The article discusses the contentious issue of the legalization procedures of firearm ownership. The basis of the argument is that mental illness is associated with mass shootings and its role in making the shooter behave in such a manner. As illuminable from the article, the issue affects the community at large. The lawmakers, including the president, are involved in discussing the matter. Javanbakht, the article author, outlines a psychiatric point of view in discussing his perspective on the subject.
Javanbakht elucidates that mental illness is a significant health issue that affects a significant section of the population. With 1 in 5 people experiencing a mental health condition, it becomes difficult to use mental illness as the cause of mass shootings (Javanbakht, 2018). The author also raises the question of gun ownership and its procedures now that a significant section of the population suffers from one form of mental illness. Based on the arguments, several forms of mental illness are recorded by the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The author observes that mental disorders have been used in the past as scapegoats for gun misuse. The authorship argues that not all mental disorders should be used as a scapegoat for gun misuse, and gun ownership procedures should now consider the mental state of the buyer to ensure public safety.
The article challenges the use of mental illness as a reason to avoid criminal charges in gun misuse cases and its use in their purchase. The identification that there are several mental disorders, most of which do not affect individuals choices, brings to light the deficiencies in laws focused on addressing gun ownership and misuse. The source articulates that identifying individuals who should own guns should be a comprehensive process that prioritizes the safety of community members over the needs of an individual. The topic connects to the NASW Code of Ethics by discussing a key global issue. Mental illness is an increasing public health concern, and there is a need for interventions.
The Mental Retardation Facilities and Community Health Centers Construction Act, also known as CMHC Act 1963, led to a high number of community health centers across the United States. In particular, persons with mental illnesses who were receiving treatment in hospitals and institutions were required to move back into their communities. Community health centers ensured that mental illness admissions into state hospital systems could be controlled.
Social policy description
According to Hartley and Lambert (2002), one of the arguments for the CMHC Act relates to the introduction of community-based care viewed as the most appropriate psychotherapy for persons with mental illnesses. The policy assumes that persons with mental illnesses receive better treatment through cost-effective systems.
Besides, a cost-effective system in a community setting would ensure that persons with mental illnesses receive quality care. Traditional psychiatric hospitals could not provide the ideal setting for providing community-based care. The CMHC Act eliminates the institutionalization of health care. In particular, there is a need to guarantee access to quality healthcare as well as costs about the ability of the taxpayer and the private payer. As a result, community-based mental health became necessary through the CMHC Act.
Arguments against the CMHC Act relates to the inability to define priority service populations. Several CMHCs failed to take responsibility for the mental health care of patients discharged from state hospitals. The policy could not provide conditions for follow-up care after a patient has been discharged into the community. The most vulnerable persons, majorly the poor, cannot receive quality care through the CMHC Act. As a result, mental illness has been linked to poverty. Policies and practices, therefore, fail to consider the most vulnerable persons in society (Hartley and Lambert, 2002).
Policy Impact and Implications
Jung & Aguilar (2015) assert that the CMHC Act led to the construction of community health centers that could provide community-based mental illness intervention measures. However, the CMHC Act did not support staffing. Several community mental health centers lacked professionals who could take care of patients with mental illness. Furthermore, operating funds became a major issue in the policy. Several community health centers constructed under the CMHC Act witnessed severe financial challenges in the short-term.
Financial challenges made several CMHCs market health care services to patients covered by health insurance while neglecting the poor who cannot afford health insurance. As a result, the CMHC Act failed to meet the need of the needy populations. The CMHC Act also failed to serve low-income persons as well as people with serious and persistent mental illness. Due to resource limitations, CMHCs were overwhelmed by large numbers of patients who could not afford care.
In the long-term, behavioral healthcare was added to the range of programs provided under the CMHC Act. Treatment of addiction disorders ensured that services rendered at CMHCs became effective and comprehensive. In the modern health care system, the goal of CMHCs is to provide comprehensive mental health services combined with addiction services (Morris, 1995). Furthermore, CMHCs eliminated the need for institutionalization of mentally ill patients.
American citizens achieved access to quality healthcare despite their ability to afford health insurance. Furthermore, organizations providing community-based mental health and addiction care have evolved to cover other populations beyond the initial community mental health centers. Government and county-operated CMHCs can offer services. Other institutions in the private nonprofit, as well as for-profit organizations, can provide services such as Medicare, Medicaid, state, county, self-pay, private insurance, and federal program services.
The CMHC Act has an impact on both the future of social welfare plans as well as social work. One of the implications relates to targeting economically disadvantaged. Any social welfare policy should ensure that persons who cannot afford healthcare are assisted. A wide range of mental health services should be provided to persons who are economically challenged. A social welfare policy fails to meet its objectives when the economically disadvantaged are not considered (Jung and Aguilar, 2015).
The coordination as well as the integration of services for people with mental illness so that they could return to communities implies that social work as a profession has a critical role to play in the process. Social workers must be trained and employed for them to work in CMHCs. The performance of a social welfare policy depends on the ability to consider the most vulnerable groups as well as the need to employ qualified social workers to work in CMHCs.
Any social welfare policy should guarantee adequate funding so that resources and staff such as social workers are availed to provide care to patients. Furthermore, state priorities should not be allowed to affect social welfare policies aimed at providing affordable care to the most vulnerable groups.
Conclusion
The CMHC Act has introduced optimism in the treatment of mental illnesses. The establishment of community mental health centers is critical in the process of introducing community-based care. Patients with mental illnesses are no longer required to be institutionalized in hospitals and other facilities. Social policies should consider persons financially disadvantaged so that policies meet specified objectives. Cost-effective social policies are necessary so that community-based care becomes effective in treating mental illnesses.
References
Hartley, D., and Lambert, D. (2002). The Role of Community Mental Health Centers as Rural Safety Net Providers. University of Southern Maine.
Jung, H., and Aguilar, J. P. (2015). Everyones responsibility: Community partnerships and shared commitment for mental health promotion. Social Work in Mental Health, 123.
Morris, Jr., J. A. (1995). A Leadership Role for Social Work in the Mental Health Transition to Local Care. Journal of Community Practice, 2(3), 6595.
Mental illness refers to all detectable mental dysfunctions that are characterized by atypical cognition, mood, or manners that lead to suffering and impaired function (Winer, Morris-Patterson, Smart, Bijan, & Katz, 2013). Stigma, on the other hand, is defined as a symbol of disgrace or disrepute; a stain or mark of blame (Pope, 2011). It manifests as prejudices against mentally ill patients. Although stigma is a damaging situation, the alienation thereof is much worse. Stigma may be categorized as self-stigma or perceived stigma. Self-stigma includes areas such as personal, social, hereditary, medical, and treatment of illness (Yang & Link, 2015). On the other hand, perceived stigma denotes how patients view the stigma that impacts the ability to cope with the emotional and physical effects of the disorder. This paper explores if the mental health care providers feel the social stigma experienced by their patients and if so what are the repercussions or importance of that. If that is the case, a suitable scale with items related exactly to the role of primary care physician to measure attitudes towards these patients will also be discussed. Therefore, the paper is confined to the various aspects of self-stigma.
Background information
Mentally ill people experience health challenges that lead to high morbidity rates and premature death compared to sane cohorts. This situation may be due to health system inadequacies like the lack of integrated care services or inadequate health insurance coverage. However, studies have also implicated poor decision-making by some physicians as another source of worsening health outcomes among these patients (Ayalon, Karkabi, Bleichman, Fleischmann, & Goldfracht, 2016). Even though the quality and efficiency of mental health care and services have improved over the past decade, therapeutic approaches have not been able to minimize stigma associated with these disorders in society as well as among physicians.
Persons with mental disorders are stigmatised by the society and even by the health care givers. In this case, stigma manifests as a partiality in treatment or in patient-centred care delivery due to preconceived notions and beliefs about mental illness. Corrigan et al. (2016) noted that during the dispensation of health care to patients, physicians discriminated the patients with mental disorders in areas like referring patients for mammography, inpatient admission after diabetic crisis, and cardiac catheterisation. These patients have less regular preventive services and are barred from receiving optimal treatment based on the principles of care. That is unfortunate since stigma is one of the risk factors associated with poor mental health outcomes (Corrigan et al., 2016). It accounts for treatment seeking delays and diminishes the chances of mentally ill patient receiving adequate care.
Mentally ill patients may fail to benefit from primary health care services if they realise that the care givers have prejudices over them. Shrivastava, Johnson, and Bureau (2012), observed that prevalent stigma is the likely cause of direct disability and indirect economic implications (p.82). As such, these patients will not comply with the medication and psychosocial treatment, which increases the chances of costly recrudescence and re-hospitalisation. Thus, stigma can be a result of reduced trust in the very institutions and persons who the patients rely on as the ultimate source of help and hope in their situation.
Causes of Stigma
Stigma originates from several sources that operate synergistically and may cause deleterious impacts on a persons life. First of all, the traditional practice of separating mental health management system from the normal healthcare could intensify stigma. Other factors such as the lack of education, perception, or awareness and the nature and complications of the mental illness, for instance, odd behaviours and violence , are also culpable (Shrivastava et al., 2012, p. 83). For example, a patient with schizophrenia is likely to experience high rates of segregation due to a lack of awareness about the condition, the nature of the disease itself, behavioural signs associated with it, and drug related complications.
Negative views towards mental illnesses also contribute to stigma. Examples may include treating mentally ill persons as outcasts, superstitious beliefs about mental disorders, and indifference towards people with mental illness (Shim & Rust, 2013). The other factors implicated in poor mental health stigma include inadequate mental healthcare, fear of working with persons with mental ailments, and the general unwillingness to provide mental health care (Shim & Rust, 2013). From the stance of the patients themselves, stigma is perceived to emanate from the attitudes in the general population, co-workers, and family members.
Stigma among Physicians
Health trainees and graduate health care providers are vital targets for assessment and for likely involvement in interventions to address stigma and promote more broadminded, tolerant, and positive views towards mentally ill patients (Stefanovics et al., 2016). Majority of past studies have verified that the mental health providers hold more optimistic views about mental illness than the lay public does (Stefanovics et al., 2016). However, in other studies, medics have shown more negative attitudes than the public does, a very unfortunate situation given that the physicians are accountable for providing care and for enlightening the general population about mental illness (Shim & Rust, 2013).
Provider stigma bears a significant influence on the health care decisions of patients with mental disorders. Probably, perceptions about the ability of these patients to adhere to treatment connect between physician stigma and the health care decisions made. Those medics with stigmatising outlooks may believe that mentally ill patients are unable to comply with certain types of treatment recommendations. If so, such providers may be unwilling to offer those kinds of treatment to the patients. Further, a physicians familiarity with mental illness may lessen their endorsing of the stigma of mental illness. Thus, the providers discipline may moderate the stigmas effects on treatment outcome. In other words, it is anticipated that nurses and physicians with the mental health training should show less stigma against mentally ill-patients than the primary care providers do.
However, evidence points to the contrary, as mental health physicians may approve stigma equal or greater than that shown by other medical professions. In an effort to validate the impact of mental health stigma on treatment decisions, Corrigan et al. (2016) did a sample survey on 166 physicians (42.2% from the primary care and the rest from mental health practice) in which the participants filled in data on stigma characteristics, expected treatment compliance, and resultant health decisions about a male schizophrenic person that was seeking treatment for arthritic back pains. They found out that providers who approve stigmatising views about mental disorders were very pessimistic about the ability of mentally ill patients to adhere to treatment (Corrigan et al., 2016). Interestingly, professional training did not seem to determine the level of stigmatisation accorded to the patient (Corrigan et al., 2016). These findings suggest that stigma exists among both the primary care and mental health providers and that there should be integrated efforts to target these groups in order to lessen the gaps in clinical practice.
Indeed, there is a large inequality in the medical care of patients with severe mental ailments as compared to people without these conditions. Pope (2011) noted that in these persons, many medical comorbidities are often missed and more than half of their chronic medical conditions remain undiagnosed (p. 29). Despite the fact that people with mental disorders have high rates of physical ailments, evidence points to the fact that many of them go undetected. The reason is that health complaints by mentally ill patients are held as psychosomatic.
The quality, not quantity, of contact between the physicians and the patients is of significance when dealing with patients with mental ailments, particularly when interactions occur on inpatient psychiatric units. Evidence points to the fact that physicians who work primarily in inpatient psychiatric hospital locations where the patients are severely ill experience an increased social distance between them and the patients (Stefanovics et al., 2016). In cultures and settings where caring for the patients with mental disorders is chiefly the responsibility of the families of the patients, the primary care providers have increased stigma of these disorders due to reduced socialisation and normalising factors. Stefanovics et al. (2016) observed that the low status accorded to mental health workers in some communities, e.g., China, makes them to be stigmatised and reluctant to work in the psychiatric profession.
On the other extreme, the phenomenon of physicians identifying with their patients causes parallel emotional experiences that can lead to social distancing between the health care providers and the patients. Cases of physicians experiencing mental perturbation when dealing with patients who suffer from anxiety, depression, and fear are common. Knowledge of episodes of such negative emotional reactions is important because treating patients with mental ailments serves nothing except to widen the gap between primary givers and the patients. Other ways through which stigmatisation occurs are lack of social responsibility, empathy, and compassion for the mentally ill patients.
Importance
Exploring the existence of stigma among general physicians is important as patients are more inclined to seek mental health treatment in primary health care setting instead of psychiatric settings due to the stigma associated with the mental health diagnoses (Yin et al., 2014, p. 114). Moreover, patients first present to primary care, which is the first point contact with the healthcare system. Thus, there is a need for a bi-directional combination of the primary health care into public mental health centers and other specialty behavioural health settings. In addition, efforts to include prevention plans into the primary health care system could serve to minimise stigma linked to the detection and treatment of these disorders.
The importance of combining behavioural health and primary care can be comprehended from the following aims: first, to promote the patient experience, i.e., satisfaction and quality of care, second, to improve the health of the masses, and third, to minimise the cost of health care (Yin et al., 2014). Within the primary health care set up, effective screening for behavioural health problems is necessary in order to encourage patients and develop the confidence and willingness to open up and share individual mental anxieties. In fact, many joint care approaches have revealed that many mental health patients can be effectively engaged within the primary care setting. Therefore, effective physician communication is critical in addressing the healthcare needs of mentally ill patients.
The Scale
As documented in literature, efforts to measure attitudes towards people with mental illnesses have been through the use of stigma components. In particular, stereotypes such as people with mental illness are potentially violent, people with mental illness are unlikely to recover, and the desire for social distance are common (Kassam, Papish, Modgill, & Patten, 2012). Similarly, stigma can also be measured by considering emotional responses towards these patients. In addition, disclosing that one has mental illness can be an indicator of stigma that is related to mental disorders (Kassam et al., 2012). The important parameter to consider while deciding on the suitable scale to use while measuring mental illness stigma among primary health care physicians is disclosure, as it is a clear indicator of whether the respondent holds stigmatising views towards mental ailments.
Those who are free to disclose their mental health status do not consider mental illness as a condition to be ashamed of and are less stigmatising. A better way of measuring stigma is necessary, as stigma among health care givers varies from other types of stigmas held by other groups. For instance, people with mental disorders have poorer physical health, a situation partly attributed to physicians wrongly associating the physical signs felt by the patient to the mental disorder itself. Whereas a comprehensive assessment gives detailed patient information, a brief questionnaire can provide a concise picture of the problem.
The affiliate stigma scale is appropriate for measuring mental illness stigma among primary caregivers due to the following reasons: first, its psychometric features have been surveyed using the Rasch analysis and the classical test theory, and second, the facts show that it is valid, feasible , and applicable to various populations, including people with intellectual disabilities, people with dementia, schizophrenics, and those with mood swings (Chang et al., 2015). It is a 22- item scale that measures the caregivers stress, burden, and positive perceptions in caring for the consumer (Chang, Su, & Lin, 2016, p. 116). The items are graded on a 4-point Likert scale that has three domains: 7 cognitive items, 7 affective items, and 8 items on behavior (Chang et al., 2016). Under this scale, a higher score would indicate a higher level of stigma. It has good internal consistency, person separation reliability, and predictive as well as concurrent validity. This makes it a robust tool for measuring stigma among mental healthcare providers.
Conclusion
Stigma among primary health care physicians exists. This fact is important to consider, especially in the current medical practice where there has been a tendency to integrate the mental health care into the primary health care system. The affiliate stigma scale provides a better foundation for more validation and as a device for use in the evaluation programs intended to minimise mental illness associated with stigma among the general physicians. The reduction in this stigma will certainly translate into better patient outcomes and reduce patient mortality as well as the economic burdens involved.
References
Ayalon, L., Karkabi, K., Bleichman, I., Fleischmann, S., & Goldfracht, M. (2016). Barriers to the treatment of mental illness in primary care clinics in Israel.
Administration and Policy in Mental Health, 43(2), 231240. Web.
Chang, C. C., Ja, S., Tsai, C. S., Yen, C. F., Liu, J. H., & Lin, C. Y. (2015). Rasch analysis suggested three unidimensional domains for Affiliate Stigma Scale: additional psychometric evaluation. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 68(6), 674-83. Web.
Chang, C., Su, J., & Lin, C. (2016). Using the affiliate stigma scale with caregivers of people with dementia: psychometric evaluation. Alzheimers Research & Therapy, 8(45), 114-119. Web.
Corrigan, P. W., Mittal, D., Reaves, C. M., Haynes, T. F., Han, X., Morris, S., & Sullivan, G. (2016). Mental health stigma and primary health care decisions. Alzheimers Research & Therapy, 8(45), Web.
Pope, W. S. (2011). Another face of health care disparity. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing, 49(9), 27-31. Web.
Shim, R., & Rust, G. (2013). Primary care, behavioral health, and public health: Partners in reducing mental health stigma. American Journal of Public Health, 103(5), 774-776. Web.
Shrivastava, A., Johnson, M., & Bureau, Y. (2012). Stigma of mental illness-1: Clinical reflections. Mens Sana Monographs, 10(10), 70-84. Web.
Stefanovics, E., He, H., Ofori-Atta, A., Cavalcanti, M. T., Neto, H. R., Makanjuola, V.,& Rosenheck, R. (2016). Cross-national analysis of beliefs and attitude toward mental illness among medical professionals from five countries. Psychiatric Quarterly, 87(1), 6373. Web.
Winer, R. A., Morris-Patterson, A., Smart, Y., Bijan, I., & Katz, G. L. (2013). Knowledge of and attitudes toward mental illness among primary care providers in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Psychiatric Quarterly, 84(3), 395406. Web.
Yang, L. H., & Link, B. G. (2015). Measurement of attitudes, beliefs and behaviors of mental health and mental illness. Web.
The plight of people suffering from mental illnesses often goes unnoticed, and a good number of them end up homeless or in correctional facilities across the country. One of the main symptoms of schizophrenia is the withdrawal from social relations (Izydorczyk et al. 26). The patients are terrified of their own delusions and often avoid human contact. The symptoms of schizophrenia make the patients withdrawn and distrustful of strangers. They are terrified of their imaginations in some instances. One of the main motifs in the novel The Soloist is mental illness and societys failure to protect and treat people suffering from mental health issues.
The novel is the story of a special relationship between Los Angeles (LA) times columnist Steve Lopez and a homeless schizophrenic musician. Nathaniel Ayers, the protagonist and mentally ill musician, has severe schizophrenia, which warps his perception of reality. The novel offers its readers a sobering glimpse into the challenges people encounter when trying to lend a hand to people with psychological challenges. Therefore, it is difficult for family and friends to intervene and improve the quality of life due to the many challenges associated with mental health conditions.
The story begins with the meeting of two main characters in the street. Ayers is playing his violin in a busy street in the downtown of Los Angeles, while Lopez is hurrying back to work. Lopez observes that the man is talented and that there is a unique refinement about him. Beside him is a cart full of the worldly belongings of Nathaniel Ayers, dirty clothes, and drumsticks, which he uses to chase rodents away at night (Lopez 36).
Nathaniels only real connection to the world appears to be music, and his friend Lopez helps to unlock his potential. It is achieved through securing him a home and the opportunity to create a network in the local music scene. Despite showing the signs of selfish interests, the readers see his compassionate side when he makes an effort to get Ayers off the streets and convince him to get medical treatment for his condition.
Nathaniel Ayers was a talented musician and student at Juilliard before the onset of his schizophrenia. When his condition aggravated and became acute, he was hospitalized and treated using electroconvulsive therapy (Lopez 21). This approach worsened his condition, and he dropped out of school. He moved to Los Angeles to look for his estranged father, only to find the city being a dead end in his search. Without proper financial and medical support, he became homeless, regularly playing his musical instruments near Beethovens statue (Lopez 22). When LA Times journalist Steve Lopez heard Ayers playing the violin, he wanted to know more about him. They develop a friendship that prompted the journalist to help his mentally challenged associate to grow his musical talent.
Lopez brings Ayers mental issues in the story to the readers attention when he recounts his delusions. The musician began experiencing challenges with his schizophrenia soon after moving to LA and isolated himself. He is more peaceful when playing his musical instruments than when staying with his family and friends. Additionally, his behavior becomes increasingly erratic, and he gradually becomes detached from reality. Before going to live in the downtown LAs streets, he would burst into laughter at odd times, such as when his mother offered him a sincere compliment about his talent. Paranoid schizophrenics have been known to avoid treatment and these efforts by his mother to socialize with him ended in frustration (Jönsson et al. 1). This detachment from his family and other people makes it harder for them to help him.
When his condition worsens, Ayers develops paranoia and experiences hallucinations which make him believe that people are trying to kill him. In the early stages of acute paranoia, he envisions a car speeding the streets, engulfed in flames. The delusions worsen with time, but Ayers makes no effort to receive professional help because he keeps these visions to himself. Further, his paranoia escalates in that he thinks his sister is trying to kill him by poisoning his food. Once, when she brought him something to eat, he demands that she tastes the food first and observes her for some time to see if she is suffering from any effects (Lopez 166). This instance illustrates how difficult it is for other people to be primary caregivers for their loved ones suffering from mental health issues.
However, this incident was not the red flag that prompted a medical intervention. It took a psychotic episode during a rehearsal for people around him to realize how serious his condition was. The fact that it was a severe display of psychosis for his family to seek therapeutic involvement is a common observation in many families (Lopez 189). Most of the time, parents and siblings of a psychologically unstable person know that there is something seriously wrong with a patient, but they fail to notify the relevant mental healthcare workers. Many people stay silent, hoping that their loved ones will recover, only to realize that the problem is more exacerbated than they thought.
The social support systems around the patients are a great determinant of their recovery and quality of life (Domenech et al. 245). This is because people only seek medical intervention when they think that schizophrenic patients pose a danger to themselves or others.
As Ayerss paranoid schizophrenia increasingly worsens, it takes a spiritual turn. He struggles to maintain his spiritual contact with the people he holds dear and his higher power to comfort himself. Spiritual delusions are a common symptom of paranoid schizophrenia. Having disconnected from the world, it is normal for mentally sick patients to seek gods intervention and spiritual powers to protect them from their perceived assailants. In the book, Ayers manifests these symptoms by repeatedly referring to Beethoven as his god (Lopez 143). He ardently believes that the journalist is his god that he is upset when his music teacher disputes it.
He confronts the teacher and asks him if it is his duty to guide him in spiritual matters. Further, the musician cherishes the spiritual connection that he feels with the people passing by in the street. He thinks of his music practice as being powerful enough to connect him to his listeners in the street. While these thoughts are delusional, they are important because they are the ones that give his life any meaning at all, considering that he had broken ties with the most important people in his life.
The comfort of his spiritual delusions is only as relevant as is the severity of his hallucinations. As his condition deteriorates into acute psychosis, the illusions become so powerful that he hears scary voices in his head. This symptom is one of the most common in many patients of paranoid schizophrenia. These voices begin convincing him that he may never get better and that he should always be on the run to avoid being disturbed by the voices (Lopez 30).
The voices grow louder and keep reminding him that theres nowhere to run and that eventually, the illness will overwhelm him. The delusions periodically exacerbate his paranoia making him think that the world is against him. He believes that people are out to persecute him, and eventually, he will fall victim to those after him. In The Soloist, the reader gets an inside view of the challenges facing mental health victims and their caregivers.
Another characteristic of paranoid schizophrenia is the formation of incomprehensible sentences. Sometimes, patients with this illness can speak fluently, but they are not articulate enough to make coherent sentences. It is not difficult to decipher the meanings in his sentences, but the meanings often are not sensible. Ayers uses word salads to convey his messages. In mental health discipline, paranoid schizophrenics such as Ayers are considered to be higher-functioning patients than other schizophrenics. They can communicate eloquently even when they cannot transmit their ideas effectively.
For Ayers, his illness did not greatly diminish his talent for playing the violin and his ability to hold conversations with other people for sustained periods. The resultant deterioration in familial and social support systems makes treatment for this condition more difficult (Domenech et al. 245). This barrier to effective communication poses a considerable challenge for the people who want to help him, as it is difficult to know what the patient needs.
Many people with mental illnesses are often inhospitable and thus require specialized care for their safety and the people around them. Paranoid schizophrenics situation is much worse because they will develop a sense of insecurity that is so strong that they cannot trust anyone enough to share a home with anyone. In The Soloist, Nathaniel Ayers alienates himself from his friends and gets the delusion that his blood sister is trying to kill him. Just like most paranoid schizophrenics, he prefers the safety of the streets to having to share food and his possessions with people he does not trust (Izydorczyk et al. 26). Such notions will drive people with schizophrenia and other mental health patients into the streets, even when offered a home. After acquiring many musical instruments for his friend, Lopez has a hard time convincing him to move off the streets.
Lopez knew that it was unwise for Ayers to move around with expensive equipment in the unsafe streets of downtown Los Angeles (Lopez 39). Besides attracting thieves, the instruments are bulky, and it would be inconvenient for Ayers to move the instruments through downtown Los Angeles when he could have a home. Having a safe place to keep these items will eliminate the need for him to worry about their safety, and it would free him up more to concentrate on building his musical career. Lopez attempts to introduce Ayers to the Lamp community, where he would get medical treatment and a home semblance. However, the patient himself does not trust the medical community due to his extreme paranoia (Lopez 32). He thinks that admission into the facility will compromise his freedom, and he would rather wallow in his self-imposed seclusion.
The only way Lopez could help Ayers lead a more productive life was to convince him to move away from the streets. Thus he secured him an apartment at the Lamp community and introduced him to the Los Angeles Symphony group (Lopez 39). However, every time he seemed to help the patient get his life back together, Ayers relapsed. After so much work, Lopez manages to get Ayers the opportunity to perform a recital, but again he blows it. However, through persistence that is borne of true friendship, the journalist manages to get Ayers to accept medical treatment and be part of the LAMP community.
In conclusion, Steve Lopezs novel The Soloist tells the story of a gifted man who also has paranoid schizophrenia and his journalist friend. The two strike a friendship that sees the mentally ill Ayers become attached to Lopez to a point of referring him as his god. The novels central theme is the challenges people face when extending help to people suffering from psychological conditions. Perhaps because real-life events inspire the novel, it accurately portrays the hallucinations that make life harder for his family and friends. Ayers alienates his family through his actions and almost drives Lopez away due to his constant refusal to accept help when it becomes available.
Other underlying issues, such as social stigma, impact the ability of Nathaniel Ayers to blend into the a community in which he is offered accommodation and medical attention. Nonetheless, through his friendship with Steve Lopez and his love for music, he accepts to get off the streets and to advance his music in the company of other professional musicians.
Works Cited
Domenech, Cristina, et al. Health-Related Quality of Life in Outpatients with Schizophrenia: Factors That Determine Changes over Time. Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology, vol. 53, no. 3, 2018, pp. 239248. Web.
Izydorczyk, Bernadetta, et al. Family and Peer Resources in Relation to Psychological Condition in Patients with Paranoid Schizophrenia. Archives of Psychiatry & Psychotherapy, vol. 21, no. 3, 2019, pp. 2540. Web.
Jönsson, Linus, et al. Identifying and Characterizing Treatmentresistant Schizophrenia in Observational Database Studies. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, vol. 28, no. 3, 2019, pp. 1-11. Web.
Lopez, Steve. The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music. Random House, 2009.
Postpartum depression occurs after a mother gives birth and her body changes mentally and physically (Prevatt & Desmarais, 2018). After a mother has given birth to her offspring, she begins to experience postpartum anxiety (Baylor, 2019). This often includes being easily irritated, poor diet, and some explosive emotions (Baylor, 2019). This is a condition influencing 10% to 20% of new moms in which impatience and fatigue proceeds for a considerable length of time and is frequently joined by sentiments of low self-esteem, sleepless nights, and lack of concern or overstressing (Baylor, 2019). Postpartum depression is endured by a mother following labor, commonly emerging from the blend of hormonal changes, mental acclimation to parenthood, and exhaustion (Baylor, 2019).
The article “Mommy Mentors Help Fight the Stigma of Postpartum Mood Disorder” by Dr. Juli Fraga, a clinical psychologist, illustrates the common psychological instability influencing mothers, in the many months after giving birth to an offspring (Fraga, 2017). Nonetheless, despite the high occurrence of PPD, the rates for looking and/or asking for help surprisingly stay low, due to shame and separation much of the time referred to as the most widely recognized obstacles to looking for help from an expert source (Fraga, 2017). Dr. Fraga also includes The Self-Image Support Team and Emotional Resource (SISTER) Mom Program which is a “New Mother Mentorship Program that was developed by the Postpartum Society of Florida, Inc. This program trains an elite team of women to confidently connect women with vetted resources, triage perinatal crisis, and most importantly, mentor and encourage new mothers one-to-one through their perinatal year” (Fraga, 2017).
The recent study published in the journal, Maternal and Child Health, “Facilitators and Barriers to Disclosure of Postpartum Mood Disorder Symptoms to a Healthcare Provider” puts a great emphasis on the importance of breaking the stigma of talking about postpartum depression (Prevatt & Desmarais, 2018). This study demonstrated that social help influences a mother’s probability of connecting for proficient assistance (Prevatt & Desmarais, 2018). Members finished an online study that inquired as to whether they had encountered side effects of baby blues uneasiness or misery and on the off chance that they had uncovered their battles to a doctor, doula, or attendant (Prevatt & Desmarais, 2018). 50% of the women overviewed accepted they met criteria for a baby blues mind-set concern (Prevatt & Desmarais, 2018). Furthermore, more than 30 percent of moms in the examination said they came up short on a friend, making it harder for them to discuss their issues (Prevatt & Desmarais, 2018).
The populace of the study was mostly white/Caucasian women who had given birth to a child since January 1, 2012, 18 years and/or older and more established in the metropolitan territory of a huge, southeastern U.S. city (Prevatt & Desmarais, 2018). The incorporation criteria of women inside 3 years postpartum after giving birth followed a conversation with network accomplices and reflected two contemplations (Prevatt & Desmarais, 2018). Women appraised the level to which everything hindered their entrance to emotional well-being treatment while encountering baby blues state of mind manifestations dependent on a 5-point Likert scale, with the end goal that 5 = impossible, 4 = extremely troublesome, 3 = moderately troublesome, 2 = slightly troublesome, and 1 = not troublesome by any means (Prevatt & Desmarais, 2018). The result of this investigation was that over a large portion of the women self-distinguished as encountering PPMD indications (Prevatt & Desmarais, 2018). Further, more than 33% of the women detailed current side effects of despondency, uneasiness, or stress seriousness that were moderate or more prominent (Prevatt & Desmarais, 2018). However, among women who self-recognized as encountering side effects, one out of five didn’t uncover a medicinal services supplier (Prevatt & Desmarais, 2018). Concerningly, women announced their most noteworthy help from their life partner/accomplice, family, and companions, yet a shockingly high number–over a third–showed they had not exactly enough social help (Prevatt & Desmarais, 2018). The authors, after this study concluded that at any rate, 33% of the women in the analysis had post pregnancy anxiety, anyway they didn’t have an emotionally supportive network whether it is from their family or their medical providers (Prevatt & Desmarais, 2018).
The voices of women experiencing postpartum are frequently quiet (Zauderer, 2009). Women are hesitant to uncover to others that they are despondent after the introduction of their infants (Zauderer, 2009). Much has been composed of potential causes, hazard variables, and medications for post-birth anxiety, however, little has been done to examine why women take such a long time to look for help (Zauderer, 2009). Early identification and treatment are critical to a full recuperation (Zauderer, 2009). Labor teachers are in the situation to offer expectant direction on potential difficulties of the baby blues period, including post-birth anxiety (Zauderer, 2009). This article investigates why women with post-pregnancy anxiety decide to endure peacefully and recommends how labor teachers can enable new moms to discover their voices (Zauderer, 2009).
It has been recommended that mother–newborn child psychotherapy may offer an elective way to deal with treating post birth anxiety, however little is thought about its adequacy (Huang, et al., 2019). This audit presents an abridged adequacy of mother–newborn child psychotherapy on post-birth anxiety (Huang, et al., 2019). Mother–newborn child Psychotherapy (MIP) is a dyadic treatment where mother and baby are seen together and the focal point of this methodology is improving the mother–newborn child relationship and advancing baby connection and ideal baby advancement (Huang, et al., 2019). The treatment is grounded in the applied systems of analysis, connection hypothesis, stress and injury work, and formative psychopathology (Huang, et al., 2019). Studies have discovered the impact of MIP in improving the mother–newborn child relationship/collaboration and maternal disposition too (Huang, et al., 2019).
The results on the offspring of maternal post pregnancy anxiety are not confined to early stages, yet can reach out into toddlerhood, preschool age and even young (“Maternal Depression and Child Development”, 2004). Maternal sorrow that happens later impacts the advancement of the young youngster and the youthful (“Maternal Depression and Child Development”, 2004). The relationship between maternal sadness, maternal conduct and youngster results are unpredictable, and not all investigations have discovered a connection between maternal despondency and pointers of poor child-rearing (“Maternal Depression and Child Development”, 2004). Varieties in the sort, seriousness, chronicity, and timing of maternal sorrow, and potentiating hazard factors, for example, family misfortune, low social help and money related pressure, all add to contrasts in results in kids (“Maternal Depression and Child Development”, 2004). Postpartum depression affects the health of the woman, her infant, and her entire family, it is very important to screen for postpartum depression risk (“Maternal Depression and Child Development”, 2004). Screening is very important because studies have shown that many women with postpartum depression are ashamed of their symptoms and are afraid of the social stigma associated with the diagnosis (“Maternal Depression and Child Development”, 2004).
References
Baylor, C. (2019, November 6). National Helpline. Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
Fraga, J. (2017, September 29). Mommy Mentors Help Fight The Stigma Of Postpartum Mood Disorder. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/09/29/554280219/mommy-mentors-help-fight-the-stigma-of-postpartum-mood-disorder
Huang, R., Yang, D., Lei, B., Yan, C., Tian, Y., Huang, X., & Lei, J. (2019, September 11). The short- and long-term effectiveness of mother–infant psychotherapy on postpartum depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032719305750
“Maternal Depression and Child Development”. (2004, October). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2724169/
Prevatt, B.-S., & Desmarais, S. L. (2018, January 22). Facilitators and Barriers to Disclosure of Postpartum Mood Disorder Symptoms to a Healthcare Provider. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28766092
SISTER. (n.d.). SISTER Mom. Retrieved from https://www.theseventhmomproject.org/sister.html
Zauderer, C. (2009, January 1). Postpartum Depression: How Childbirth Educators Can Help Break the Silence. Retrieved from https://connect.springerpub.com/content/sgrjpe/18/2/23
It is the year 1980 Jimmy Carter is president; he just passed the Mental Health System Act. This grants community mental health centers. This was the landmark to legislation in the Mental Health Policy. The novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobosky is about a boy named Charlie. Going through his freshman year of high school. We follow Charlie through a series of journal entries as complicated relationships with the author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower uses the craft of allusion to show that people have been oblivious to their flaws for 50 years.
In the beginning of the novel, Chobosky uses the craft of an allusion to show that people have been oblivious to their flaws for 50 years Bill, is Charlie’s English teacher. They often bond over their love of reading and different books. “Bill gave me one book to read over break. It is called The Catcher in the Rye. It was Bill’s favorite when he was my age” (Chbosky 75). Most students would call teachers by their last name. But, since they have a strong bond, their conversations are less formal. Ever since Michael died, Charlie has had a hard time connecting kids his age. Charlie’s sister looks to Charlie for advice. She just found out that she was pregnant with her abusive boyfriend’s baby. Charlie encourages her to do what she wants; which is to get an abortion. She only trusts Charlie to drive her to the operation. Her problem is that if she kept this kid she would have to raise it herself since he dumped her after the news. So after the abortion, she can forget of her toxic relationship. Without Charlie, this would not have been possible. In The Catcher in the Rye Holden has a teacher Mr. Antolini. Holden also has a strong connection with this teacher. Holden even trusts Mr. Antolini enough to take a cab to his house and spend the night. Holden relizes that his parents still love him. Even if they are dissponted about getting kicked out of school. Both of these novels relate to eachther because without these metors, the characters would not have been aware of their problems.
Throughout the middle of the novel, Chobosky uses the craft of allusion to show that people have been oblivious of their problems for 50 years. Charlie’s Aunt Helen died in a car crash a few years ago. When Sam and Charlie kissed it brought back some explicit memories. When Charlie was young his Aunt sexually abused him every weekend. Helen was abused by many men but she also loved Charlie. This will make it hard for Charlie to have any serious relationships with people because of his traumatic childhood. Brad is a senior on the football team and is in the closet. He has an abusive father and eventually goes to rehab. Brad is going to have trust issues. He could not trust his dad enough to tell him he was gay. Charlie’s sister has an abusive boyfriend. After she reprimanded him for not sticking up for himself he hit her. She might be traumatized and not have another happy relationship. In The Catcher in the Rye when Holden slept at his teacher’s house Holden woke up to Mr. Antolini “stroking my hair”. The teacher was trying to molest Holden. Holden might not realize now but later in life, he will not be able to have another romantic relationship just like Charlie. The title The Catcher in the Rye means something too. Catcher is a story about a kid who suffered from child abuse. As you can see both stories connect to each other.
At the end of the book, Charlie gets placed into a mental hospital to help him fix his childhood memories Maybe this will help his life in the future to help other romantic relationships in the future. Charlie at the beginning of the novel was not aware of the other issues he had like depression and anxiety. People do not talk about these things so characters like charlie are not aware of these diseases. Just like The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is placed in a mental hospital throughout the book to try and come with his anxiety and PTSD. His parents sent him there to “psychoanalyze” him. He also refers to himself as a “madman”. As you can see both Charlie and Holden experience some type of mental disease. They also handle it in the same way. Eventually, they both got the help they needed.
The Cather in the Rye banned in high schools across America. This is due to its controversial messages. Similar to that The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobosky was also was banned in high schools for its controversial message of, Mental Health. Schools were scared that if kids read this book it would trigger some unwanted thoughts. Chobosky uses the craft of an allusion to show that people have been oblivious to their flaws for 50 years. He expresses this through the connection of Mentors, Abuse, and Mental Health. If we do not make teens aware of the symptoms. Something even wore could happen like self-harm or even suicide.
Schizophrenia is a complex disorder with a large heterogeneity within its clinical handbook. Categorized as a disorder of psychosis, it remains an abstract chronic illness that affects one percent of the global population (Nordqvist, C. 2017). With a vast variety of clinical presentations, the exact nature of the neuropsychology of schizophrenia continues to remain elusive. Ongoing research and continuous technological advances, however, bring clarity to a multifactorial etiology and the spectrum of symptoms the patient displayss. Divided into two categories, schizophrenia manifests into positive and negative symptoms, and arises as to the fundamental aspects of the disorder.
Positive symptoms, the addition of behavior, thought or feeling seemingly coincides with emotional and social reactivity in schizophrenia (Mueser & Jeste, 2011). This is presented phenotypically as delusions and hallucinations where the patient often is perceived to have a loss of contact with reality. Negative symptoms, which take away a behavior thought or feeling can include cognitive impairment, specifically impaired motivation, drop in spontaneous speech, and social withdrawal (Fatani, Aldawod & Alhawaj, 2017).
In this review, cognitive dysfunction has been highlighted as a core domain of schizophrenia, reported to affect 40% to 95% (Velligan DI, Bow-Thomas CC ) of schizophrenic patients. Reflected through the host of cognitive impairments it is exhibited across multiple domains of real word functioning for the individual. Negative schizophrenic symptoms are often linked to symptoms of patients with lesions of the dorsomedial PFC and related structures (Freedman and Brown, 2011). Impairments can include disorganized speech, attention and thought poor memory, and higher-order functions eventually impairing the capacity to communicate effectively (Fatani, Aldawod & Alhawaj, 2017).
In this review, we will explore a possible pathway to explain executive dysfunction and more specifically working memory in schizophrenia. Disrupted component processes and underlying abnormalities in neural architecture and connectivity in combination with altered functional activity form the basis to explain such changes (Daniel Paul Eisenberg and Karen Faith Berman). However due to its heterogeneous nature, sometimes selective and specific, and manifested by different patterns of associated and dissociated performance on different cognitive tasks (Kuperberg and Heckers, 2000) there is no general consensus.
Supported by converging research examined in the post-mortem, regional blood flow studies, neuroimaging techniques, and reviews of functional tasks, these studies continue to unravel and understand the complexity of schizophrenia.
Executive function refers to the ability to coordinate thought and action and directing it toward obtaining a set of goals. Simply it allows us to invoke voluntary control of our behavioral responses to allow human beings to develop and carry out plans, makeup analogies, obey social rules, solve problems, adapt to unexpected circumstances, multitask and locate episodes in time and place (Gricel Orellana1 and Andrea Slachevsky). For these functions to occur they depend on three cognitive actions: shifting among different tasks or mental sets, inhibiting irrelevant automatic responses, and updating mental representations held in working memory (WM) (Miyake et al., 2000; Van der Linden et al., 2000), while taking the environment and the consequences of actions into account. Deficits in executive function can occur in various stages over the progression of schizophrenia. Adolescents at risk of developing the disease, patients with their first outbreak of schizophrenia, first-degree relatives, and aged patients with more severe cognitive impairment all showcase signs of executive dysfunction (Kuperberg and Heckers, 2000; Breton et al., 2011; Freedman and Brown, 2011).
Based on the traditional medical model, executive function was construed as a single construct as a central executive in charge of multi-modal processing and high-level cognitive skills (Della Sala et al., 1998; Shallice, 1990). However, as our understanding continues to evolve, executive function is a model of multiple process-related systems that are inter-related, inter-dependent, and work together as an integrated supervisory or control system (Alexander & Stuss, 2000; Stuss & Alexander, 2000). The prefrontal cortex however plays a key role, supervision. In order for the PFC to coordinate operations of multiple neural systems, it must simultaneously monitor and signal commands for activities within other cortical and subcortical structures. Specifically, top-down processes underlie our critical ability to selectively focus our attention on relevant stimuli and ignore distractions. It is a bi-directional process, accomplished by enhancing and suppressing neural activity in regions based on the significance of the information to our goals.(Zanto, Rubens, Thangavel, & Gazzaley, 2011). Studies have provided evidence that the prefrontal cortex sends top-down signals to the posterior cortices to control information processing (Funahashi & Andreau, 2013).
Anatomically these functions are linked to the prefrontal cortex as deficits in executive skills often are correlated to damage to the prefrontal cortex (Grattan & Eslinger, 1991; Stuss & Benson, 1986). Supporting this comes a plethora of functional neuroimaging studies that have observed increased activation of the prefrontal cortex when performing tasks specifically designed for executive functioning (Baker et al., 1996; Morris, Ahmed, Syed, & Toone, 1993; Rezai et al., 1993). However, despite the innumerable replications of these findings, the exact nature of frontal lobe circuit disturbances contributing to executive dysfunction remains elusive. (Funahashi & Andreau, 2013) .
The PFC is subdivided into four main regions, the ventromedial PFC, largely involved in the integration of emotional information kept in memory and external stimuli, the dorsolateral PFC related to working memory, reasoning, and thematic understanding, the medial PFC (superomedial areas) involved in attentional control and planning and the frontal pole involved in adaptive planning and self-awareness (Orellana & Slachevsky, 2013).
Schizophrenic patients most commonly show deficits in tasks related to the dorsolateral PFC. Described not as an anatomical structure, but rather defined by its functional attributions it is located in the middle of the frontal gyrus of the cortex (Brodmann’s 9 and 46) with its main functions including conceptualization, cognitive flexibility, and working memory.
Numerous lines of evidence continue to point towards abnormalities of the dorsolateral prefrontal lobe, but not to degeneration or possible lesion, instead highlighting alterations in neuronal density, decreased neuronal size, and/or decreases in the neuropil (axons+dendrites+glia) may account for the reductions in grey matter and functional outcomes in executive tasks(Boksa, 2012).
Synaptic pruning referring to the process of elimination of excess neuronal synapses often occurs during early adolescence. Feinberg8 speculated that schizophrenia might result “from a defect of synaptic elimination programmed to occur during adolescence.” Consistent with this hypothesis, are at least 2 lines of evidence suggesting that the brains of adult patients with schizophrenia have fewer synaptic connections in multiple brain regions. Post-mortem brain studies have similarly reported decreased spine density on cortical pyramidal cells from patients with schizophrenia compared with controls. Where it is mainly this type of spine that is eliminated during developmental synaptic pruning. In combination with the pronounced loss of grey matter occurring in the early years after the onset of schizophrenia, described by Andreasen and colleagues,1coincides with the time in normal human development when synaptic pruning is prominent.
Post-mortem studies form the majority of evidence, investigating at the anatomical level more insight is brought on the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Through a direct three-dimensional counting in a post-mortem study, it was found there was increased neuronal density in the prefrontal area 9 of cortical layers 3 and 6 (Selemon, Rajkowska, & Goldman-Rakic, 1995). But with limited support and repetition, the findings remain inconclusive.
Similarly, a significant reduction in the numerical density of dendritic spines (Garey et al., 1998) has been reported in several cases and may explain the loss of cortical volume without loss of neurons. It also highlights the case of disturbances in neuronal connectivity as a contributor to psychiatric disorders. (Obi-Nagata, Temma, & Hayashi-Takagi, 2019). The advent of newly developed techniques has revealed a correlation between spine size and the efficiency of synaptic transmission. For example, electron microscopic studies have demonstrated a positive correlation between the volume of a spine and postsynaptic density (PSD).
The majority of excitatory synapses, which facilitate the transmission of an action potential, are formed on the dendritic spine. Hence the evaluation of dendritic spines explicitly assesses the synaptic function in post-mortem brains. With 2 independent research groups undergoing parallel studies, both reported that small spine density was significantly reduced in layer 3 pyramidal neurons in the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenic brains. Small spines correlate with neural plasticity and are related to learning and behavioral flexibility.
In order for this to occur, neural networks are formed between various brain cortices. Often plentiful, complex, and intertwined in nature, the efferent and afferent projections connect the PFC with the brain stem, occipital, temporal, and parietal loves, limbic, subcortical regions, and many other structures (Stuss & Benson, 1984). Therefore, as a result of this complex neural network, executive dysfunction is not indefinitely associated with the prefrontal cortex directly but related to network disruptions such as white matter damage
“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain’ Bob Marley, Reggae king, Marijuana icon, and highest income dead legendary. The quote can reflect upon music as an innocuous tool, which will never hurt you in any capacity. Instead, it will rather encourage and awaken your motivation to accomplish success. Music improves performance in mental health in particular to therapy, memory, and motivation.
First, regard to the therapeutic effects of music. The term ‘therapeutic’, refers to therapy and remedies to improve disease or health problems in the body, often used with symptoms related to psychology. For instance, when I am engaged with hardship, exhaustion and discouragement from the difficulty emerged, I will listen to ‘ไม่สนโลก’ by Rapper Tery, which contains empowering and meaningful messages.
In addition, it has been discovered that music can produce optimistic thoughts for the state of mind, eliminate sadness and isolation, sustain creativity and increment levels of optimism (Scott, 2019). In my judgement, individuals tune in to music to dispose of irritability, depression, and stress. We felt enthusiastic and uplifting when we heard fast upbeat music, while emotional song causes us to feel sensitive and profoundly sorrow because the essence of music can hit the emotional and mental state in our cognitive function.
Music was not only for entertainment, emotional aesthetic and delivering pleasure likewise it has a profound effect on the body and adds positive vitality to the mind. Tuning in to music is one of the alternative approaches to lessen tension, pressure, and anxiety. A song that contains positive lyrics can create impulse inspiration for a living and further urge us to overcome difficulties. Thus, open emergency clinics apparently have a music band for the patients to minimize pressure while waiting for medical treatment.
To summarize, music provides numerous advantages to the listener by developing optimism, generating creativity and diminishing the value of negative sentiments. Second, music enhances memory execution. Enhance can be defined as strengthening something. Music can heighten our incentive and provoke listeners to conquer the obstacle encountered.
For example, when the examination occurred, I frequently listened to Mozart’s ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik’, which I perceived when tuning into classical music while studying I have more concentration as I tend to tie the exam material to the rhythm of the song. Furthermore, in consonance with a previous investigation of the therapeutic impacts of music, researchers had additionally studied the effects of music on Alzheimer’s patients. Discovered, patients’ memories are recovered as music stimulates diverse brain segments (Lucas, 2019).
From my personal standpoint, scholars can use the benefit of listening to music in their studies to improve their concentration, as well as, music can likewise be used to recall past occasions that occurred including childhood, teenage, or even relationship recollections. Clearly, we will, in general, appear to remember past circumstances accurately when hearing the same piece of music that once played in the past. Moreover, music is presently essential for contemporary medical care. Doctor who treated Alzheimer patients considered using music to be one of their therapeutic selections, and aside from patients with Alzheimer and depression, music therapy also retains patients with Parkinson disease.
Ultimately, it is encouraged that listening while studying will enhance our memory, resulting in better academic success. Moreover, patients with Alzheimer’s condition can be treated with music treatment that stimulates their past memory. Third, music enhances motivation. Motivation is the driving force that advocates us to accomplish something. In this sense, it can be an incentive involved in the study and work efficiency.
For example, when I was feeling down and debilitated with the obstacle emerged, I listened to ‘แสงสุดท้าย’ by Bodyslam. The verses of the melody comprise empowering words, fast and intense rhythm that boost my determination and self-esteem. Furthermore, in regard to the relation between encouragement and music. The author experiments a hypothesis by listening to music during his working period and the outcome demonstrates his working potential raised by 40% (Benton, 2018).
From a personal perspective, music is one of the most significant tools in stimulating my internal incentive. It tends to be a portrayal of our mood, family, friend or even a partner in crime. I subjectively found it tough to be inspired to achieve in any capacity without music presence. In our lives, regardless of whether it is studying, work, or exercise. We explicitly necessitate encouragement to lead us to our desired position. Nevertheless while accomplishing so, there may be occasions when our vitality was burnout by fatigue. In this manner, to overcome these challenges, inspiring music would be a great catalyst in shaping success to be more tangible. Since it will eradicate anxiety, improved focus, and commitment to what we are doing.
To conclude, when feeling dismal, hopeless or other negative temperaments. Inspiration music with meaningful verses can boost our faith in numerous methodologies in managing the trouble bring out throughout everyday life. As a matter of fact, “One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain’. I acknowledge this discourse since I’m deeply persuaded that music is a decent device to conquer the impediment and difficulties that affect our improvement. Music, in particular, can prompt an expansion in self-assurance and efficacy.
This is a complicated mixture of things that occur in a woman body which are physical, emotion and behavioral, and usually takes place between four to six weeks after giving birth. The encouraging news is that it is treatable.
Before delivery it may be very possible to identify the women at high risk of getting postpartum depression. this group will be given more concentration by a health professional during the period when they are almost giving birth. One of the long term risk of this illness is that some of children who are born by mothers affected by it are going to have problems especially in their teen age (O’hara & Swain,1996). this may include inefficient or insecure attachment, higher rates of behavioral problems, and poor performance in school.
Postpartum Depression is treatable in several ways. Do a depression screening that may include having you fill out a questionnaire about how your body feels. Order blood tests to determine whether the symptoms are correct and that’s why its contributing to your illness. Order other tests, if warranted, to rule out other causes for your symptoms. After treatment from your doctor you need a lot of rest, accept help from family and also friends and importantly connect with other moms among many others (Hannus ,2017)
This illness affects about 15-20 percent of women worldwide after giving birth. Doctors came up with effective methods that would help one to prevent this illness from affecting them. Sleeping and crying of the new born baby helps a lot mother and they learn about how to facilitate positive interaction with their children. A mother should recognize the signs and speak up whenever she feels off. Getting more sleep will help a lot. Getting help from friends and family if one is struggling with breastfeeding (Dennis & Dowswell,2013).
In conclusion, it is evident that Postpartum Depression is very risk and doctors should raise this awareness upon women, especially the once that are expectant. If they give birth and get this illness, this is where the families and friends come in hand with allot of support after a visit to the doctor.
Reference
Dennis, C. L., & Dowswell, T. (2013). Psychosocial and psychological interventions for preventing postpartum depression. Cochrane database of systematic reviews, (2).
Hannus, P. (2017). How can life go on after trauma resulting in infertility?:-a qualitative literature review on women’s experience of emergency hysterectomy and the return back to everyday life.
O’hara, M. W., & Swain, A. M. (1996). Rates and risk of postpartum depression—a meta-analysis. International review of psychiatry, 8(1), 37-54.
Pregnancy and motherhood are the happiest periods in a woman’s life. The baby birth can cause a jumble of powerful emotions, right from excitement and joy to anxiety and fear. However, it can also cause in something you might not imagine- depression. Having a baby is very stressful, no matter how much you love your baby. Considering the sleep deprivation, lack of time of taking care of yourself, newer responsibilities, there is no surprise that many new moms feel like they are on an emotional rollercoaster. In fact, mood swings and mild depression are so common in motherhood that it has its own name- baby blues. Baby blues normally begin within the first 2 to 3 days after delivery and may last for up to two weeks. But some new moms experience a severe, lasting form of depression known as postpartum depression. Let’s have a look about postpartum depression and how it affects mothers and of course babies.
What is postpartum depression?
Postpartum depression (PPD) also called postnatal depression, is not a weakness or character flaw. It is a serious mental illness that involves the brain and affects your physical health and behaviour. Typically this condition develops within 4 to 6 weeks after delivery, sometimes take several months to appear. When you have depression, then sad, empty feelings and suicide thought don’t do away and can interfere with your day to day life. You might feel unconnected to your little one, or you might not love or care for the baby. These kinds of feelings can be mild to severe. The diagnosis of PPD is based not only on the length of time between delivery and onset but also based on the depression severity.
Why PPD differs from baby blues?
Most of the moms experience at least some symptoms of baby blues immediately after giving childbirth. This is because of the sudden hormonal change in mother after delivery, combined with sleep deprivation, fatigue, isolation, stress etc. Also, you might feel more overwhelmed, emotionally fragile and more upset. Usually, this will begin with in the first couple of days after delivery. The baby blues are perfectly normal, but when these symptoms last for a few weeks or get worse, then you have the postpartum depression. Postpartum depression may be mistaken for baby blues at first, but the signs and symptoms are more intense, last longer and reach up to a point where the mother cannot take care of herself, her baby and other daily tasks.
What are the symptoms of PPD?
Symptoms of postpartum depression are similar to what happens normally following delivery. They include mood swings, difficulty sleeping, appetite changes, excessive crying, excessive fatigue and decreased libido. However, these are also accompanied by other signs of major depression, which are not normal after delivery, and may contain depressed mood; loss of pleasure; fear that you’re not a good mother; feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and helplessness; reduced motivation, intense irritability & anger; overwhelming fatigue or loss of energy; withdrawing from family & friends; difficulty bonding with your baby; thoughts of harming yourself or your baby; thoughts of death or suicide. These are certain red flags for postpartum depression.
What are the treatments for PPD?
If you have diagnosed with postpartum depression, it is best to seek treatment as soon as possible. If it is detected late or not at all the condition might worsen. The common types of treatment for PPD are:
Therapy- During therapy, you can freely talk to a therapist or psychologist, or a post-partum caretaker to learn strategies to change how depression makes you feel, think and act.
Medicine. There avail various kinds of medicines for postpartum depression. All of them must be prescribed by your doctor. The most common type is antidepressants which can help relieve signs of depression and some can allow taking while you are breastfeeding.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) – This is used in extreme cases to treat postpartum depression. It involves a brief electrical stimulation of the brain while the mother is under anaesthesia. It is usually administered by a panel of trained medical professionals that comprises a psychiatrist, an anesthesiologist, and a nurse.
All these treatments can be used alone or together. Talk with your doctor about the benefits and risks of taking medicine to treat PPD when you are breastfeeding. Having depression can affect your baby. Getting proper treatment is very important for you and your baby. Taking medicines for depression or going to the therapy does not make you a failure or bad mother. Experiencing postpartum is nobody’s fault. It is a medical condition that requires proper treatment. Taking help is a sign of strength, if your loved one is experiencing postpartum depression, the best thing you can do is to offer support. Give her a pause from her baby care duties and you can contact MyWomb, the best newborn care provider in Kerala. Our experts are capable to efficiently dealing with the needs of a new baby and also help mommies to beat their motherhood blues and depression with the right service.