Struggling With Mental Illness - 2055 Words

People in this world have many different struggles. Some deal with chronic pain, others with poverty and some even with the consequences of their bad choices. Numerous individuals also struggle with mental illness also known as various disorders that affect mood, personality, cognition and other areas of functioning. Mental illness is unique to the individual and can be experienced in a variety of ways. Three people that have experienced mental illness and all that it entails are Susanna Kaysen the author of the memoir Girl, Interrupted, John Nash-a mathematician whose life was the basis of the film A Beautiful Mind and a woman named Theresa Lozowski who is a medical professional. All three struggle with a mental illness and†¦show more content†¦Was I a danger to myself?† (p.39). Initially, she had difficulty seeing her symptoms being connected to her diagnosed illness as well as their graveness. She asserts, â€Å"I had a character disorder. Sometimes they called it a personality disorder. When I got my diagnosis it didn’t sound serious but after a while it sounded more ominous than other people’s† (Kaysen, 1994, p. 59). John Nash viewed his diagnosis in a similar manner as Kaysen did. He was in denial at first and did not see his delusions as a part of his problem even though his wife confronted him with evidence such as unopened secret letters. He slowly over a year’s time began to accept his diagnosis of schizophrenia. He finally accepted it when he stopped taking medication and the return of the delusions put his family at risk. He made the vital connection when he wife wanted to leave. Nash tells his wife, â€Å"I understand, Marcee can’t be real because she never gets old (Howard, 2001). After that revelation, he realizes that his delusions are not real because the people in them never age including the eight-year girl that calls him her uncle. Kaysen, Nash and Lozowski share similarities as well as som e differences in the way they view the cause of their mental disorder. Kaysen was unsure of what the cause of her mental disorder was. She could not point to any specific situation that triggered her disorder nor whether it was something that was wrong inside of her or whether something outside ofShow MoreRelated`` Next Up Normal `` : A Family Struggling With The Ups And Downs Of Surviving A Mental Illness1299 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Next to Normal† is about a family struggling with the ups and downs of surviving a mental illness. Following the lives of this very dysfunctional family, the playwright touches on what families living with a mental disease have to go through on a daily basis. 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The development of neuroleptics such as, Haldol, Risperidal, and Zyprexa have given psychiatrists, psychologists and their patients great hope in the battle against this mental disease. However, during the 1960s, drugs were not available and psychologists relied upon psychotherapy in order to treat patients. I Never Promised You a Rose