Mental disabilities and illnesses through my eyes are no longer to be considered abnormal. Quite frankly I believe they are becoming the norm. Wikipedia defines normality as the conformance to average, social norms and expected patterns of behavior studied within the context of sociology. But when many people are put into specific situations where exactly the distinction is or line placed between normal and abnormal and when do you note that you have specifically crossed this “line”. It is believed by the DSM-IV of the United States standard reference of psychology that there are over 300 different categories of mental illnesses. It also illustrates that there are approximately 20% of individuals that will experience a mental illness during their lifetime and the remaining 80% will be affected by an illness in family members, friends or colleagues. So how do we define abnormality when almost everyone in their lifetime will be touched in some way, shape or form by persons with mental disabilities or illnesses? My family to me I believe is normal but we experience dysfunctions all the time.
My uncle was diagnosed with alcoholism 4 years ago just months after my godmother or auntie passed away. This caused severe distress in my family not only in my uncle’s immediate family but also his extended family like me. Not only did we suffer the loss of my godmother just months before; we now had to deal with what felt like the loss of my uncle and my close cousins grandparents. It is now many years later and he has attended AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) several times. He has lost his home, his house, and most importantly his family. Given that I grew up being around family all the time (my mom being the youngest of four children all of which had children, and my dad having eight siblings) I grew up being surrounded by family and friends. But when my uncle developed his mental illness he did not seem to realize the impact it would have on everyone surrounding him.
Autumn B.
References
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/9671.php
Very interesting blog! I really like how you put in statistics to show how many people are affected by a mental illness and how many different categories of mental illness there is. You make a good point in defining what is normalcy. I agree with you in the fact that mental illnesses and disabilities are becoming the norm. I do think that people who suffer from mental disabilities and illnesses do need more assistance and resources, especially when it comes to coping with their issue also, depending on their illness or disability the family might also need help coping. When someone suffers from a mental illness, everyone around them is also affected.
ReplyDeleteMelanie. F
Personally I do not view a substance use disorder as a mental illness. I do believe in many cases that there may be a co-occurrence between substance use and mental illness. For years in the treatment process individuals were told that they had to treat their substance use disorder before receiving treatment for mental illness and vice versa. Now Addictions Foundation of Manitoba has a started a Co-occurring Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Initiative where they treat the disorders together in a way that pertains specifically to individuals affected by both a substance use disorder and a mental illness. http://www.afm.mb.ca/Partnerships/codi.htm
ReplyDeleteJessica N.
Short and to the point, very good blog post. The facts were great and very informative. Although, I am curious to know what the 300 different mental catagories of mental disabilities are. Is there some that are more common then others?
ReplyDelete- Samantha G
Great post. You obviously take this post and feel very connected to it. Thats a good thing. You encouraged me to go and do some research on mental illnesses. I to an curious about these 300 mental categories. -Brittany L
ReplyDeleteI did not know that there were over three hundred categories of mental illness. I would like to get more information on this, as it is so shocking to me. Your definitely bring in a good point, about mental illness being the norm, rather than abnormal. I never thought in that lens before. That statistics are so true: 20% of people being directly affected by a mental illness, and the remaining knowing someone with a mental illness. Personally I do not have a mental illness, but I do know someone who has a mental illness, therefore I am with the stats.
ReplyDeleteAshley R.
I love the title of you post! I truly think that being abnormal is normal because no one is the same. In regards to mental health issues this is totally true too because everyone is affected differently which makes them react differently. The stigma surrounding mental health issues in my opinion is ridiculous because everyone is affected in one way or another. Something as simple as stress before an exam can be considered a mental health issue. I am glad that you put your own experiences into your post because it is people like you that will help breakdown the attached stigma.
ReplyDeleteAlexis B.
Good post. Inspired me to do one on mental/physical disabilities. I like the title, especially since more people than we expect suffer from a mental disorder. I do somewhat agree with Jessica about substance abuse not being considered a mental illness, by no means am I saying that it isn't a form of illness though. Substance abuse can be caused by, or be the cause of a mental disorder though.
ReplyDeleteBrittney M
This is a really good post. I found I was really able to relate to it due to the fact that alcoholism exists in my family as well. I really appreciate the title too because no one is perfect. Everyone has issues and are somehow touched by mental illness. In fact, perfect would be considered abnormal. Also, as our family members are trying to cope with their mental illnesses, we have to cope with them as well. There are help groups for things like this such as Al-anon for families of alcoholics. Really good post.
ReplyDelete-Marina R
Most people may find this issue hard to talk about but you presented it well. I am taking a psychology class and currently we are focusing on drug and alochol addictions. I was surprised to see that our bodies recognize alcohol as a poison but not drugs (with the exception of excessive amounts). Also, it is shocking in today's society that alcohol is not illegal when so many problems come along with consuming it. For example, child abuse, child neglect, assault, domestic violence, and can even lead to death. According to ehealthmd.com, 1 in 13 adults have problems with drinking alcohol.
ReplyDeleteTiffany
great post. I liked how you gave a personal story as well. who is to say what is normal anyways? I feel being different now a days is way more important.
ReplyDelete-Allery