Mental disorders
In the past century, there has been an upward trajectory in the cases of mental disorders being reported. Psychiatrists have, in the past, come together debating on the constellations of psychological distress and grouped these according to the signs exhibited by the patients. Mental disorder is a broad term referring to multiple health conditions such as depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, among others (Scott, Mihalopoulos, Erskine, Roberts & Rahman, 2016). In this essay, the historical treads of mental disorders are explored, followed by causal factors. Lastly, the essay provides insight on the educational implications of mental disorders.
Since an early age, people with mental illness have been treated with some level of disdain by the community and at times by the primary caregivers. Many cultures in the past treated mental illness as a punitive measure by religious deities or as a result of demonic possession (Jutras, 2017). In early civilizations such as Egyptian, Indian and Roman writings, mental disorders were primarily categorized as a personal problem. Treatment for mental illness, therefore, evolved from the premises of superstitions. Eventually, this changed, and professionals switched to adjusting a patient’s environment and administration of certain medications. The ideation of the mentally ill people to be possessed was carried forward to the middle ages whereby the mentally ill in countries such as the United States were stigmatized and confined in unhygienic and degraded environments (Jutras, 2017). In the 1840s, however, the American government started allocating funds to build psychiatric hospitals, which paved the way for the institutional care model to the benefit of the community. With time, however, the state hospitals lapsed into underfunding, understaffing. This wave gave rise to the deinstitutionalization movement, which is still in debate today, whereby mentally ill patients are taken out of the isolation services and offered high-quality community-based care. Improving the treatment and the quality of the treatment model is, however, still a highly polarized issue in modern society, attracting research and lobbying efforts from multiple key players (Jutras, 2017).
Mental health problems have a wide range of causes, and many patients likely suffer from the interplay of these causes. Among other things, early childhood abuse, trauma, and neglect are critical causes of mental illness among children, which may be carried forward into adulthood (Scott, Mihalopoulos, Erskine, Roberts & Rahman, 2016). Additionally, socially isolated people usually experience high-end loneliness, which may cause the development of mental illness. In countries such as America, most cases of mental illness are caused by discrimination and ensuing stigma placed on minority cultures such as African Americans, Hispanics, Latin Americans, or women. Besides, severe loss such as bereavement, loss of employment may cause desperation, thus play a causal role in mental illness (Einstein & Klepacz, 2017). Furthermore, severe physical health conditions, neurological conditions, or domestic violence may give rise to stress and eventual mental disorders. In other cases, alcohol and drug abuse may predispose a person to multiple mental disabilities.
Mental disturbances have often been used as an umbrella to various terms such as emotional disturbance and visible behavioral maladjustment of learners with mental disorders. The behavioral signs of mental illness vary depending on the disorder, circumstances (Einstein & Klepacz, 2017). General characteristics of mental disorders, however, include confused thinking and the reduced concentration spans by children. Patients may also demonstrate extreme mood changes as a result of paranoia and stress. Depression, which has been a major mental disorder in the past decade, translates into increased suicidal thinking on the patient. Patients also exhibit problems with understanding situations and relating to mothers. In some instances, however, mental health disorders usually manifest as physical problems such as unexplained headaches.
Children and youths suffering from mental health disorders often experience challenges in learning due to various reasons. Learners with mental health disorders are easily distracted in the classroom and may stop paying attention now and then. In other cases, such learners cannot concentrate entirely due to their short concentration span (Wan, 2019). This increases the complexity of instruction for such students since they cannot accomplish a long test. Besides, the standard student will often lay stigma in learners with mental disorders. This complicates their social and educational life in school and may adversely affect their educational outcomes.
Mental disorders often call for specialized support systems in the school. For instance, a child with hyperactivity mental disorder may require the integration of multiple activities in the classroom (Wan, 2019). Children who suffer from aggression or become anxious may benefit by assessing the factors that give rise to these feelings and addressing them. Furthermore, children with anxiety disorders are often engulfed with worries which inhibit their ability to pay attention. They may exhibit signs such as headaches and low self-esteem, which may translate into embarrassment in the classroom (Wan, 2019). As a result, institutions require specialized care for learners with mental disorders to accommodate them into the standard class.
In conclusion, mental disorders are an umbrella of health conditions that affect a person’s mood, activity, and their behaviors. In the past, mental disorders were regarded as religious punishments, which resulted in the stigmatization of the patients. Over time, mental disorder treatment was institutionalized and is presently on the move towards deinstitutionalization internationally and the improvement of patients’ experience in care institutions. New knowledge reveals that mental disorders may be caused by childhood abuse, trauma, or even substance abuse. Mental disorders, however, affect the learner’s concertation span and, therefore, their educational outcomes. Learning institutions need to customize the modes of instruction to accommodate students with mental disorders.
References
Einstein, E. H., & Klepacz, L. (2017). What Influences Mental Illness? Discrepancies Between Medical Education and Conception. Journal of medical education and curricular development, 4, 2382120517705123.
Jutras, M. (2017). Historical perspectives on the theories, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illness.
Scott, J. G., Mihalopoulos, C., Erskine, H. E., Roberts, J., & Rahman, A. (2016). Childhood mental and developmental disorders. In Mental, Neurological, and Substance Use Disorders: Disease Control Priorities, Third Edition (Volume 4). The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank.
Wan, W. (2019). Retrieved 17 June 2020, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/schools-now-letting-youths-stay-home-sick-for-mental-health-days/2019/10/21/15df339a-e93b-11e9-85c0-85a098e47b37_story.html.