Ok, now we are onto the good stuff in Psychology, the real reason why you are all here - to find what mental disorder we all (me excluded!) have.
But seriously, psychological disorders are no laughing matter, particularly since a 1994 survey found that almost 50% of the population have experienced symptoms of mental illness at some point in their lives. A more recent study showed that almost 20% of young adults age 18-24 have a serious personality disorder (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28004005/) and another 30% have other psychological issues! Oftentimes these issues lead to destructive behavior (think the Virginia Tech tragedy) and perhaps even suicide.
After thinking about these statistics and the definition of mental disorder (p. 575), explain whether you believe these numbers are real. Are these statistics over-inflated because of a definition that is too broad? Is mental illness this serious of an issue in our society?
I know this is a lot to think about but I believe all of you will have some profound comments. Please post blog by Monday, December 8. For those thinking about extra credit - come back to make multiple comments and get your parents involved in this issue.
Also check out the following:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28001610
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28002991/
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22 comments:
Wow... this is very interesting.
Well, the statistics shown on MSNBC were pretty crazy. What is our world coming down to?
A mental disorder/psychological disorder is a pattern of behavioral and psychological symptoms that causes significant personal distress, impairs the ability to function in one or more important areas of daily life, or both.
So to sum it up, mental disorders cause the brain and the person to function incorrectly.
I do believe that these numbers are real just from what we see in our community, our state, and our country. For example, just the other day on AOL News I was reading about a young man around the age of 17 who live recorded from his webcam as he killed himself. For a person to do this, they are definitely having some kind of problem mentally.
Also, I just saw someone last year that used to be so quiet, good, and nice. Now I seen him again and he is into wearing black, straightening his hair, and talking about darkness, blood, and death. Something is going wrong mentally in this boy's mind.
I don't believe that these statistics are over-inflated because after reading the article on MSNBC, it made sense that John Hill had a personality disorder because of his change. His PERSONALITY did CHANGE and I personally DON'T believe the definition is too broad. But everyone is entitled to their opinions.
Mental Illnesses can be a serious issue in our society. Such instances like the Virginia Tech Tragedy, 9-11, and even what happened at our school with the death of a man who was fired that day, these people must have had some serious mental problems and didn't seek out for help or felt too embarrassed to.
Although some mental illnesses like having some kind of paranoia or OCD aren’t so bad, there are issues which are really bad in our society. It seems like more and more people today are becoming “emo” and that can be seen as a mental disorder. These people obviously aren’t happy and enjoy wearing black and talking about death. This can be an issue because like the issue I spoke of above with the boy I know who changed; he is now friends with a wrong crowd who enjoy doing drugs and smoking pot on a daily basis. People have strong influences on others and if these mental issues are being forwarded to others, soon our statistics of mental disorders will be inflating.
~Natalie
Mr. Yip
Just a thought - could all those stories about people with psychological disorders doing extreme things make us believe the problem is far greater than it really is? Or are the stories we hear evidence of a greater epidemic occurring because of a general inability to deal with the grwoing difficulties of life?
Second blog on this Topic for Extra Credit:
Mr. Yip,
That is an interesting point you brought up. It COULD be that "people with psychological disorders doing extreme things makes us believe the problem is far greater than it really is", HOWEVER, is there a REAL answer to this issue? I don't know about what anyone else thinks in the class, but I think that there are a lot of people out there with psychological issues. It really can be seen everywhere. BUT, it could make us believe that the problem is far greater than it is because of what we see in statistics and what we hear through our own community, state, and nation's news. It all depends on how people define a “mental disorder”.
~Natalie
Why did Ben Pickering get suspended? Is it true that Norm walked in on him doing some unlawful things in the boys bathroom?
Dear Mister Red Mystery,
This would be a flase accusation you bring about. However the situation is true. The guilty pardon would go by the name of Daniel Francis Reddington. Ya weird his middle name is francis, same one given to my grandmother. However I do love him and his beautiful blue eyes and fluffy golden hair.
E baby in the hearts forever
Your Truly, Green Mystery
While I was reading this chapter, on what is considered 'normal' I couldn't help but think...If movies and music has such a large impact on the pre-teen and teenager population, than everything they hear, or see seems 'normal' or the right thing to do. For an example tons of songs, rap rock and pop music in particular, have lyrics with drug references, violence (gangs, suicide ex.) or sex references. The same goes for movies. Sex, drugs and violence are a big thing in movies. There are ratings on movies, unfortunately, some parents could either care less about what their pre-teen or teenager watches. I feel that I am responsible and mature enough to watch a movie of any rating. I know right from wrong. My parents have made sure that I know what will happen to me if I every stepped out of line, and tried drugs or purposely hurt someone to make myself feel good or accepted. Some parents don't stress these points enough to their children.
As for Mental disorders, the movies stress that its fun to poke at people with mental disorders. A few months ago, someone who was sitting at the table with myself and some friends decided to make fun of people with a mental disorder. I was very offended by what she was saying because I want to work and help people with mental disorders. I don't think that its funny to make fun of someone who happens to be as human, just as you and me, but with less advantages. It's unfortunate for anyone to have any sort of disorder, either physically noticeable or not, which the reading said that one in two people will have a type of disorder. This is shocking to hear. So next time you decide to make fun of someone for a disorder, stop and think about yourself.
~Nunes
After reading in my textbook and the 3 articles provided, i was a little surprised by the statistics, but i was not completely shocked. I do believe that these numbers are an accurate representation based on what i see and hear about in our state and country.
Although in some situations illnesses can be over-diagnosed, the people talked about in the articles did in fact have a mental illness.
Eating disorders, gender identity disorders, or any other illnesses that can be spotted in your physical appearance require getting professional help. Even though a person might look and seem perfectly healthy at first glance, it doesn’t mean that they don’t suffer from a mental illness. If this is the case, the person’s illness should not go unnoticed. A person suffering from depression or any type of personality disorder will often keep their feelings to themselves because they are embarrassed, and therefore do not want to get made fun of. This may also be true for someone who has suicidal thoughts. The people around them may have no idea that this is going on in this person’s mind.
There are also people who do disgusting things and just have sick minds. I don’t know if they can help it or not??
Even though 1 in every 4 people suffer from a mental illness, I do believe that NOT EVERYONE suffers from a mental disorder. No one in the world is perfect, therefore people suffering from a mental illness should not be embarrassed or ashamed to get help. If a friend or family member knows about this person’s illness, they should get help right away. In the end, it’s better to get help before it’s too late....
-Marissa
the staarts are over blown, plain and simple, everyone hasd a disorder these days, whose to say whats normal and whats abnormal? whats normal for one person is insane to anoher your view of "normal" is based on wehat you see in YOUR daily life, and everyone's life is different, and ADD doesnt exist. i have family that were diagnosed withe severe ADD and ADHD and they have better grades than I do, and THEY DON'T TAKE PILLS, they eat a healthy diet take these "focus factot" pills (its just B vitamins and ginseng, which promotes memory), they also excercise a lot, and they lead perfectly normal lives, compare them to me and you'd say i was the one with ADD.
All these "disorders" are just another excuse to get people hooked on more pills so pharmasutical companies can make more money.
/thread
-Mike D'Amore
Well I am sad to say that I was unable to open the MSNBC article. However based on the reading and what we discussed in class, I have come to a conclusion.
I do believe that "almost 50% of the population have experienced symptoms of mental illness at some point in their lives" because look at all the things that we must deal with in our society today. We have to deal with stress during these hard economic times and making money while trying to support a family. I also believe that teens have it much harder today. I understand why some teens go through depression...it's because of all the work that's put on us. Now I know that during exhibition, I was totally stressed out. I was trying to juggle school work, stuff at home, and then I had to worry about this huge project. Therefore I definitely believe these numbers are real and I think that there are probably a lot more people that have a disorder in our society. Some people hide things very well and I'm sure some people right now are hiding some sort of disorder.
*Also what the heck is that comment about from Red Mystery?? Did ben really get suspended??
- Michaela L
The statistics shown on the MSN website are at first shocking and hard to believe. But after thinking about it, it doesn’t so much surprise me. In class on Friday you read to us the symptoms of a person with ADHD and I’m pretty sure everybody in the class could agree that they possessed a number of those characteristics. That doesn’t mean, though, that we are all mentally ill. It’s a difficult thing to try to explain to somebody because it’s really just how I feel and putting it into words isn’t so simple, but the simple test you gave us is one of the reasons I feel the definition of a mental illness is too broad.
I still feel like it’s a very serious issue in our society and that more and more people are being affected negatively by our ever-changing world. Yet for some people, being diagnosed with a mental illness is an easy way out. Some students don’t like being slow in reading, so by having the option of telling people they have a disease makes them feel better. They think it’s not something they can control and it makes others feel bad for them, when really they are simply lazy. It bothers me that this happens because I don’t qualify all mentally ill patients as weak. There are just some people out there that are making it a bigger issue in our society than it actually is.
- Katherine Gannon
Mike,
I don’t fully agree on what you said in your blog. The first part I think is totally dead on: if you follow the established guidelines, pretty much everybody nowadays could be diagnosed with a disease. However I disagree with what you said about, “these ‘disorders’ are just another excuse to get people hooked on more pills so pharmaceutical companies can make more money.” It’s true that this is the intention of some people, they just want to make themselves feel better by taking medication and some doctors just want money, but I don’t feel like that’s always the case. I think there are a lot of mental disorders out there that are legitimate; it’s not all just a hoax for money. Don’t you agree?
- Katherine Gannon
Mr. Yip,
After looking over the numbers and the reading, I think these number are over inflated. Everyone has a flaw in them, they're not perfect. Just becuase it might bean odd flaw that doesn't mean it's a mental disorder. If their behavior is bad to the point where they can't function in society, then you could classify that person as someone with a mental disorder.
-Chris E. (Period 1)
After reviewing the numbers and statistics i truly believe that these number of mental disorders are way over inflated. if we really wanted to we could name any one time or any small indecent as a mental disorder. such as shaking your legs when your nervous to coughing with out putting your hand infront of your mouth. i beilve that people also use the book of mental illnesses for other reasons. some criminals could study the book and specific mental illnesses stated and perhaps get away from killing someone because of an illness. Also i belive the tests for determining mental illnesses are way to broad, such as the ones stated in class about mr. yips son. like really hen could all be cosidered to have A.D.D. or A.D.H.D.
i belive that only more serious mental illnesses should be stated in the book and not ridiculous ones that anyone could have. Also as Natalie stated People have strong influences on others and if these mental issues are being forwarded to others, soon our statistics of mental disorders will be inflating more then it already is and no one will not at least have one. so the question is, is anyone Normal?
What's up children,
I belive that these stats are highly blown out of proportion. Nower days everyone is diagnosed with a problem and on medication for one reason or another. Back olden days people would grind it out and not worry about little things that didn't effect their lives and thos people turned out just fine. Just take a look at my grandmother Connie, 78 years old and still sticking it to the man. As far as seriousness in society it is. Mental illnesses effct many peoples lives and certainly is an important issue. People with mental illnesses should be open to whatever possible treatment possible as with tchnology nower days curing a mental illness can sometimes be done easily.
Love,
yours truly
bad boys for life
I think that some of the disorders that people are being diagnosed with are getting pretty ridiculous. I mean some of the people that have been brought up as having a disorder, are most likely searching for attention. Like what Natalie said about the man who committed suicide on a live webcam, obviously he wasn't in the right state of mind, but by taking your life in such a dramatic manor is a scream for help. A problem with society is overly judge mental people. I'm friends with people who grow out their hair, dress in black, and are considered the "bad kids," and I've realized that they are 100 times nicer and understanding than the "normal kids" who have done some pretty bad stuff. I agree that many people today have mental disorders most likely from the amount of stress we all have to deal with, but now their just being thrown out there.
-mish
Well, after reading these articles on mental disorders I think that there must be something in the water because everyone these days has "some" mental problem, prohibiting them from doing something!
However, I think that it is all very interesting in that there are many ways to go about figuring what the issue is and also the dealing with people aspect.
I think that it would be fun, learning about people and how they view the world differently from me. I would love to help someone become "normal"!
Which brings me to another point. What actually is normal and how do you categorize this normalcy. What gave the person who came up with being normal, gave them the right to state that they were above others. Also, who is to say that that person was even normal in that they could have had something wrong with them!
In conclusion I think that this topic we are discussing is very interesting in that we get to explore the minds of others and try to interpret what it going on in their minds!
McCall Theriault
Also, in going off your comment Mr. Yip I think that the amount of people (the statistics) are just in fact making people think that they should have a mental problem. In that everyone wants to be like everyone else. And hey you never know, mental illness could be the next big thing!
haha!!
Personally, I know there are things about me that could be considered a little unusual. I wash my hands over consecutively and possess a few other minor OCD like behaviors when dealing with the placement of certain things– placement that is usually very disorganized for some reason. Yet, does this make me mentally ill? Or am I just a little anal, a little particular about certain things? In today’s society I fear that I’d be labeled as a little crazy. Me and everyone else with little quirks here and there. It basically seems that everyone is being labeled as someone with a mental disorder. And it’s somewhat frightening.
Yet, it’s not just the psychiatrists of the world or the negative words of society that make us all into crazy people. Many I’d say give themselves the title of having a disorder. Someone who is lazy or over aggressive or whatever may decide that he/she has a problem – just to get out of confessing that “maybe I need to work harder or maybe I need to gain more self control”. Instead of taking the blame for an issue, many people seem to blame it on a disorder (ADD, ADHD, OCD, etc.). Many children are being told that they have ACD – and many do – yet, there is a large group out there who have parents who instead of blaming the kid for not paying attention, blame a disorder instead.
While mental disorders are frequent and real, many have just become the main player in a series of excuses.
im sure that all the stats are right i mean just sitting in the class room you can tell the alot of the kids in the room have social diorders and could benefit from help myself included. i really do belive that our society needs help
I think that mental illness is real in our society. It's real, but at times I feel that some people take advantage of it. I feel like some people use some illnesses like an excuse for example, ADHD. Yes, some people truly have it and then there are the people that constantly talk all throughout class or something and the say that they can't concentrate so the must have ADHD. Mmmm... maybe if you weren't acting out in class you can actually understand what's going around you.
I don't think that these statistics are over inflated. There are people out there with real problems. Some of them are cause by trauma or something. In out society, a lot of messed up happen to people so it's not hard to believe that people suffer from mental illnesses.
People change and I feel that they can't help it. Things happen and at times you can't help the way that they will affect you.
Well I do believe these statistics are true, because this post is late. In class we have learned about the DSM and the vague symptoms for many mental dissorders. Because of this I believe that it is very possible that this many people have mental dissorders. Many people most likely dont believe this because when they think of mental dissorders they think of the extreme, such as depression and ocd. Because there are many less noticable diseses people can have this stat is probably true.
It seems as if everyone is using the insanity plea nowadays. That's not to say that some of these people aren't actually sick, but when it comes down to it a lot of people start hearing those demons in their head when it starts getting close to their court date.
Now the fact that so many people have reported experiencing some symptoms of these disorders during the studies doesn't suprise me. In fact I think at least everyone in the class has felt one of the symptons Mr. Yip described from the DSM at least once in our lives, that doesn't mean were "crazy".
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