Reflective Essay On Mental Health Education

When I was younger, I defined the term mental health to refer to those who suffered from intellectual disabilities, what I use to refer to as mental retardation. One of the main reasons for this association was the special education classrooms in high school that helped educate and take care of children who suffered from serve autism and other intellectual disabilities. These classrooms were the only opportunity I had to be around people who struggled with incapacities, and because of that I associated mental health to refer those who only suffered from these disabilities. I was ignorant to the fact that other disorders, such as PTSD or stress related disorders, also fit under the category of mental health. It wasn’t until I got to college that my views on mental health broadened to include other emotional and mental …show more content…
Two of the main classes that helped broaden my views of mental health were human development and abnormal psychology. These classes changed my personal view of what I considered mental retardation, and gave me the opportunity to study disorders in a more through context. They also introduced me to the aspects of labeling disorders that I was previously unaware of. While there are many stigmas associated with labeling individuals with disorders, I believe that it can be beneficial to the person seeking counseling. According to MacCulloch (2010), “After experiencing pain, or other puzzling or distressing symptoms that we are unable to explain, a diagnostic label provides reassurance and security because it enables us to name, and make sense of the malfunction in our body” (p.151). Providing a label allows a person to have a better understanding of their identity. It also may help aid in interpersonal relationships, where there was hostility or a misunderstanding of why a person was behaving a certain