Perception of Patients with Mental Disorders

Perception of Patients with Mental Disorders
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Perception of Patients with Mental Disorders Introduction One of the major categories of diseases prevalent in society today is mental disorders. In the United States, about one in five adults will live with some kind of mental health illness (NIH, 2022). During the last two years when the world experienced the COVID-19 pandemic, the risk of developing mental disorders elevated significantly, with four in ten U.S. adults experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety, up from one in ten prior to the pandemic (Panchal et al., 2021). Furthermore, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) [2020], in itself, COVID-19 was associated with neurological and mental complications like stroke, agitation, and delirium. In this sense, mental disorders are a major challenge in the world today and a lot can be learned from Sacks (1985) who through his book demonstrates that there is more to patients with mental disorders. This paper examines how patients with mental disorders are perceived and what can be learned from Sacks (1985) to change for the better. Existing Perception of Patients with Mental Disorders The perception people have towards patients with mental disorders is worrying. Perhaps the negative perception toward people with mental disorders was the biggest motivator for Sacks (1985) to write his book. It is arguable that Sacks (1885) sought to spread awareness that individuals with mental health disorders, while limited in some aspects, can be gifted in others. However, despite the book being published more than three decades ago, literature shows that the general perception of people with mental disorders is negative. The most surprising aspect of negative attitudes towards patients with mental disorders is that even health professionals perpetuate them. According to Anguiano et al. (2019), while one would expect that health practitioners have more positive attitudes towards the mentally ill since they have the knowledge of the conditions, the opposite seems to be true. Specifically, older general practitioners have been found to show more negative attitudes towards patients with mental disorders (Anguiano et al., 2019). Interestingly, if a general practitioner has spent a high amount of time with patients with a particular mental disorder, they tend to show lower levels of negative attitudes. One of the greatest influences on the perception of mental health is culture. According to Unite for Sight (n.d.), people’s attitudes towards mental disorders are dependent on cultures, ethnicities, and families. Religious and cultural teachings influence how people perceive the nature and origin of mental disorders. Many cultures around the world are characterized by the stigma around mental health and it is considered a weakness to have mental health challenges (Mental Health First Aid USA, 2019). In addition, culture not only influences whether or not one chooses to open up about symptoms of a mental disorder, but it also determines the level of support one receives from family and members of the community. In many Asian cultures that are often characterized by self-control and ...