The challenges of living with mental illness and lessons

Document Type:Research Paper

Subject Area:Literature

Document 1

So, what is mental illness? This term is used to refer to a variety of conditions that affect the mind and result in varying symptoms like change in mood, behavior, and thinking. There are many types of mental health conditions, and they include schizophrenia, depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorders, addictive disorders, eating disorders among many others (American Psychiatric Association). Many people have mental issues from time to time, but when they become recurrent and last for extended periods of time, they become a mental illness. Mental illness is associated with a lot of challenges in day to day life for an individual who is affected. However, the signs and symptoms are manageable through various forms of therapy like medications and psychotherapy.

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Discrimination is a result of the stigma that comes with mental illness, and it is where one is treated differently from other folks as they are perceived to be of a particular group of people. The treatment received is usually unfair and full of prejudice (Corrigan et al. Discrimination has for a long time been prevalent in the context of race, and that is the first thing that comes to mind on mentioning it. However, discrimination is also present when it comes to mental illness. This act leads to a lot of negative consequences to the affected (Kennedy & Gioia, 37). Most of the people with mental illness opt to self-medicate yet they do not know the recommended doses of these drugs. Some want to relieve their symptoms for a short time, and they then abuse drugs to achieve this.

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Others want to dull their emotions and forget about their loneliness by abusing drugs that make this possible. Stress and depression due to the illness lead to increased alcohol abuse, and subsequently, other social problems result like strained relationships with family and friends and so forth (Corrigan 40). Also, these drugs require money, and in most cases, people with mental illness are not stable financially. There is also the issue of uncertainty. A lot concerning mental illness remains unknown, and hence it is difficult to know what could happen in the future. It results in a lot of anxiety and frustration to the ailing person. One cannot be aware how their condition will progress and if they will ever recover. They can only hope that it will not worsen further.

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In the story, the narrator takes care of an old man. Over time he starts hating the old man's ‘evil eye’ (Poe). His obsession with it drives him to murder the old man who he then buries under the floor of the house. Later, police officers come claiming they have heard shrieks and want to know where the old man is. The narrator is confident at this point and even gives them a tour around the house, permitted them to search and shows them that the old man’s possessions are untouched. "The impact of mental illness stigma on seeking and participating in mental health care. " Psychological Science in the Public Interest 15. Freud, Sigmund. Psychical (or mental) treatment. Read Books Ltd, 2014.

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