Crazy Like Us, written by Ethan Watters uses a series of cases studies to prove that the forceful spread of western medicine (Unites States) philosophies and medical treatments that pertain to mental health, have spread across the world, resulting in the denaturation and destruction of unique cultural practices/beliefs and overall, degrading the worlds mental health status. In a since, he is proving that we (the US) are our own worst enemies when it comes to handling and treating mental illness. Watters first argument focuses on how western medicine and its homogenous ideas about anorexia spread to Hong Kong, which resulted in the emergence of a new fashionable form of anorexia that was symptomatically altered in comparison to the cultural…
John Carpenters ’s 1982 horror film, The Thing was made as a premise for social commentary on the deterioration of humanity, warning society of the devastating potential of thinking as individuals in isolation rather than a collective. These themes are accentuated through the use of an alien specimen that enters the world of American male scientists based in Antarctica. The alien (or “Thing”) infects living organisms and attempts to take over the human race by ‘imitating’ them, leaving the men in a fight for their own survival as they try to differentiate between “human” and an alien imitation of a human. The term humanity itself is redefined in this film and is stripped to its bare minimum: the mere biological relationship between humans.…
Earley quickly learned that options to help a mentally ill individual that didn’t recognize they were in need of help was nearly impossible. Crazy tells many stories that grip the reader and give them a good shake. Unethical encounters and research presented throughout the story paint a story of mental illness in America that is unfortunate and haunting. Earley’s own son, Mike, is who kickstarts Earley’s journey into discovering…
I chose the book Crazy: A Father’s Search through America’s Mental Health Madness by Pete Earley. Earley had been an award-winning journalist for thirty years and written about America’s criminal justice system but always from the “outside looking in” (p. 1). That all changed, however, when his son Mike was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The central theme of Crazy is chronicling Earley’s year-long investigation into the de-institutionalization and ensuing criminalization of the mentally ill in America along with his son’s and others’ stories weaved throughout. Starting with Mike’s first psychotic breakdown, it is his story that becomes the genesis and nexus for this book.…
Earley efficaciously uses the principles of ethos, pathos and logos to convince the reader that people should not fear the mentally unstable, rather help them. Treatment should be administered to mental patients, and mental wards should be replaced with small rehabilitation centers. A change must ensue, and the public must be educated on mental…
Many people are drawn to the thrill seeking risk of skydiving, and some people become overconfident in their next jump and forget to pull their parachute (as seen in Star Trek The Future Begins). In Into the Wild, Krakauer displayed many themes. The importance of risk taking, one of the main themes, is constantly brought up throughout the book. Through into the wild, krakauer demonstrates the importance of slight risk taking to develop confidence and happiness, while being wary of taking extreme risks leading to dangers and arrogance.…
In the article “On Being Sane in Insane Places”, author D.L. Rosenhan recounts an experiment he conducted to test the consistency of psychiatric diagnoses. In this study, eight individuals were given the task of calling a psychiatric hospital and alledging that he or she had been hearing voices lately, specifically voices that were the same sex as the patient. No other differences in symptoms or history were made, besides minor altercations that would not influence diagnoseses, such as where the individual was employed. In the end, all were admitted into the different hospitals they called. Once inside the hospital, the patient did not continue to pretend to hear voices or possess any symptoms at all.…
Imagine, you are living a normal life. Then, your whole world turns upside down because of a tragic event. In the beginning of the novel, the protagonist, Jeffery Lionel “Maniac” Magee’s parents died in a trolley accident because the driver was drunk. He is sent to live with his aunt and uncle in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. They want a divorce, but they refuse to get one because they are Catholics.…
Insane asylums was a way to weed out society to only be filled safe and healthy people. Anne Underwood writes, "As Penney sees it, significant improvements will come only when patients with mental problems are viewed not as dangerous misfits but as real people, with lives, careers, dreams -- and suitcases"(Underwood). The patients in the asylums were seen as people no one would miss and they needed to be away from a productive society. Rehabilitation sought for these patients was through experimenting new techniques.…
Overall throughout the history, wealthy and privileged people used their power to label poor unprivileged people as mentally ill and exploit them to control society. To justify the controlling of the society, society used experts because if the scientific information is coming from well-respected expert’s no one questions it and everyone believes it. 1. When considering youth and the mental health industry, I have made the argument that medicating kids is a political act. How does the 20/20 documentary about foster kids help us to understand the “politics” associated to medicating foster youth?…
Former First Lady, Michelle Obama, addressed the issue of mental illness by saying, “At the root of this dilemma is the way we view mental health in this country. Whether an illness affects your heart, your leg, or your brain, it’s still an illness, and there should be no distinction.” In America, most people view mentally ill entities differently than someone with an illness in their heart or any other body part. It’s seen as more extreme if someone has a mental issue and they are categorized as abnormal and strange. In the novel Of Mice of Men, Lennie has mental problems that affect his nervous system and mental capacity.…
“How Mental Illness is misrepresented in the Media” I found this article very interesting not only did I learn something new but I learned something about myself and how I even have misconceptions about certain mental illnesses because of what I see on social media, television and even here on the news! This Article really caught my eye as I scrolled through U.S NEWS AND WORLD REPORT, in the health and psychology section. These are some key points of what I read and the opinion I have about them.…
The United States of America is considered by most standards to be one of the most powerful, influential, and productive countries in the world, with a population of over three hundred million citizens, and a gross domestic product of almost seventeen and a half trillion dollars (World Bank). Yet beneath the surface of this magnificent nation there lies a tragic truth. The reality is, underneath the glorious lifestyles and towering cities, the United States is sick with a disease that affects nearly twenty percent of its populace (Bekiempis). Mental illness is the general term used to describe this “disease,” which includes a number of mental health disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and posttraumatic stress syndrome to name a few. These disorders can occur due to a multitude of reasons, however there are a specific set of circumstances that often induce and promote mental illness.…
This popular book, explains how mentally ill people are being incarcerated and criminalized because of the failure of community mental health, and the deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill. Most people do not realize that the prisons are rapidly becoming the largest providers of mental health services, as is the case in Texas. This book becomes a rant for diagnosing all inmates as PTSD, which is Post traumatic stress disorder just because they are in prison. I believe the book reports on many problems in a lot of prisons. The issue of the mentally ill in prison is a growing problem.…
The theory that dictates the premise of the movie is symbolic interactionism and the three components associated with that theory are: the social construct of reality, the stages of the mentally ill identity and the transition from civilian to mental health patient. The whole movie ties in the idea that our behaviors, personalities and actions feed off of the notion of what society deems or constructs to be normal or real. Society creates the stigma and our education of mental health comes from ideas that have been socially constructed and may not be true. Others interpretation of our opinions and actions are formed through their observation of our relationships and interactions but there are various factors to consider and not everyone should be evaluated the…