Lesson 13: Health, Mental Illness, and Medications


Attention

What does it mean to live in a healthy way? What does health mean when you have a chronic illness? These are the questions that face many of our clients who are struggling with defining themselves in a world obsessed with healthy perfection.


Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:

  • Discuss the social role of being "sick" in modern society
  • Contrast alternative therapies for symptoms of mental illness with traditional medical approaches (medication and therapy)

Teaching

Being Sick in our World

Many aspects of our self-perception, and the perceptions of others of us, rely upon our "statuses". We each have multiple statuses and tehse include aspects of ourselves which are used to create our identity, much the same way a single piece of a jigsaw puzzle contributes to the overall picture.

For each Status that we have there is a "Role" that we need to play. These are the specific expectations for performance related to the status (this is a slight change in terminology from what you might usually associate with the term "role").

We can also think of Statuses as the "Job Title" and Role as the "Job Description"

Status and Role of being "Sick"

If someone is chronically sick it becomes a "status", and in Mental Illness, since the illness is "chronic, persistent, and pervasive" it becames a "core status". So what is the Role of a "sick person"?

Well, think about it...what do sick people do?

  • They have symptoms and they try to hide them
  • They take medication
  • The rest
  • They don't go to work
  • They take responsibility for their recovery
  • They see their doctor and are complient with doctor's orders
  • We have less activity expectations
  • They get better and return to "normal" life (or they die)

This is what we EXPECT sick people to do! But do persons with Mental Illness do a good job on fulfilling their roles as "sick people"?

These expectations as to what being "sick" means, and the failure of people with Mental Illness to abide by their ascribed status and role, is the PRIMARY source of STIGMA.

The ultimate message is that they can't even be "sick" right! This impacts:

  • Society Perception
  • Social Policy
  • Health Care Policy
  • Family Perceptions
  • Self Perceptions

There is another societal expectation related to being sick...you didn't "get it" on purpose. You "caught" it and otherwise you would choose to NOT be sick.

So, the "being sick" status/role is OK in the eyes of society as long as you are not doing anything to bring it on! Consider our perceptions of "fault" when it comes to the following situations:

  • A small child has a cold and stays home from school
  • A teenager gets the measles and goes in the hospital
  • A young adult becomes depressed after his parents die
  • An older genteleman begins to show signs of dementia
  • A young woman gets breast cancer

Compare it to these situations:

  • A gay man who has had multiple simultaneous partners contracts AIDS
  • A young adult drinks heavily in college and becomes an alcoholic
  • A young lady with Schizophrenia refuses her medications
  • A depressed young man contemplates suicide
  • A heavy smoker develops lung cancer

Do we think differently about these different sets of "sick" people?

Resources on Medications and Mental Illness

What role does Medication play in a person's recovery?

How can we embody the values of PSR in discussions about medications?

  • self determination
  • optimism
  • hope
  • empowerment
  • prevention

Mental Health Medications
A guide published by the National Institute of Mental Health

Articles on Diet and Mental Illness

Mental Illness Linked to Modern Diet

Can we control Mental Illness with Diet?

Dietary Sugar and Mental Illness: A surprising Link

We've thought about the connection between diet and Mental Illness for a LONG time...check out this article from 1945!
Discussion on the Importance of Diet in Mental Illness
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine

Physical Activity and Mental Illness

Integrating Physical Activity into Mental Health Services for Persons with Serious Mental Illness


Assessment

Lesson 13 Discussion A

What barriers to PSR application lay within the medical culture? Describe how the "sick role" of our society creates stigma against individuals with mental illness.

Lesson 13 Discussion B

Research and discuss alternative therapies (exercise, diet, etc.) to treat symptoms of mental illness. Contrast these with the prevailing model of medication and therapy.