Question

In: Nursing

How do you feel about the way mentally ill patients have been treated historically and currently?...

How do you feel about the way mentally ill patients have been treated historically and currently?

address how they are treated both by the public and by health care professionals.

Solutions

Expert Solution

TREATMENT IN THE PAST

For much of history, the mentally ill have been treated very poorly. It was believed that mental illness was caused by demonic possession, witchcraft, or an angry god . For example, in medieval times, abnormal behaviors were viewed as a sign that a person was possessed by demons. If someone was considered to be possessed, there were several forms of treatment to release spirits from the individual. The most common treatment was exorcism, often conducted by priests or other religious figures: Incantations and prayers were said over the person’s body, and she may have been given some medicinal drinks. Another form of treatment for extreme cases of mental illness was trephining: A small hole was made in the afflicted individual’s skull to release spirits from the body. Most people treated in this manner died. In addition to exorcism and trephining, other practices involved execution or imprisonment of people with psychological disorders. Still others were left to be homeless beggars. Generally speaking, most people who exhibited strange behaviors were greatly misunderstood and treated cruelly.

misunderstood and treated cruelly. The prevailing theory of psychopathology in earlier history was the idea that mental illness was the result of demonic possession by either an evil spirit or an evil god because early beliefs incorrectly attributed all unexplainable phenomena to deities deemed either good or evil.

In the 19th century, Dorothea Dix led reform efforts for mental health care in the United States . She investigated how those who are mentally ill and poor were cared for, and she discovered an underfunded and unregulated system that perpetuated abuse of this population (Tiffany, 1891). Horrified by her findings, Dix began lobbying various state legislatures and the U.S. Congress for change (Tiffany, 1891). Her efforts led to the creation of the first mental asylums in the United States.

1960s, antipsychotic medications were introduced. These proved a tremendous help in controlling the symptoms of certain psychological disorders, such as psychosis.

MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT TODAY

Today, there are community mental health centers across the nation. They are located in neighborhoods near the homes of clients, and they provide large numbers of people with mental health services of various kinds and for many kinds of problems. Unfortunately, part of what occurred with deinstitutionalization was that those released from institutions were supposed to go to newly created centers, but the system was not set up effectively. Centers were underfunded, staff was not trained to handle severe illnesses such as schizophrenia, there was high staff burnout, and no provision was made for the other services people needed, such as housing, food, and job training. Without these supports, those people released under deinstitutionalization often ended up homeless.

Today, instead of asylums, there are psychiatric hospitals run by state governments and local community hospitals focused on short-term care. In all types of hospitals, the emphasis is on short-term stays, with the average length of stay being less than two weeks and often only several days.

Most people suffering from mental illnesses are not hospitalized. If someone is feeling very depressed, complains of hearing voices, or feels anxious all the time, he or she might seek psychological treatment. A friend, spouse, or parent might refer someone for treatment. The individual might go see his primary care physician first and then be referred to a mental health practitioner.


Related Solutions

How do we overcome the stereotype that mentally ill patients are ill because of something they...
How do we overcome the stereotype that mentally ill patients are ill because of something they did while physically ill patients are ill because of something that happened to them? Even physical illness is often blamed on the patient (e.g., lifestyle behaviors), (1) to what extent does such blaming interfere with, even suppress, empathy or patient-centered care? (2) How do insurance restrictions reduce the quality of care and diminish outcomes for mentally ill or lifestyle-related illness?”
Compare the legal definition of insanity with the psychological concept of mentally ill. How do these...
Compare the legal definition of insanity with the psychological concept of mentally ill. How do these two terms differ? How does this distinction affect the validity of the insanity defense?
Do you think there is a stigma associated with mentally ill persons today? Why or why...
Do you think there is a stigma associated with mentally ill persons today? Why or why not?
1. What discipline in the humanities do you feel has historically been the most important in...
1. What discipline in the humanities do you feel has historically been the most important in the influence of a culture? Why? 2. What artist have had the greatest impact on the arts? 3. According to researcch, what do you believe to be the most defining moment in the history of the arts? Identify the time period and discuss what was happening at that time and place that may have contributed to the production of their work. 4. What are...
384 patients with coronavirus have been hospitalised in the city hospital. 240 have been treated with...
384 patients with coronavirus have been hospitalised in the city hospital. 240 have been treated with anti-viral medication and 144 have not.   Perform a hypothesis test to determine if there is a relationsip between patients being given anti-viral drugs and developing pneumonia. Use a 1% level of significance. The observed values are presented below. Anti-viral drug treatment:    with drugs with no drugs total Pneumonia 60 120 180 No pneumonia 180 24 204 total 240 144 384 1- fill the...
How do crisis intervention team benefit law enforcement agencies.will regard to mentally ill individuals( criminal justice)...
How do crisis intervention team benefit law enforcement agencies.will regard to mentally ill individuals( criminal justice) give 1 example
How do you feel about the question, "is it legal to lie?" Do you agree or...
How do you feel about the question, "is it legal to lie?" Do you agree or disagree with the statement? Give an explanation for your answer using evidence.
do you feel that there have been any ethical issues and or concerns with the COVID...
do you feel that there have been any ethical issues and or concerns with the COVID 19 pandemic
What does your sense of control, influence and non-control do to the way you feel about...
What does your sense of control, influence and non-control do to the way you feel about life? What can you do when you are feeling defeated, apathetic, and burned out at work? How does controlling your arousal state help with your performance in the field? Can you use any of these tools to help you manage social challenges like public speaking, meeting with the chief, or other kinds of anxiety producing events that are not physically dangerous? How does your...
How did you feel about your new position as programmer Analyst? Do you feel your academic...
How did you feel about your new position as programmer Analyst? Do you feel your academic preparation which is MBA has been sufficient for you to be able to fulfil your current job expectations? Explain why or why not. PLEASE ANSWER IN 350 WORDS AND IN WORD FORMAT ONLY. THANKS
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT