Monday, 5 November 2012
Negative perceptions on mental illness
A
mental illness is a medical condition that disrupts a person's thinking,
feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Just as
diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are medical conditions
that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands
of life. But many people do not see it this way. Rather than viewing a mental
illness just like a physical illness, people tend to view it as 'their own
fault' and not as a result of an illness. According to
research, social stigma associated with mental disorders is a widespread
problem. Some people believe those with serious mental illnesses cannot
recover, or are to blame for problems. Media coverage
of mental illness comprises predominantly negative and pejorative depictions,
for example, of incompetence, violence or criminality, with far less coverage
of positive issues such as accomplishments or human rights issues.
Although I was aware
of all of these facts, I recently I find myself reflecting more deeply on the
stigma people with mental illness experience. Maybe it is because within my own
communities I now clearly see many negative connotations and perceptions associated
with having a mental illness. People feel they are 'mad' , 'retarded' or
because they have this disability they cannot work or be part of society. In
fact within our Indian community of South Africa it is common to label someone
as "having nerves" because they may behave in socially inappropriate
ways. I myself was initially scared and a little nervous to
work in a psychiatric unit. Reflecting on that, my fear and nervousness
probably stems from the stigma we have in our societies.
Brain Injury Linked To Crime In Young People
A new UK report finds there is a link between brain injury in childhood and
crime in young people, and points to evidence that brain trauma can cause
maturing brains to "misfire" and disrupt the development of self-restraint,
social judgement and impulse control. It calls for more collaboration among
health and criminal justice authorities to spot brain injuries early, treat them
properly, and ensure they are taken account of throughout the criminal justice
process.
Read the rest of the article here>>>> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/251798.php
Read the rest of the article here>>>> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/251798.php
Bullies twice as likely to have disorder- ABC News
Mental disorders plague many adults who were bullied as children, but a new study suggests that those who had mental health disorders during childhood are three times more likely to become bullies. Researchers at Brown University analyzed survey responses from parents of nearly 64,000 children ages 6 to 17 who were identified as having a mental health disorder, and those who were identified as bullies. An estimated 15 percent of U.S. children in 2007 were identified as bullies by a parent or guardian, according to the responses, which were part of the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health.
Friday, 19 October 2012
"Blog it"
My reflections on my first ever blog
So at the start of
the semester when we were asked to create a blog to share our experiences, I
must admit I was slightly apprehensive. Not that I hadn't used social media
before, but the idea of pouring out my inner most thoughts and feelings on a
public platform was not exactly attractive to me! Nevertheless I decided to
give it a try, and… wow! I'm addicted to blogging! I'm constantly thinking
about new and interesting blog posts, and when anything significant occurs my
first thought is, " I'm so blogging that!'. Frankly, I am a very talkative
person and I feel as though countless ideas and thoughts are constantly running
through my head that I just have to get out. And I've now found the perfect
outlet.. Blog it!
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