Mental Health and Mental Illness: Perception, Types of Disorders, and Treatment Approaches

Running Head: Healthcare 0
Healthcare
Student’s Name
1/14/2019

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Introduction
In order to live, a healthy life a person is required to be healthy physically as well as
mentally. From childhood to adulthood, mental health is important at every stage of life. The
same is also significant as a mental health issue affect the behavior and mood of a person.
National Institute of Mental health believes that without mental health, there is no health. Mental
illness can be understood as a disease, which causes a various disturbance in the behavior and
thoughts of a person and further lead to a situation, where the affected person becomes unable to
meet the life’s ordinary routines. This is an issue for every society as it led many other issues and
affects the other people as well. In the USA too, several cases of mental illness are used to report
on a daily basis (Allison, Bastiampillai & Fuller, 2017). As per the data publishes on the official
website of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, every 1 out of 25 adults in the USA is a
victim of mental illness every year. The presented report is focused on the subject of mental
health and mental illness. After the study of this report, one will be able to understand the way in
which people perceive the topic of mental health and illness. Further, the discussion will also be
focused on mental disorders, their symptoms, and the impact of the same on patients. In
conjunction with this, the presented report will also identify and explain the directive and non-
directive treatment approach and the manner in which the same can treat a mental disorder.
Perception about mental health and illness in the USA
Mental health literacy can be understood as knowledge and beliefs regarding mental
health problems and cures. Many of the factors influence a person’s belief in respect to mental
health and illness, which includes his/her personal knowledge, cultural stereotypes and his/her

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interactions with other people suffering from mental illness. In order to check a standard
perception of people regarding mental health, many of the population-based surveys and research
have been conducted in the USA. In the year 2013, Angela M. Parcesepe and Leopoldo J.
Cabassa have conducted a literature review to know the perception of the public towards mental
illness in the US Society. In their research, they have summarized many of the articles of
population-based surveys and used different methods such as literature search strategy and
analytical strategy. According to the research conducted by them, it has held that adults think the
children with the mental disorder are more dangerous to them as well as to others in comparison
to the other children who suffer from asthma or other daily troubles. The perception of
dangerousness in respect to the people with mental illness has increased with time. It means now
people are more scared of the violent behavior of people suffering mental illness in comparison
to earlier. Further to say that this fear/perception of people influenced by the type of mental
disorder. People have a perception of dangerousness mostly in case of adults suffering from drug
dependence disorders, as they are the most violent people. Many times, Americans ignore the
issue of mental illness and the same further increases stigma.
Types of mental disorders
As mentioned above that mental illness/disorders is s situation that affects the behavior,
feeling and thinking of a person, this is also necessary to state that many kinds of mental
disorders are there. These all their different cause symptoms and impacts. All these different
disorders offer different experiences to people. In the following discussion, the focus is made on
the four different kinds of mental disorder, their symptoms, and the impact, which the same lead
to an individual.