelle Tormis (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/129113) 12:52pm

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Shakira,

Thank you and I applaud you for sharing and opening up about your mental health. I agree with your statement that often times television over-expresses mental illness in an inaccurate way. It is very apparent that PTSD can easily be associated with those who served in the military, which can be supported but is not the only source of this disorder. We must consider that anyone, regardless of color, size, or appearance in general, anyone could be diagnosed with psychological disorders. Not to consider them to judge them, but to hear them and support them during their struggles.

– Shelley Tormis

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(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/139330)Elise Stanton (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/63025/users/139330) 9:10am

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With so many television shows highlighting different types of psychological disorders, may people learn about them that way. They may be the cause of why their favorite character left the show, killed their family, killed themselves; the teenager who shot up the school suffered from depression; the man killed five people due to his schizophrenia and the voices in his head telling him to do it. Unfortunately for those with psychological disorders, this creates a stigma because they feel they know what the disorder is. The effects, and how to treat. For example, “Finally, hoarding behavior is now placed in its own category of psychological disorder. Some critics suggest this change is more a reflection of the rise of reality shows focusing on hoarding rather than reflecting a distinct category of psychological disturbance (Hudson et al., 2012; Racine et al., 2017; Moulding et al., 2017) (Feldman, 2019).”

There are many ways to reduce the stigma. One study done by Corbière, et.al. in 2012, asked participants how they could reduce the stigma. The top suggestions were education and normalization. “The most commonly mentioned type of strategy, Educating/teaching (42%), is a strategy directed at the general population. It aims to inform people and to correct misconceptions with facts. (Corbière, et.al., 2012)” Normalizing was brought up with regard to the individual and society at large. “This meant treating or considering this individual the same as any other person, looking at that person the same way as anyone else, without any distinction related to the diagnosis, nor to a specific behaviour or opinion…In some cases, Normalizing was a strategy directed at the general population. People with a mental disorder were then presented to others as people who have the right to be different people. ( Corbière, et.al., 2012)”

References:

Corbière, M., Samson, E., Villotti, P., & Pelletier, J. (2012). The Strategies to Fight Stigma toward People with Mental Disorders: Perspectives from Different Stakeholders. Scientific World Journal 2012(516358). https://doi:10.1100/2012/516358 (https://doi:10.1100/2012/516358) . Retrieved from: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2012/516358/#abstract (https://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2012/516358/#abstract)

Feldman, R. (2019). Understanding Psychology. [VitalSource Bookshelf]. Retrieved from https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781260883817/

(https://chamberlain.instructure.com/about/116196)Mary Grace Floresca (https://chamberlain.instructure.com/about/116196) 5:08pm

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Hello Professor and Class,

Normally, people view psychological disorders as a very personal issue that only involves the affected person. However, mental disorders are affected by a combination of genetic, biological, cultural, and societal factors. This intersectionality of mental disorders is important, but the role of cultural and societal influence usually gets ignored. These two factors have a huge role in the prevalence and stigmatization of psychological disorders.

In societies where racism is high, minorities would be less likely to seek treatment for psychological disorders compared to the dominant groups. This is because they have high levels of mistrust that originates from a history of racism and discrimination coupled with the fear of being mistreated as a result of the misconceptions associated with their backgrounds (Matsumoto & Juang, 2016). Secondly, different cultures and societies have different perspectives of looking at mental health. For many, there is intense stigma surrounding mental disorders which makes the society to view psychological disorders as a form of weakness or something that should be hidden. This makes it hard for victims of mental disorders to openly come out and seek help.

There are several ways through society can help those with mental disorders to overcome stigma. One of these ways is through community support. A strong support from family, friends, and the community in general would help individuals to seek treatment for their conditions and make them feel that everyone understands their condition and supports them in overcoming it (Shiraev & Levy, 2016). The second method of ending stigma would be by ensuring that there are adequate resources to support the recovery of persons with psychological disorders. Such resources would include mental health professional, mental healthcare centers, and medications. These resources would help victims feel that the society is aware of their needs and has taken the necessary measures to ensure that their mental health conditions have been addressed.

References

Matsumoto, D., & Juang, L. (2016). Culture and psychology.Nelson Education.

Shiraev, E. B., & Levy, D. A. (2016). Cross-cultural psychology: Critical thinking and contemporary applications. Taylor & Francis.

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