Mental Illness Essay: Causes, Discrimination, and Society

This essay delves into the multifaceted nature of mental illness, exploring various contributing factors and societal influences. It begins by defining mental health and its relationship to emotional, psychological, and social well-being, highlighting external elements like substance abuse and lifestyle choices that can negatively impact mental health. The essay then emphasizes the importance of positive coping mechanisms, such as accepting life's challenges, maintaining physical activity, and fostering social connections. A significant portion of the essay focuses on the impact of societal discrimination based on age, gender, caste, ethnicity, and other factors, arguing that such discrimination can be a major trigger for mental illness and impede recovery. The essay also discusses specific vulnerable groups, including women and the elderly, and the unique challenges they face. Finally, it underscores the importance of proper care, patient empowerment, and respect for diversity in addressing mental health issues. This essay aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the complexities surrounding mental illness, emphasizing the interplay of individual, social, and cultural factors.

Running head: MENTAL ILLNESS
MENTAL ILLNESS
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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A state of mental illness deals with difficulties with thinking or recognizing people or
object. The cause of mental illness sometimes attributed to societal factors. This essay gives
an outline about the probable reasons behind the mental illness and provides in depth analysis
of several factors, which seem vulnerable to the illness (Davidson et al., 2012). At the onset
of 21st century, media has taken up a pivotal role to reduce the difficulties of mentally ill
people by imparting several human-interest stories related to gender role, ethnicity, age,
religion, social class just to establish parity in the society.
Mental health implies ones emotional, psychological and societal well being. Mental
health is largely affected by a person`s thinking, feelings towards society and surroundings,
reaction and action towards the society and surroundings (Thoits, 2013). Other factors can
affect ones mental health. Such as genetic factors, family history regarding mental health,
trauma, abuses. Eating and sleeping inconsistency, getting deprived of daily activities, energy
deficiency, a sudden felling of numbness, which leads to inexplicable aches, a tendency of
shouting and putting up fight with acquaintances, are some of the visible traits of mentally ill
health. The external elements can pose threat to mental illness (Davidson et al., 2012).
Excessive smoking, drinking alcohol, consumption of drugs lead to mood swings, make ones
confused, agitated, upset, frightened, forgetful, messy and clumsy all these make a person
defenseless and hopeless which eventually develop suicide tendency within.
According to me, mental well being can be maintained by some positive gestures.
One has to accept the life with grace. Stress, tension, work and family pressure all these are
inseparable in a human`s life. For living in a society, all have to deal with all these. To stay in
a healthy mental state one has to have faith in own potential no matter how much
dissatisfaction comes. In order to sustain in life coping up with stress is essential (Arboleda-
Flórez & Stuart, 2012). According to me, one has to be active physically which helps to break
the monotony of life. The best way to stay active is to work which brings productivity both in

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life and career. Another way to stay mentally healthy is to stay connected with the society
and the surroundings. Taking out time from the busy schedule for some social causes helps to
minimize the personal frustration (Corrigan, Sokol, & Rüsch, 2013). Staying connected to the
society helps to be acquainted with many people, which helps to know several other problems
the other people are suffering. This sometimes helps to reduce ones frustration towards life,
as the person is aware of the other people who are in dire. The best way to uphold the
positivity in life is to help the underprivileged in the society (Davidson et al., 2012). Other
than these social involvements, professional check up and physical work out is also
important.
Arising of mental illness among people not only the result of person`s own
perspective towards society and life but prohibition of society. Age, gender, cast, ethnicity,
disability, class these are some factors sometimes pose threat to mental illness; reduce the
speed of recovery from the mental disorder. According to my beliefs, discrimination plays a
major roll to push someone towards mental illness (Arboleda-Flórez & Stuart, 2012).
Discrimination prevails in society since centuries. Discrimination is witnessed in education,
politics, and health and even within the families. Cultural discrimination impedes people to
access to the proper health checkups. Sometimes unscientific cultural practices lead people to
mental illness because when a mental illness is at the nascent stage if it is not checked up then
it may grow (Corrigan, Sokol, & Rüsch, 2013). Racial discrimination deprives a person from
leading a healthy life, which helps one to stay mentally fit. Discrimination in terms of casts
and creed poses threat to people`s mental health. Several casts do not allow the believers to
take any expert help regarding health. Sometimes, the dominating cast deprives the minor
casts from availing proper health care (Corrigan, Powell & Rüsch, 2012). In some cases
ethnicity inhibit people to get proper checkups as they strongly believe in their ancient
practices, this lead to severity in the mental illness.

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Gender discrimination is a common factor, which prevails in every domain of the
society. There is no cast, religion; ethnicity is free from gender discrimination. Due to this
discrimination a particular remains deprived of proper lifestyle (Burton et al., 2013). Apart
from that, in several households a particular gender is tortured and suffers from malnutrition
and unnecessary dominance. The problem lies that due the gender discrimination a particular
gender is ignored largely in terms of everything, which develop frustration within. Illnesses
like, depression anxiety, schizophrenia and bipolar personality are very common among
women (Thoits, 2013). Freudian postulate states that women tend to neurosis, as they often
become the victim of extreme aggression. Impact of societal patriarchy turns the
psychological perception adverse. Certain factors like working outside or in the domestic
sphere women often, experience dominance lead them to mental illness.
The older population of the society is always at brink of developing mental illness.
Based on the report of World Health Organization approximately 15% of the adults aged
around 60 and above suffer from mental illness (Jones, 2013). Elderly people fall prey to
emotional turmoil, which leads to mental illness. Dementia and depression are the two most
common disorders are frequently seen among elderly people (Jones, 2013). Nursing the
mentally disordered is quite challenging, as it needs special nursing training. Such as while
treating a Psychiatric mental patient the electroconvulsive therapy is used which needs major
physical care before and afterward (Robson et al., 2013). On the contrary, Psychotherapy
includes behavioral and family research.
According to me, mentally disordered people are vulnerable in the society so, a proper
care and attention is needed to improve the condition. In case of the children, women and
elderly people, who are sensitive towards every action and reaction to the society and
surroundings, should be given to proper time (Davidson et al., 2012). Empowerment of the
patient is very essential to diagnose mental illness. The diagnosis should be consists of

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continuous flow of interaction, participatory activities to share mutual interests and opinions.
Lastly, care and respect to the ethnicity, cast and creed and religion will help to reduce the
severity of mental illness.

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References
Arboleda-Flórez, J., & Stuart, H. (2012). From sin to science: fighting the stigmatization of
mental illnesses. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 57(8), 457-463.
Burton, C. M., Marshal, M. P., Chisolm, D. J., Sucato, G. S., & Friedman, M. S. (2013).
Sexual minority-related victimization as a mediator of mental health disparities in
sexual minority youth: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of youth and
adolescence, 42(3), 394-402.
Corrigan, P. W., Powell, K. J., & Rüsch, N. (2012). How does stigma affect work in people
with serious mental illnesses?. Psychiatric rehabilitation journal, 35(5), 381.
Corrigan, P. W., Sokol, K. A., & Rüsch, N. (2013). The impact of self-stigma and mutual
help programs on the quality of life of people with serious mental
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Davidson, L., Bellamy, C., Guy, K., & Miller, R. (2012). Peer support among persons with
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Jones, P. B. (2013). Adult mental health disorders and their age at onset. The British Journal
of Psychiatry, 202(s54), s5-s10.
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physical health care: A cross‐sectional study of nurses' attitudes, practice, and
perceived training needs for the physical health care of people with severe mental
illness. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 22(5), 409-417.

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Thoits, P. A. (2013). Self, identity, stress, and mental health. In Handbook of the sociology of
mental health (pp. 357-377). Springer Netherlands.