Mental Illness Personal Beliefs Essay - 1,292 words

... ch was vain and often suicidal (25). Witch-hunts were used as a scapegoat to uphold sanity. Due to inconsistent data and variable definitions, Schowalter remains skeptical. Continually changing definitions created doubts in many minds, especially Elaine Schowalter's, Hysteria is not a single, consistent, unified affliction like malaria or tuberculosis (14).


Because of inconsistent data, mental illness is hard to understand. Hysteria has changed throughout history as to what really causes it. At first, it had to do with the body affecting the mind, and then it was reversed. Now, it is said that it is the behavior that creates the disease that people can see.


The symptoms and behavior varied between doctors and eras. Schowalter states that, a French physician, Charles La segue proclaimed that the definition of hysteria has never been given and never will be (14). Apparently, Schowalter is not the only one who was skeptical. She refers to it as a wastebasket diagnosis (16), meaning, a doctor will make up a diagnosis if need be. Because doctors make these diagnoses, Schowalter believes they see it as a chance to take credit for the label. It is looked upon as an opportunity to achieve claim to fame in her eyes, These women tended to enter their physicians lives at intellectually formative times in the doctors careers, and they often served as clinical models- founding cases- of the doctors theoretical work.


The doctors needed hysterical women as muses; hysterical women needed doctors to speak for them (19). Women were used as a scapegoat; they were the victims who were given a diagnosis to explain hysteria. Schowalter states, womens bodies were hysteric ized that is, turned into a collection of physical and psychological symptoms by the medical profession (19). The doctors used their power and biased beliefs to diagnose and create hysteria as a mental illness, while at the same time using women as decoys to back up their explanation. Most doctors based their facts on personal beliefs and were often endorsed by well-known organizations, Influential diagnosticians have connections to institutions clinics, hospitals, medical schools which teach and promote their theories (18).


These patients were also used as statistics, as they were vulnerable and gullible, believing any accredited doctor, regardless of their personal prejudices. Unfortunately, doctors saw this opportunity and used it to their advantage. And, time passes, people are introduced to more diseases and forms of hysteria. Showalter states, Anorexia and bulimia are examples of modern hysterical epidemics (20). Again, the definition of hysteria is altered as these two mental conditions are added.


Both articles recognize how often personally held beliefs and biases can originate and maintain over a period of time. It is inevitable that our unconsciously held beliefs alter the conclusions, resulting in false evidence, a false perception of the truth and consistently changing definitions of mental illness. For instance, Jarvis even went so far as to manipulate his data in order to fit his theory. Stoep and Link state, In his report, he correctly calculated the prevalence of insanity by nativity status, by financial support status, and by sex (1400). This clearly shows the results of the Jarvis biased behavior and demonstrate how far off his statistics were and how far he had go to correct his mistakes The difference between the two articles, Social Class, Ethnicity, and Mental Illness: The Importance of Being More Than Earnest and Defining Hysteria is that Schowalter does not really believe in hysteria and questions the idea of mental illness. Stoep and Link feel that the definition of mental illness has changed over the years and is constantly being redefined due to unconsciously held be ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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Essay Tags: personal beliefs, mental illness, york columbia, american journal, social class

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