Schizophrenia+One+Man's+Struggle


 * Name:** Shane Gracey


 * Student Number:** 01136763


 * Tutor:** Emily Mann

= **Topic** = Mental illness in Australia in 2011 and Associated Stigma.

= **My Cultural Artefact** =
 * Source:** Google Images

=The Third Man Is New= © Jo //I promise I will be there.// //Words with empty meaning, words screaming through the halls of my mind as they make their course.// //I know he lies.// //I know I won't see him until the echo is heard, until the message smacks the back of the wall. Not the wall of innocence though.// //Can one echo pass through two circles at once?// //I wait. No answer.// //The doorbell rings but no-one can hear above all this noise.//

//Not but smiles and scraped knees when we first met// //“you’ve been in the wars” my mum would say.// //The war was the best part.// //Late. But time does not matter, time is on your wrist is all.// //Hope. Chance. Fresh faces.// //Another child sprung from your passion, another knee scraped smile.// //The race begins but I was always taller, always faster.// //Every half a moon we would [|meet] that child and I.// //The white box is flying with the butterflies and pink wings now.//

//That’s when the screaming started. It was only a whisper then.// //Two worlds colliding in one body, the mind won’t cope. It can’t cope.// //Can one echo pass through two circles at once?// //Hope becomes fear, chance is unwanted and fresh faces turn sour// //Now that the third man is new.//

//My scraped knees and smile are aging.// //The war is ending. The war was the worst part.// //My legs are stronger and hiding beneath the flowing material// //my mouth is slower to turn, it is wiser, more hesitant.// //There are flashing lights and a man who wants to be flying.// //I won't let him soar with me, nor with the other knee scraped smile who’s mouth is also changing. The sky is still ours.//

//The white box was emptied that night// //Split in three, or four.// //I promise I will be there. Is it the third man who speaks?// //I wait.// //No answer.//

The artefact that I have chosen is a poem titled “The Third Man Is New”. It was written by the daughter of a man who has been diagnosed with late – onset schizophrenia. It is based on a man’s struggle to stay connected to reality and how his illness has impacted on his journey through middle – aged life. Schizophrenia led to social isolation which, in turn facilitates deep introspection and insight and this is something that his daughter has been inspired by artistically. This piece of prose is permeated by disjointed and disorganised thought, misunderstood simplicities, paranoia, hallucination, incoherence, alienation, distant childhood memories, opportunities foregone, an acknowledgement of mortality and a realisation that death is his only escape. Its dark lyrical content has a lasting effect on the reader.
 * Source**: [|Schizophrenia, Mental Illness Poem] [|http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/schizophrenia#ixzz1cVA2IbVt]
 * Family Friend Poems**

= **Public Health Issue** =

The public health issue central to this artefact is the marginalisation of mentally ill people in Australian society. It underscores the struggle for acceptance for the mentally challenged people plus the inevitable seclusion which results and the barriers to effective treatment that it creates. The economic and social burden of mental illness are strong motivations for elected officials and public health professionals to raise awareness of mental illness which may facilitate a more objective understanding of this public health problem.

= **Literature Review** =

In the age of progressive thought where liberal views appear to dominate academic discourse, it is quite surprising that mental illness is still very much stigmatised in contemporary society. This is despite the fact that many forms of discrimination have dissipated over time, to be replaced by acceptance and tolerance. For many mentally ill people, the stigma can be worse than the illness itself and it is the social rejection, interpersonal disruption and fractured identity that leads to this (Feldman & Crandell 2007 p.138). The misconception that mental health problems are a sign of personal weakness only exacerbates the problem. Overton & Medina (2008 p.143) note that schizophrenia may evoke visions of violence while depression may conjure thoughts of laziness and substance abuse.

Many years of research and replication have established mental illness as a physiological disorder. Feldman & Crandell (2007 p.138) pose an interesting, “does having a biological basis increase or decrease social rejection?” Perhaps this is why attitudes are so impervious to change. It may not matter to the vast majority of people as to what the actual cause is. Social identity theorists explain how people make use of “constructs” to label someone, to determine if they fit society’s norms. Social theorist Goffman wrote about “spoiled collective identity” of a person whose character is brought into question. Furthermore, he concluded that, “people with a mental illness are often judged by their behaviours, but this does not reflect their whole being” (Overton & Medina 2008 p.145).

According to the Australian Bureau Of Statistics, one in five Australians aged between 16 and 85 suffer from a psychological disorder. Women (22%) are more likely than men (18%) to have a mental illness. Less than one percent of the population suffer from schizophrenia. Sensing a need to affect urgent change the Federal Government has implemented a number of strategies in order to facilitate intervention. These include: The National Mental Health Strategy; The Mental Health Statement Of Rights and Responsibilities; The National Suicide Prevention Strategy and The Council Of Australian Governments National Action Plan On Mental Health (Australian Government 2011). These initiatives are an indication of a clear shift in community and researcher perception that mental illness is a problem which calls for urgent attention. These government policies hope to raise awareness in the community in the hope that people’s perceptions may change. In recent times, social theorists have criticised the methods and settings of mental health treatment. The deinstitutionalisation and mainstreaming of mental health services is believed to be fundamentally wrong. It has led to a ten-fold increase in the number of psychiatric cases being presented to emergency departments in Brisbane hospitals in the last ten years (Australian Government 2011). The government’s plan to decrease the burden on our major hospitals has occurred at the expense of mental health services.

Consequently, the popularity of consumer – based organisations have grown in popularity. Examples of these include: Headspace, Grow, Beyondblue, Sane and Reach Out. Whether or not this kind of support offers the same quality of care that specialists can provide is highly questionable. A “grass roots” approach to mental health treatment (as seen in these organisations) may offer a solution to the bigotry shown to mental health patients within the same environment. The limitations of the population based methodologies previously used by governments illustrate why the stigma is still so prevalent. They fail to address the core of the problem. The best way to reduce the stigma is through contact between sufferers of mental illness and the general population in order to alter public perception (Overton & Medina 2008). Social theorists have observed and commented on the effectiveness of this methodology. They have put forward three strategies to mitigate the stigma and they underscore the reasons why past efforts have failed.

The first method is //Protest// which involves instructing people not to consider negative stereotypes by proposing arguments or facts that dispel the belief system (Overton & Medina 2008). Secondly, //Education// is used to replace myths with facts. Finally, //Contact,// as previously mentioned, allows for direct interaction between mentally ill people and the general population. How effectively these ideas bridge the gap between theory and practice is yet to be fully known.

It can be stated that past attempts to reduce mental health stigma have been largely unsuccessful. Efforts to ease the burden on our major hospitals has occurred to the detriment of mental health services and this is far from encouraging. Consumer – based intervention may seem trivial at face value yet in a unique way they provide opportunities for mitigating interventions such as protest, education and contact to take place. Social theorists have struggled to come to terms with this problem for considerable time. Government schemes and methodologies had failed to impact upon stigmatisation. In the near future, their broad population based schemes are likely to be replaced by local, consumer - based initiatives.

= **Cultural and Social Analysis** = Traditionally, philosophical and psychopathological perspectives on mental health have been viewed as two disparate entities. Sass, Parmas & Whiting (2000) note that the past decade has seen a significant reproachment between philosophy and psychopathology. Karl Jaspers, a prominent psychopathologist singled out philosophy as being of special interest to mental illness. His vision for the future of mental health treatment was to include, “a curious and sophisticated mind, platitudinous speculation, dogmatic theories and absolutism in every form” (Sass, Parmas & Whiting 2000 p.88). No longer is philosophical viewpoint dismissed as inappropriate or irrelevant. Perhaps Jaspers most important contribution to psychopathology was his emphatic belief that emotion and cognition are intrinsically linked.

Across the ages, theorists have been divided on the mind, self dichotomy. Recent research suggests that these two constructs are intertwined. The concepts of mind and self bare relevance if one consider the mind to be the essence of prejudice and the self to be the manifestation of the prejudice into discriminatory behaviour. The social change era of the 1960’s has experienced a rebirth of sorts and this is seen in a renewed connection between modular and holistic approaches (Sass et al 2008). Barriers to acceptance for other marginalised groups such as gays, lesbians and ethnic minorities have reduced and therefore when social progress occurs it enables other minority groups to further their cause. So too, we have witnessed philosophy and psychology transcend their typical boundaries. The holistic approach of counselling and the more dogmatic approach of psychiatry are not only both viable but also inherently related and public health experts should accept that both fields warrant respect. This issue is relevant and important because in our lifetime, we will encounter a person with a mental health problem. The way we deal with a situation like this says a lot about ourselves both individually and collectively as well as our status as a forward thinking, progressive nation. Also, the socio – cultural forces driving this issue require decisive action.

Australian indigenous minorities have significantly higher incidence and prevalence of mental illness compared to white Australians. This is a blight on Australian society and it affects the way people view our nation and therefore requires attention. We are all equally affected by it as other countries tend to view us a whole and not individually.

= **Analysis and Personal Reflection** = At the age of seventeen years and ten months I was diagnosed with schizophrenia by a psychiatrist. Coming to terms with being medicated and institutionalised at a young age was extremely difficult. I had just left school and had the world at my feet when I was struck down by mental illness. Previously, my strongest virtue was to excel academically. After my diagnosis, I was left with nothing. It was the same feeling of emptiness that I felt when I first read the poem which is my cultural artefact. Its familiarity was like looking in a mirror and loathing what I saw. I have been in remission without symptoms for eighteen months. This poem is a stark reminder of difficult times and how far I have progressed. It changes the way I view myself and other schizophrenics. I was fortunate enough to recover when so many others do not. Once diagnosed you are always a schizophrenic – you experience either relapse or remission and at times it seems like it is a life long illness. As I reflect on this poem, I recall the social isolation brought on by my illness and the deep introspection that it allowed. Unfortunately, no amount of insight helps alleviate the symptoms. This cultural artefact represents the stigma and marginalisation experienced by mentally ill people and their struggle to gain a sense of normality. = **References** = Australian Bureau Of Statistics (2011). National survey of mental health and wellbeing. //Prevalence Of Mental Disorders.// Retrieved from: [] Australian Government (2011). Mental health and wellbeing. //Policies.// Retrieved from [|http://www.health.gov.au] Feldman, D. & Crandell, C. (2007) Dimensions of mental illness stigma: what about mental Illness causes rejection? //Journal Of Social & Clinical Psychology 26//(2) p.137-154 Kalucy, K., Thomas, L. & Kind, D. (2005). Changing demand for mental health services in the emergency department of a public hospital. //Australian and New Zealand Journal Of// // Psychiatry 39 // (1) p74-80. Retrieved from: [|http://www.informahealthcare.com] Overton, S & Medina, S. (2008). The stigma of mental illness. //Journal Of Counselling and// // Development 86 // (2) p.143 150. Retrieved from http://www.aca.metapress.com Response (2011) Stigma and Discrimination. //Public Attitudes and Awareness.// Retrieved from [|http://www.responseability.org] P hilosophy, theory and the study of mental illness. //Theory Psychology 10//(87). doi: 10.1177/0959354300010001603

= **Learning Engagement and Reflection Task** = **Discussion point to Kamila Radomska:** I appreciate your acknowledgement of the disparity between Indigenous mental health and that of White Australia. How successful do you believe the Labor Rudd Government’s “Close The Gap “ policy was in reducing the observed differences? How successful have other Government initiatives been in raising awareness of mental illness and reducing stigma?

**Discussion Point to Student Number: 8297126** (no name available). Do you think perhaps that supply restrictions of alcohol to Indigenous communities will be an appropriate solution to alcohol – related violence? The prohibition era of the early 1900’s created a “black market” which suggests that people will get alcohol if they want it. Obviously, there is no easy solution to the problem – a fact which you alluded to in your essay.