Mental Illness in American Society
In The Atlantic's Why More Americans Suffer From Mental Disorders Than Anyone Else, Alice G. Walton reveals that over the course of one's entire lifetime, an American has a 47.4% chance of developing a mental disorder, thus making the United States the most mentally ill country in the world.
Out of the 6 main types of mental illness, in the United States, mood disorders are considered the most common. Specifically, mood disorders such as major depression, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar disorder. An estimated 9.7% of adults will be affected by one of these disorders over the course of a year, while a believed 21.4% of adults will be affected over the course of an entire lifetime. In addition, about 19% of adults will be affected by an anxiety disorder this year and 3.8% will battle a substance abuse problem. These numbers rise respectively to 31% and 14.6% over the span of a lifetime.
Walton, Alice G. "Why More Americans Suffer From Mental Disorders Than Anyone Else." The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2011, www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/10/why-more-americans-suffer-from-mental-disorders-than-anyone-else/246035/. Accessed 31 Oct. 2017.
Out of the 6 main types of mental illness, in the United States, mood disorders are considered the most common. Specifically, mood disorders such as major depression, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar disorder. An estimated 9.7% of adults will be affected by one of these disorders over the course of a year, while a believed 21.4% of adults will be affected over the course of an entire lifetime. In addition, about 19% of adults will be affected by an anxiety disorder this year and 3.8% will battle a substance abuse problem. These numbers rise respectively to 31% and 14.6% over the span of a lifetime.
Walton, Alice G. "Why More Americans Suffer From Mental Disorders Than Anyone Else." The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2011, www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/10/why-more-americans-suffer-from-mental-disorders-than-anyone-else/246035/. Accessed 31 Oct. 2017.
Mental Illness & Gender
According to "Women and Mental Illness", one in three Americans suffers from some sort of mental disorder. However, for women, this rate is even higher, with research showing women are 40% more likely than men to develop depression. Likewise, women are twice as likely to develop PTSD after witnessing or experience a traumatic event. While the exact cause for this scourge of mental illness amongst females remains a mystery to even the most skilled mental health professionals, many suggest that gender-based discrimination, violence, and mistreatment have all contributed to the eerily high difference between men and women developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Some researchers also claim that women who receive crass or inadequate responses to their personal traumas (i.e. being blamed for their own sexual assaults) are more likely to experience a mental disorder than females who receive support after a scarring incident.
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Cultural factors also play a role in the prevalence of mental illness amongst women. For instance, postpartum depression is a common mental disorder that occurs in females shortly after giving birth. Many say it is the amount of pressure put on new mothers and the demands of parenting that cause women to develop this disorder. Women with "unsupportive partners" are significantly more likely to experience postpartum depression than those with supportive partners.
Young, Joel L., M.D. "Women and Mental Illness." Psychologytoday.com, 22 Apr. 2015, www.psychologytoday.com/blog/when-your-adult-child-breaks-your-heart/201504/women-and-mental-illness. Accessed 12 Jan. 2018. Mental Illness in American LiteratureOne of the earliest examples of mental illness's role in American society is demonstrated Sylvia Plath's 1963 novel The Bell Jar. In her work, Plath uses the metaphor of the "bell jar" and her protagonist's, Esther Greenwood, depression and psyche to portray the mental suffocation she - as well as countless other American women - felt during a time when females faced harsh social constraints. In the novel, Plath uses Esther's mental state to send a message about the psychological damage our nation's cultural expectations for women does to females.
Tsank, Stephanie. The Bell Jar: A Psychological Case Study. San Diego, University of California. Scholar Works, scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/plath/article/viewFile/4714/4350. Accessed 31 Oct. 2017. |