Mental Stigma, Media Misrepresentation And The False...

Mental health issues affect society in many ways, such as identification, treatment, and overall understanding; as a result of this they have been mocked and dismissed for most of history. This paper is a thorough investigation into the long, tumultuous history of mental illnesses. The history of mental stigma, media misrepresentation and the false branding of the LGBT+ community will be explored. In addition, this paper goes into detail about the horrific past of the treatment of mental patients in asylums and the evolution of the understanding of mental illnesses, from mystical phenomena to chemical imbalances. Mental illnesses are not a thing of the past. They are also our present and future. John Q. Adams once said, â€Å"Who we are, is who we were.† That quote accurately describes mental illnesses and the mental health of humans everywhere. A mental illness can be defined as a health condition that changes a person s thought process, emotions, behavior, and/or their body. Mental illness causes a person distress and difficulty in functioning and can lead to atrophy. They are ingrained in the wiring of many and they override safety precautions that the brain has set in place against viruses. Mental health issues affect society in many ways, such as identification, treatment, and overall understanding; as a result of this they have been mocked and dismissed for most of history. For all of history, mankind has had some semblance of being aware of mental illnesses. The