Over the years, there has been an upsurge in cases of mental illnesses. It is unclear whether the growing numbers of mental health patients is as a result of enlightenment in matters pertaining mental health or an indication of a failing society. It is indeed provable that over the years, more information and scientific research has been directed towards mental illnesses as compared to the past. A section of today's society recognizes the plight of mentally ill patients. However, a majority of the members of the society have a distorted perception of the issue of mental health and mentally ill patients. I fall into the category that has a difficult time understanding mental illness. Consequently, I have developed several biases or judgments regarding this type of illness as I shall address below.
First, I regard mental illness as a condition within the control of the individual that suffers from it. I tend to hold to the idea that mental illness is a state of the mind that can be altered by the individual to improve or rather get over a particular mental condition that passes as an illness. Just like it's possible to shift from being in a sad emotional state to a happy state by altering what the mind focuses on, I tend to believe that the same is possible for persons suffering from any form of mental illness.
Additionally, I hold on to the belief that people suffering from mental illnesses are simply incapable of handling the negative experiences that the world throws at them. We live in a flawed world where negative experiences are guaranteed in every individual's life. I believe that the manner in which an individual is capable of taking control of a situation that presents itself determines to a large extent his/her mental stability. In relation to this, I have held on to the belief that the inability of individuals to handle negative situations is the reason behind certain mental illnesses like depression and schizophrenia.
The occurrence of mental illnesses, in my biased perspective, is determined by an individual's socioeconomic status. I believe that people who are placed in a much lower social stratum are likely to plunge into the depths of mental illness based on the circumstances surrounding them. I tend to think that the people who are high up the social ladder are somewhat insulated against mental illness; even if it occurs, it is quite minimal. Mental illness in this regard has a specific social class target. Its occurrence is stimulated by the circumstances around an individual, within or outside the individual's control. Children who are raised in poor families have higher chances of developing a mental illness because of the degrading situations around them. On the other hand, children who are raised in wealthy families and enjoy the comfortabilities of life are less likely to suffer from mental illness. Medically, mental illness cuts across social class and races. It affects anyone regardless of their position in the society. Mental illness goes deeper than the physical environment an individual finds himself or herself in. It is a state beyond an individual's control and in which an individual cannot snap out of instantaneously as most members of the society think.
I regard mental illness as overrated. I think people who define themselves as suffering from a mental illness are merely suffering from an advanced stage of stress. Everybody gets stressed sometimes. However, I hold to the belief that mentally ill people take their stress to a different level, either by refusing to handle their stressors or ignoring them altogether. Mental illness in this regard is a condition that the sufferer is fully or rather was fully in control of before it became something they could not deal with.
Psychiatrists in my perception are also overrated. People tend to take psychiatric evaluations as gospel truths, not caring to reconsider a situation or consult certified doctors. I think most psychiatrists misdiagnose for their own financial gains, even when a condition does not qualify to be treated as a mental illness. Psychiatrists are trained to identify stressors and describe them in psychological terms. Most of the times, these psychiatrists relate a normal stressful condition to depression just to get money from their patients. I think psychological health is the new medical practitioner jackpot. With the increasing cases of mental illnesses, too many people are out for their own selfish gains.
My mental illness biases developed from a young age. Growing up, I listened to a lot of judgmental comments and opinions being thrown at people who had ended their lives through suicide. I adapted to the common belief that these people were selfish and needed constant attention from others around them. I grew up with a distorted perception of people who suffered from mental illness. This perception came from my immediate family and from the people I interacted with outside the family setting. At school, students who acted depressed or withdrew themselves from the rest were picked on, bullied and called names. Being different was treated worse than the ancient world people treated leprosy. One had either to fit in or be treated unjustly by others.
Something else that shaped my biases about mental illness is the reactions exhibited by other people when dealing with mentally ill patients. In the hospital where I interned, the nurses reacted differently when handling mentally ill patients. When a mentally ill patient was admitted to the hospital, most nurses would come up with an excuse on why they could not handle such a patient. Others would cite fear for their safety as an excuse not to handle such patients. Noticing the fear that most nurses had for mentally ill patients, I was further convinced that such people were difficult to be around and deserved to be treated differently.
In conclusion, it is evident from the above-discussed content that my perception of mental illness was something I developed as I grew up into an adult and from my associations with my nurse colleagues. Today, a lot has changed in matters regarding mental health. Many people are presently aware of the fact that even people who appear normal are not exempted from mental illnesses. Mental illnesses have no respect for people's social classes, economic standing or even race. They cut across any racial or geographical divides. In light of the plenty of information regarding mental health today, I believe that I have been wrong in my perceptions of mental illnesses. I think that a lot of resources need to be channeled towards research on mental illnesses. Additionally, it's equally important to educate the members of the society regarding the state of mental illness in the world we live in today. The society needs to be more understanding of people who suffer from mental illnesses. This will prevent people from suffering silently and increase the fight against mental illnesses.