The Myth Of Mental Illness Philosophy Essay

The Myth Of Mental Illness Philosophy Essay Has Psychiatry got it that wrong or is Thomas Szazs deluded. This question begs to be answered throughout the pages of the The Myth of Mental Illness. Thomas Szazs boldly lays bare psychiatric fallacies in about 263 pages, with ambitious agenda, which has had a significant imprint on Psychiatric history irrespective of all attempts to relegate it to the annals of history (Buchanan-Barker and Barker, 2009). Szazs whose work is used freely by psychiatric academics is often referred to as Psychiatric Philosopher (Hoeller, 1997 and Breeding, 2011). The main argument of this book is that mental illness is a social construct and what psychiatrists label as mental illness is in fact deviant behaviour (Szazs, 2010). Furthermore, Szasz believes that in the absence of empirically observable biological pathology, certain mental illnesses such as schizophrenia should not be termed an illness. Mental illness has no scientific or medical basis and therefore cannot be called a disease. This hypothesis is based on the premise that unlike pneumonia which presents recognisable symptoms all over the world, mental illness does not. Hallucination is classified as a disorder in the western world but highly valued in other parts of the world (Szazs, 2010). The book is academic, aimed at challenging the foundations of American Psychiatry and perhaps the words of Benjamin Rush who declared in the 18th Century that mental illness has hitherto been shrouded in mystery and his intension to make mental illness like any disease of the human body (Szasz, 2005). Part one, The Myth of Mental Illness is an analysis of the background of 1950 psychiatric theory and practice. Part two, Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct proffers an alternative stance on mental illness and how to eloquently express views about it. Szazs firmly believes that mental illness does not exist and that the notion of illness only applies to bodily abnormalities that can be proved by physical and chemical methods (Szasz, 2010). In Mental illness the brain when dissected does not reveal an ailing part. Therefore, internal or neurological illness should not be suggested even if the mental illness resembles physical illness because in such a case mental illness should be viewed as a metaphor (Pickering, 2006). Farrell (1979) however vies this strand of argument positing that Szazs point disintegrates when it is acknowledged that mental illness can refer to psychological defects. Szasz further argues that until recently, illness was defined as a physical disorder and had to be physically and chemically proven in the structure of a body. New diseases have conformed to this criteria and therefore Psychiatry should not be an exception (Pickard, 2009). Szasz marries structural and functional aberrations consequently combining function and behaviour. The function of the brain, for example or the brain systems are placed in the same category as the behaviour of a person and compared to physical and chemical changes. In todays scientific world this view is difficult to digest. Szasz propounds that somatic symptoms should not be attributed to physio-chemical defects in the body as this disorder is learned. This argument casts a shadow on all other mental illnesses and subsequently renders all Psychiatric terminology, diagnosis and treatment needless. Psychiatry is not medical intervention but a social and moral service which should not be forced on anyone (Szasz, 2010). The other premise of Szaszs argument is that medical diagnosis is subject to a physician judgement. This judgement usually correlates with the demonstration of a corresponding physiochemical disorder which cannot be applied in mental health. Psychiatrists therefore make diagnosis which cannot be verified. This gives the psychiatrist power over the patient as the psychiatrist is the only one who can verify this illness. Mental illness in the eyes of Szasz is not discovered as with other natural illnesses but invented by psychiatrist from peoples behaviours (Szazs, 2010). Szazs proffers that whereas mentally ill people were classified as malingerers some years back they are now seen as patients entitled to privileges and welfare benefits. This is not necessarily an improvement but a ploy that negatively affects the value of life which in effect revert mentally ill people social status to malingerers of the 21st century. Such a label induces stigma, discrimination, lame excuses for failure and bad behaviour. Some of these views are not akin to only Szasz. Bracken and Thomas (2010) elucidates how Michael Foucault a French philosopher and Szasz have challenged leading views on psychiatry. Foucault like Szazs asserts that mentally ill people are institutionalised because of moral and economic factors. Furthermore, he challenges deep-seated opinions of mental illness, reason and questions why leper houses were replaced with institutions for mentally ill people (Foucault, 2006). Influenced by post philosophers such as Michael Heidegger, Foucaults transformative practice, knowledge that contravenes dominating games of truth, power relations and shades of partiality is closely knitted to the philosophy of Heidegger (Rayner, 2007). However, Ratcliffe (2010) challenges Bracken and Thomass critique of arguments between Foucault and Szazs stating that they are worlds apart. Gijswijt-Hofstra and Porter (1998) asserts that even though there are other critics of psychiatry their views are often ambiguous. Critics such as Ronald Laing, a Scottish psychiatrist decisively wrote about mental illness subscribing to the view that madness was a natural way of ridding oneself from infuriating situations. Therefore, psychotic episodes should be allowed to run its natural courses rather than people being degraded by being arrested, curbed, confined and forcibly medicated in hospitals (Laing, 1986). Scott (2011) decries Gijswijt-Hofstra and Porters point by indicating that Laings views for example about mental healthcare and choice is not out of date or insignificant. Thomas Szazs, Michel Foucault, David Cooper and Ronald Laing may have contributed enormously to intellectual debates on mental patient care and choice but I beg to differ because of inequality in societies and the lack of resources to support and protect the dignity and life of the mentally ill and the community they live in. Where lies dignity when the mentally ill become dishevelled, vagrant and walk about stark naked in places like Africa? Regardless of the above, the strengths of this book although ambiguous at times outweigh its weaknesses. The hardnosed attitude towards patient care and choice makes a must reading for every psychiatric student as it brings to the fore challenging questions about diagnosis and the expansion of the Diagnostic and Statisical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Book Review of The Hunchback of Notre Dame Essay

There are many books that were published in the year of 1831. However, none of them have grown to be so popular and loved as the book â€Å"The Hunchback of Notre Dame.† This renowned book has many qualities, as it does flaws. It also has a variety of characters, such as the lovable Quasimodo. This novel is internationally loved because of its magnificent content. The novel â€Å"Hunchback of Notre Dame† is recognized for its great qualities. One of the great qualities of this story is that it is very realistic, and has a genuine feel. The punishments, the crimes, and the accusations were practical and easy to accept. While Quasimodo is getting punished in Chapter 7, the punishment he endures was an actual punishment in the 1830’s. This story also has authentic characters, like Esmeralda and Phoebus. Phoebus is a player, and leaves Esmeralda, a girl head-over-heels for him, to die. The personality of these characters and their relationship is not impossible, and there are many people like them. This novel is also whimsical. The story is totally unpredictable, and very fast-paced. At the end of the novel, the reader is uncertain which way the story will go, and if it will end happily. This quality keeps the reader curious and wanting to read more. This story has many great qualities, but there are many shortcomings as well. First off, the situations the characters are put in aren’t very realistic. For example, when Esmeralda is about to be hanged, Quasimodo swings from a gallery to the church in Chapter 14. This is a weak point and takes away from the authenticity of the story. Another drawback is that the beginning is not exciting enough to maintain the reader’s interest. At the beginning, the novel is very dull, and there isn’t any action. The reader becomes uninterested, and no longer wants to continue the book. The last weakness is that this book is targeted towards a small audience. It is violent and unsuitable for kids, boring for many teenagers, and is mostly for an audience who likes and appreciates classics. This classic also has many characters. However, a memorable character is Quasimodo. He is an admirable character, because he represents the lesson â€Å"Beauty is from within†. Although he is heavily disfigured and mutated, he is caring and gentle to everyone around him. Quasimodo is also very thoughtful. When he takes care of her and she asks to see Phoebus, he puts her wants over his. Finally, Quasimodo is a favourite character among many, because he sets her free. He lets Esmeralda be with Gringoire, and this shows how much he loves her. All-in-all, The Hunchback of Notre Dame was an amazing book. It has many qualities, some shortcomings, and memorable characters. This may be an old book, but there are many morals to be learned.

The Great City Of Washingtond.c - 936 Words

The great city of Washington D.C, founded in 1790, by great intellectuals, to control rest of America and to meddle in the affairs of Latin America, in particular, and rest of the world, in general. However, I strongly doubt that it has served the cause of this great nation. Since my accidental arrival in this great city, I am only listening to politics. First I was surprised, but later it became obvious to me that politics is a career, a career, which is very promising. Therefore, all people, whether black, white, brown, blue or red, incessantly discuss politics, and contemplate, argue and fight on how to improve the lives of fellow Americans. During this discourse, of course they also accuse others of being less American or not being American at all, especially if one is brown, blue or red. During my intra-city travels, I went in to an inn, which served insipid food and cheap wine. There I was sitting on table, when I overheard a woman, trying to explain, on top of her voice, that how Un-Christian this country had become. She, who seemed to me a head of some cult, was very apprehensive about minorities, and had been claiming that her president was plotting against True Americans. This discussion was very intriguing, and her theories, to support these claims, even more. I could not resist myself and penetrated their circle, which was discussing this intense and highly sensitive issue. I asked this beautiful woman, who was once also a

The Perception Of Black Males And Their Personal...

Perceptions is what we perceive, what we think we see and know vs what another sees towards the same object or person. But something we must always keep in mind is these stigmas we have aren’t always true. One controversial miss perceptions are black lives particularly black males in America. Viewed by a lot of people as thugs, gang bangers, and crooks, harsh and untrue things of the major of the population. a group of individually regularly looked at and put under scrutiny its people constantly put under a microscope if near the scene of any crime, or harassed verbally by authority figure. We must not let our perception of black males cause a divide and allow the stigmas that are attributed to them to instill fear and cause hatred in our nation. We will critically analyze speeches by Brent staples, Coffey Anderson, and Steve lock particularly at their views of the perception of black males and their personal experience on handling the stigmas associated with them. Brent staples takes an interesting position on the stigma of black males in America, in his 1980 s recount of his life as a black male in the city of New York he mentions a deep yet simple cause of violence upon black life’s. In our day to day life lives in the us in urban America when fear particularly racial fear of a person of group of people arises â€Å"and weapons, either by registered individuals or by police mix â€Å"(staples 1) there is always the possibility of death. It is an imminent consequence whenShow MoreRelatedThe Perception Of Black Males Essay2389 Words   |  10 PagesPerceptions is what we as individuals understand from the information we are given, what we think we see and know vs what another sees towards the same object or person. But something we must always keep in mind is the stigmas we have aren’t always true. One controversial miss perceptions are black lives particularly black males in America. Viewed by a lot of people as thugs, gang bangers, and crooks, theses harsh and untrue things of what the majority of the population perceives. A group of individuallyRead MoreAfrican Americans: The Cultural Norms vs. The Group Counseling Experience2407 Words   |  10 Pagesdealing with family and personal business according to what the culture deems acceptable and prejudices both held by African Americans and their concern over the prejudices of others toward them. Unfortunately as a result of the close-minded nature of the culture to counseling and the lack of education regarding the group counseling experience and its many benefits, many African American individuals are left attempting to cope with life’s issues alone. â€Å"Today as we experience the early part of theRead MoreAin t No Making It Chapter Summaries Essay9177 Words   |  37 Pagesclass relations in the U.S. by training the wealthy to take up space at the top of the economy while conditioning the poor to accept their status. Their correspondence principle draws the comparison between the social relations of production and personal interaction in schools. They argue that strong structural similarities can be seen in following: The organization of power and authority in the school and in the workplace The students lack of control of curriculum and the workers lack of controlRead MoreDeterminants of Violence in the Greek Football League a Case Study of Paok Fc Supporters13608 Words   |  55 PagesDedicated to PAOK FC supporters all over the world. Abstract This essay aims to unveil the opinions, thoughts and perceptions of Greek fans as far as the causes of violent incidents in the Greek football league are concerned. In the first part of this research project some theoretical considerations about determinants of violence, crime and delinquency in general and in sports are being analysed. For the purposes of this study I contacted a small-scale case studyRead MoreThe Long Term Effects of Child Sexual Abuse11950 Words   |  48 Pagesis supported by Ferguson (1997), ‘as well as the immediate effects of such abuse seen in childhood, findings from research have reported how the impact of CSA can affect the lives of adult survivors.’ â€Å"Sexual abuse is a traumatic and damaging experience which can affect a child’s capacity for trust, intimacy, mental health and emotional development and ability to achieve both educationally and socially†,( London Child Protection Committee 2005). As a result of the damage caused, it is likely forRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pages978-0-13-283487-2 Brief Contents Preface xxii 1 2 Introduction 1 What Is Organizational Behavior? 3 The Individual 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Diversity in Organizations 39 Attitudes and Job Satisfaction 69 Emotions and Moods 97 Personality and Values 131 Perception and Individual Decision Making 165 Motivation Concepts 201 Motivation: From Concepts to Applications 239 3 The Group 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Foundations of Group Behavior 271 Understanding Work Teams 307 Communication 335 Leadership 367 PowerRead MoreAn Introduction to Intercultural Communication29172 Words   |  117 Pageslong way in the short period of time such specialists have been in demand. No longer are they expatriates with a few years overseas experience and the capability to impart their knowledge onto others. Cross cultural consultants now bring expertise that is founded upon a number of key factors. Cross cultural consultants generally have a broad knowledge and experience of two or more different cultures. This knowledge is then employed to assist companies and individuals overcome challenges brought aboutRead MoreCOM3702 Portfolio10930 Words   |  44 PagesMEDIA STUDIES PORTFOLIO STUDENT NUMBER: 35772085 SURNAME AND INITIAL: Moatshe, P MODULE CODE: COM3702 SUBMITION DATE: 7 October 2014 DECLARATION I, the undersigned, hereby declare that this is my own work and personal work, except where the work(s) or publications of others have been acknowledged by means of reference techniques. I have read and understood Tutorial Letter CMNALLE/301/2014 regarding technical and presentation requirements, referencing techniquesRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 Pagesendeavor through the decades. Still, it is always difficult to abandon interesting cases that have stimulated student discussions and provoked useful insights, but newer case possibilities are ever contesting for inclusion. Examples of good and bad handling of problems and opportunities are forever emerging. But sometimes we bring back an oldie, and with updating, gain a new perspective. For new users, I hope the book will meet your full expectations and be an effective instructional tool. AlthoughRead MoreHuman Resources Management150900 Words   |  604 Pages5 FIGURE 1—1 The 10 Occupations with the Fastest Employment Growth, 1996—2006 Numbers in Thousands of Jobs Occupation Database administrators, computer support specialists, and all other computer scientists Computer engineers Systems analysts Personal and home care aides Physical and corrective therapy assistants and aides Home health aides Medical assistants Desktop publishing specialists Physical therapists Occupational therapy assistants and aides Employment 1996 212 216 506 202 84 495 225