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Essay / The Question of Understanding Before Accepting in Modern Mental Health situations, humans have an innate need to understand a complex situation or behavior before we can accept it. This can happen despite assurance of its validity by professionals or their loved ones. In terms of mental health, this is a major problem, with certain pathologies being characterized by “incomprehensible” behavior. Even conditions with more relevant features, such as anxiety and depression, have elements that may be incomprehensible to others. Those who have not experienced these symptoms will find it difficult to understand and will often struggle to truly accept these conditions. The word accept has many connotations here: it is about the acceptance of mental health as a real health problem, the behaviors of people with mental health and, fundamentally, the fact that mental health exists in today's society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Acceptance significantly affects perception, which can, in turn, affect treatment, research, employment opportunities, and the own experiences of people suffering from mental health. In this essay, I will explain how our need to understand before accepting can be fundamentally harmful, and how it might be more beneficial to continue to seek understanding while placing acceptance at the forefront of our health efforts mental. Contextual History Although our understanding of mental health has grown exponentially in recent years, the history of mental health acceptance is much more varied. During the Middle Ages, mental health problems were often seen as the result of sin or demonic possession, with treatments that reflected this level of understanding. Although much of mental health still remains a mystery, we now view it as a medical problem, with causes and treatments studied and no longer seen as the result of a curse or deity . A good indicator of acceptance of a condition is the level of compassion warranted by the treatment. While the infamous Bethlam, founded in the 13th century, could be considered innovative and its very existence speaks to the acceptance of mental health as a condition, its often barbaric treatment of patients suggests otherwise. A lack of understanding, acceptance and compassion led to a series of invasive and brutal treatments, which have continued worryingly into modern times with the prevalence of "ice pick lobotomies". These were carried out in just a few minutes and in an arguably unethical environment, and were an important treatment until the 1950s. In contrast, there is also evidence of lesser treatments and care regimes. intensive, which results in better social cohesion and a better quality of life for patients. We could consider the case of Emma De Beston, who in the 14th century was cared for, like many others, by her community. She was accepted even though her condition was not fully understood. It is clear from the lessons of history that acceptance of mental health is closely linked to patients' quality of life and is therefore extremely important. The distinctionand the connection between understanding and acceptance There are multiple definitions of understanding, all with slight variations which can, in turn, lead to different interpretations of a statement. At its core, being able to understand is being able to perceive something in a correct way, allowing correct actions and correct connections to be made. Where correct implies, it is both factually true and appropriate. Beireter states that “understanding involves abilities and dispositions with respect to an object of knowledge sufficient to support intelligent behavior.” In his work, he explains how understanding a situation is essentially different from being able to relate to it in some way. Simple relationships can lead to an interpretation of a situation but, because knowledge is limited, true understanding cannot be achieved. It is potentially more useful to view understanding as a scale rather than a defined point in a learning experience. Each level should help lead to the next, with each stage potentially allowing for different levels of acceptance. Considering understanding as a continuum leads to questions about its links with acceptance: is there a specific level at which acceptance is now possible, is it an effort to achieve greater understanding that allows this, or is acceptance itself a continuum? To help visualize this continuum we can imagine the scenario of a child's relationship with multiplication: Contextual - a child in reception may understand that it is something that appears in mathematics, it is a level of understanding where a situation can be put into context. . Operational - the child can now memorize and recall simple multiplications, understands the concept well enough to be able to complete the task at hand. Define – now older, the child can understand that the definition of multiplication is adding a number by itself a certain number of times. He may not be able to explain it to someone who doesn't understand the situation, but he will be able to use the concept in more depth. To a greater extent than operationally Relational - they now understand how multiplication relates to other operations, they understand how it is the reversal of division and treat both accordingly. When we consider applying these categories to mental health, it becomes more complicated. Some will say that even a contextual understanding is enough to accept, while others may seek a much higher level of understanding before they are ready to accept. In relation to understanding, acceptance is described as "a person's assent to the reality of a situation, recognizing a process or condition without attempting to change or protest it." This definition may seem strange when applied to the context of mental health. It could be argued that not attempting to change or protest a mental health problem discourages recovery or minimizes its severity. An alternative approach is offered by Tolles, a spiritual teacher, who defines acceptance as a response to a situation as a “this is it” moment. Perhaps that's a more apt description. It does not claim that we do not try to change a situation, but recognize it as it really is without disputing the existence of a situation. This is a useful approach because it allows us to accept a situation in the moment while trying to prevent it from continuing. Acceptance of mental health itselfthree forms: self-acceptance, acceptance of it by those around you and acceptance by society in general. The three categories come in various forms and stages, with their own, often distinct, problems to resolve. The Problem of Understanding Increasing public awareness and understanding of mental health issues are key goals in the mental health community. Recently, there has been a huge increase in “conversation” through campaigns such as “UOKM8?” », “It’s time for change” and increased participation in world mental health days or weeks. However, many believe that this particular aspect of the cause has now run its course. The general population is much more aware of mental illness than ever before. Concern comes into play about how much they understand, which is often limited to a purely contextual level. There is a danger when some people claim to understand mental health issues to a greater extent than they actually do. It can be said that these people have an interpretation of the situation around them, but they do not possess a true understanding of it. Even more worrying, if these people have an interpretation that is actually incorrect, then their words or actions could become more harmful to others than before they attempted to understand in the first place. When we imagine our continuum of understanding today, this area may lie entirely outside our own scale. This is often seen with the "Theroux phenomenon": subjects who watch an hour-long documentary feel able to explain accurately and often begin to speak like an expert in the field, even if they don't actually have direct experience or have not had any. of their own research. “…recognize that posting “stars can't shine without darkness” on social media might upset someone into despair and that in reality, anxiety can be a normal reaction and is different from general anxiety disorder , a serious illness. . This feeling of downness is not the same thing as depression. Patients often describe how a common struggle in this area is the persistent attempts of their loved ones to understand their condition. Instead of trying to help, frustrated loved ones may initiate interrogation-style sessions, enforcing their lack of acceptance or knowledge of a situation in harmful ways. Frustrations with the situation can lead to anger, guilt and denial. Pushing a patient to give a singular event or reason for their condition simply shows the lack of real understanding of the current situation. Often, the questions asked are not answered and, instead of seeking answers together, patients can find themselves ostracized by those around them. “If you know someone who is depressed, resolve to never ask them why.” - Stephen Fry “The question “why are you depressed?” "it made me more depressed every time I was asked" - Hazel Stones It is important to clarify at some point the distinction between the form of understanding that a professional and a civilian in general aims to have and to form. Although a better understanding of mental health is always desired, this essay does not focus on the need to understand research or other professional medical environments. In these cases, it is absolutely necessary to seek understanding, but the notable difference here is that they are seeking a much higher standard than those around them. At the heart of theirwork, they try to understand the biological, lifestyle or possible causes, and how to counteract them. In terms of our previous scale, this goes beyond relational, in a sense, they take their relational understanding and use it to further break down the scenario. However, the ordinary population will never seek to understand on this same scale; although many have contextual understanding, the desired level would be more operational. The goal is for them to be able to act appropriately when faced with mental health cases, with their actions helping, not further harming. The problem with understanding the general population is that they are often dissatisfied with this level of understanding, searching for deeper meanings, causes, or explanations for behaviors. We can consider two broad categories of mental illness, those that are “accepted” and those that are not “accepted” – which, incidentally, coexist with those that are “relatable” and those that are not “accepted” identifiable”. Conditions that appear to be extensions of typical behaviors, such as depression and anxiety, are as such considered more relevant. This leads people to believe that they have a better understanding and understanding of the situation if it seems similar to what they could understand. This is even more true if there appears to be an apparent cause such as bereavement, a significant change in personal circumstances, or trauma. In these cases, mental health issues are seen as a little more acceptable, easier to discuss, and seen as a more appropriate response. Indeed, when negative stigma was assessed at multiple time points, anxiety and depression were consistently found to score significantly lower in terms of negative stereotypes and patient blame. In Comparison Schizophrenia is viewed more negatively than anxiety and depression. This is evident in the trends observed over long periods of time, as reported by Angermeyer and in many of Crisp's works. Although Jaspers focuses much of his work on the need to understand, he admits that there are certain situations which do not correspond to this need, separating them: "The deepest distinction in psychic life seems to be that between what makes sense and allows empathy and what, in its own way, is incomprehensible, “crazy” in the literal sense, schizophrenic psychic life.” Schizophrenia and other less relevant illnesses are undeniably less accepted in modern society. Erratic behaviors and actions are so far from the social “norm” that people are unable to understand or justify them, and therefore have difficulty accepting them. This demonstrates a fundamental problem with the principle of understanding in mental health. Many mental health problems are simply too complex to understand in terms of causes and explanations, as the general public would like. We must also consider the hard truth of the ability to understand “incomprehensible” conditions, namely that to be able to understand and sympathize with them, one must have experienced them. Even in the psychiatric field, if one believes they can deeply understand a patient's incomprehensible condition, one could argue that in doing so they have become too close, breaking down the traditional barrier between a doctor and his patient. It can be postulated that to be able to understand such distressing conditions, in a way that would allow one to demonstrate empathy, the person must have or currently suffer from asimilar mental state. In some cases, this allows recovered patients to continue helping their community, as in the case of Frederick Frese. Dr. Frese has suffered from schizophrenia since the age of 25 and has been hospitalized more than 10 times, but has since continued to manage his condition, earning a master's degree in psychology. Eventually, he returned to the facility where he was once held and treated, but now on the other side of the table, managing the site and treating other patients. Frese states that "many of those lending their voices to those in the growing consumer advocacy movement were people who, although diagnosed with and undergoing treatment for, schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder... ". It's a fine line to walk, many who have suffered from past delusions may be accidentally provoked into another episode if they try to identify too deeply with other patients' own delusions. The Benefits of Acceptance It is a well-established fact that acceptance is a positive step for many processes. Indeed, a popular form of therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, involves training people to become more aware and crucially accepting of their own feelings and thoughts. This allows the patient to base their own actions on true realities rather than misinterpreted versions of events. Historically, acceptance of race, religion, sexuality, and other important variables within human culture has been seen as a step toward a more progressive society. In many of these cases, true understanding was not initially achieved, but acceptance was given. It represents the efforts of cultural change and the hard work of many protesters and leaders, sometimes over hundreds of years. It is legitimate to ask what the tangible value of accepting mental health is. Acceptance in general is widely known to have positive impacts. Along with several other papers, Bond and Bunce consistently show that greater acceptance in general correlates with better mental health and greater career prosperity in every study they have conducted. It is consistently used as a tool in multiple practices, ranging from mindfulness to its own branch of therapy. These practices cite multiple benefits for acceptance, most focused on the ability it gives us to process and act appropriately, as Theo Bennet says: "If I consider you crazy, then how can we begin a dialogue? Acceptance can allow individuals to become fully involved in a discussion, becoming more in touch with their own emotions and those of others. Basically, it allows us to progress, helping others and ourselves to overcome problems. This is evident from the role it plays in developing psychological flexibility. We are already well aware of the benefits of understanding, and being able to accept first can in turn help an individual understand later. Often, the lack of understanding of a situation comes from an inability or refusal to communicate problems and emotions. Acceptance allows us to push through potentially difficult situations, trusting that the situation is as it appears. Often, people view acceptance by others (and themselves) of their own mental health as a key step in their recovery process. The extent to which we accept a situation can determine how we direct our own goals and objectives for the future, and therefore the actions we canundertake. Now, instead of spending energy fighting a situation, we can aim to manage it or begin to understand how the situation came to be, leading to greater understanding. Challenge ourselves to accept without understanding It may seem counterintuitive to our own natural learning process to accept without understanding, but there are multiple issues throughout history where we have managed to do just that . In fact, some disciplines are based on this approach: science in general has been governed by the search for explanations of widely accepted phenomena. We have accepted the evidence and existence of phenomena such as quantum effects and stellar cycles dating back to the beginning of human history. From a less academic perspective, we consider the opinions of others that we accept, even if we do not share their opinions and may not be able to understand them. Some heterosexual people have difficulty understanding same-sex attractions, they cannot personally perceive this attraction and therefore have difficulty understanding it. However, they accept this behavior despite this fact. Over time, society has overcome previously difficult discussions such as race, religion, and sexuality, pushing for greater acceptance, which over time has led to greater understanding and a richer culture. among us. What we need to become more tolerant is cultural and personal reflection. Often in this scenario we are tasked with "putting ourselves in someone else's shoes", but this seems difficult in a situation you cannot understand or understand. The mental health community often claims that mental health is comparable to poor physical health. However, as we mentioned previously, this approach presents its own problems as a method of encouraging acceptance. Perhaps to accept we should try to refer to a clean and stripped down statement on mental health. This is because the majority of people with these diseases suffer. A negative emotion that we all experience to some extent. This is a double assertion, first in the sense that they are in a state of negative affection which warrants compassion and a certain level of care, but also in the sense that there exists in principle as a phenomenon. There has always been criticism of mental health, fueled by their own lack of belief and the posts of skeptics like Szasz. Szasz takes things to the extreme in his literature, citing mental health as a cause of events that will remain untrue in history, joining the ranks of "deities, witches, and microorganisms." Much of his argument rests on the idea that it does not respond to or appears to have a notable physical cause, which in some cases can now be challenged by various forms of analysis. However, even Szasz, with his seemingly outlandish comments, has accepted present mental health behaviors, advocating therapy for adult counseling. Risks Involved While it is important that we seek to be able to accept, it is arguably part of the human requirement to first be able to understand. If we challenge ourselves to accept first, we may find ourselves trying to understand by forming incorrect or harmful opinions about mental health issues. Szasz may be accepting of the existence and issues of mental health, but his opinions can be incredibly upsetting or harmful to others. He appears to be a paradoxical preacher, advocating therapy sessions to help but :, 71(1):81–90, 2014.
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