Origins Of Mental Illness Research Articles

A Psychoanalytical Reading of Female Madness in Selected Victorian Literature

This dissertation, A Psychoanalytical Reading of Female Madness in Selected Victorian Literature, argues that the patriarchal Victorian society, gave meaning to female madness using medical and psychological discourses. It examines how literary madwomen of the mid to the late 19 th century operated to reflect the ideological stereotype of the feminine and the female imaginary of the early to the late Victorian Era. A solid comparative study of Jane Eyre , The Woman in White , and Lady Audley’s Secret expose several inclinations in thinking about female madness during the 19th century. Chapter 1 of the dissertation concentrate on Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre , it examines the cultural and social context of the Victorian era in connection to Jane’s identity, dependency, and autonomy. It also builds a cultural context for Jane's development. Chapter 2 explores the Victorian discussions about the etiology of madness through a corresponding study of Willkie Collins's The Woman in White . The chapter recognizes that the Victorian era is marked by inquiries into the origins of mental illness in women, characterized by both heredity and environmental exposures. Chapter 3 devotes its analysis to the investigation of the asylum narrative. The chapter brings to life the histories of some of the women buried alive in madhouses and forgotten. A thoughtful critique of these accounts shows that a majority of these women were imprisoned in asylums for bravely asserting their religious and domestic rights. Keywords: Romanticism, Jane Eyre, Madness, Victorian DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/90-01 Publication date: July 31 st 2022

Mind-Body dualism and medical student attitudes toward mental illness in Saudi Arabia.

Philosophical beliefs regarding the origin of mental illness may underlie resistance to psychiatric treatment and affect attitudes toward the mentally ill. The present study sought to: (1) identify characteristics of medical students who hold mind-brain dualism (MBD) beliefs and (2) determine relationships between MBD beliefs and perceptions of mental illnesses. This was a cross-sectional study that asked medical students questions about mind-brain beliefs and religiosity. Three fictitious vignettes (schizophrenia, antisocial personality disorder [APD], and depression) were presented and then students asked about how much participants felt the patients in these scenarios bore responsibility for their illness. A MBD score was calculated to measure MBD beliefs, and a total responsibility score (RS) was used to measure patient blameworthiness. Mediation analysis was used to examine whether MBD beliefs explained the relationship between religiosity and perceived patient responsibility for their illness, and whether this was moderated by gender. The questionnaire was completed by 106 Saudi medical students. The average RS was highest for the APD scenario and lowest for schizophrenia, whereas depression fell intermediate between those two (ANOVA F (1.82, 219.83) = 27.21, P < .001). Religiosity was positively correlated with RS, a relationship that was mediated by MBD in all three vignettes. Mind-brain dualism beliefs among medical students in Saudi Arabia were associated with greater perceptions of self-infliction, preventability, controllability, and blameworthiness for patients with mental illness, moderated by gender. Greater emphasis on the neurobiological aspects of psychiatric disorders might help to change this attitude.

René Spitz’s Empty Frames: ‘Hospitalism’, Screen Analysis and the Birth of Infant Psychiatry

This article casts light on the origins of infant psychiatry by taking a new, interdisciplinary approach to the work of psychoanalyst and film-maker René Spitz. Focusing on his observations of babies living in orphanages, it argues that by undertaking the difficult, and sometimes paradoxical, task of capturing emotional absence and psychological fragmentation on film, Spitz created a new and influential theory of the infant psyche. It considers how this vision of an indeterminate and potentially ‘empty’ infant subject was generated by the institutional care which he sought to undermine. The particular ways in which the institution emerges as a problem and opportunity for child analysts after World War II propelled Spitz into a surprising range of post-war debates on cultural politics. He is revealed as embedded in a complex, interdisciplinary web of discourse, practices and observational strategies, and at the centre of post-war visual research into the environmental origins of mental illness.

Information vs. inspiration: Evaluating the effectiveness of mental illness stigma-reduction messages

Numerous countries, communities, and organizations have conducted campaigns aimed at reducing the stigma of mental illness. Using an online experiment, we evaluate the relative effectiveness of three types of campaign messages (information about the biological origins of an illness, information about the psycho-social origins of an illness, and inspirational information about the competence of those with an illness) for reducing the perceived stigma (how I think others feel) and personal stigma (how I personally feel) tied to two illnesses (depression and schizophrenia). Drawing on expectation states theories (EST), affect control theories (ACT), and past research, we expected all three messages to reduce both types of stigma, with their relative effectiveness following this order: competence > psycho-social > biology. We find that the messages are more effective at reducing personal stigma than perceived stigma and that the competence message reduces both types of stigma more effectively than the other messages. More specifically, we find that (1) none of the messages reduce the perceived stigma of depression, (2) only the competence message consistently reduces the perceived stigma of schizophrenia, (3) only the competence message reduces personal stigma toward individuals with depression, and (4) all three messages reduce personal stigma toward individuals with schizophrenia and do so equally well. The findings provide support for propositions in EST and ACT and suggest that stigma-reduction campaigns that focus on the competence and capabilities of individuals with a mental illness will be more effective than those that focus on information about the origins of mental illness.

Influence of Sociocultural Factors in the Development of Mental Illness and its Treatment: About a Clinical Case in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

The origin of mental illness can be multifactorial, influencing the therapeutic route and treatment delays. We report in this paper the case of Miss B.D., young woman that, under the influence of multiple stress factors, and various conceptions of the disease, developed a table of severe depression with psychotic symptoms, the waning of hypertensive nephropathy. Despite the evidence brought by modern medicine in the treatment of such disorders (organic and psychiatric), distrust of administered therapeutics was observed with the addition of traditional and magical-religious treatment. This case illustrates the need to develop liaison psychiatry, to conduct information and awareness campaigns on mental illness and its treatment with the population of Burkina Faso.

The relationship between shame and perceived biological origins of mental illness among South Asian and white American young adults

Mental illness (MI) affects one in four people in their lifetime and a failure to seek help for MI can have grave consequences. To decrease stigma and increase help seeking, prior campaigns have promoted the biological origins of MI. Even though some research supports the efficacy of this approach, other research does not. We propose cultural differences as a partial explanation for these inconsistent results. The current study assessed ethnic differences in the relationship between perceived causes of MI, shame associated with MI and perceived family support for help seeking. White and South Asian American (SAA) undergraduate students completed an online survey (n = 177). Results indicated that SAAs were significantly more likely than whites to perceive character deficits as the cause of MI. Further, among those who had sought help for MI, ethnic differences emerged in perceptions of MI based on perceived cause. SAAs who believed that MI had biological origins perceived more shame and less family support for seeking help compared to SAAs who believed MI was due to character deficits. The converse was true for whites – those who believed that MI had biological origins perceived less shame and more family support for help seeking compared to whites who believed MI was due to character deficits. The results of the current study illuminate the role that culture plays in perceptions of MI. Further, these results have implications for interventions targeting South Asian populations and for mental health outreach in general.

The neurobiology of emotion-cognition interactions: fundamental questions and strategies for future research.

Recent years have witnessed the emergence of powerful new tools for assaying the brain and a remarkable acceleration of research focused on the interplay of emotion and cognition. This work has begun to yield new insights into fundamental questions about the nature of the mind and important clues about the origins of mental illness. In particular, this research demonstrates that stress, anxiety, and other kinds of emotion can profoundly influence key elements of cognition, including selective attention, working memory, and cognitive control. Often, this influence persists beyond the duration of transient emotional challenges, partially reflecting the slower molecular dynamics of catecholamine and hormonal neurochemistry. In turn, circuits involved in attention, executive control, and working memory contribute to the regulation of emotion. The distinction between the ‘emotional’ and the ‘cognitive’ brain is fuzzy and context-dependent. Indeed, there is compelling evidence that brain territories and psychological processes commonly associated with cognition, such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and working memory, play a central role in emotion. Furthermore, putatively emotional and cognitive regions influence one another via a complex web of connections in ways that jointly contribute to adaptive and maladaptive behavior. This work demonstrates that emotion and cognition are deeply interwoven in the fabric of the brain, suggesting that widely held beliefs about the key constituents of ‘the emotional brain’ and ‘the cognitive brain’ are fundamentally flawed. We conclude by outlining several strategies for enhancing future research. Developing a deeper understanding of the emotional-cognitive brain is important, not just for understanding the mind but also for elucidating the root causes of its disorders.

Understanding Content and Process: Guidelines for Group Leaders

To discuss basic concepts of group therapy as a treatment modality. The psychiatric nurse group leader uses concepts of content and process at his/her disposal as powerful tools of change, adaptation, and recovery. Group therapy is a common modality in treating mental disorders that is both evidence based and cost-effective. Group therapy is practiced in inpatient, outpatient, partial hospitalization, and residential treatment facilities. Because of their understanding of the bio-psycho-social origin of mental illness, psychiatric nurses are uniquely prepared to assist in many roles as facilitators of change.

Beliefs About the Biological (vs. Nonbiological) Origins of Mental Illness and the Stigmatization of People with Mental Illness

The present study focuses on the relationship between an individual's attributions of cause regarding mental illness (i.e., the degree by which psychopathology is perceived as biologically or nonbiologically caused) and resulting stigmatization (particularly social distancing, a form of social rejection). To date, much of the research concerning attributional beliefs and stigma use general terms such as “mental patient” and “psychiatric client,” thereby overlooking the variance apparent between individuals of varying pathology. When specific pathologies have been mentioned, nearly all the research has focused on the diagnoses of schizophrenia, depression, and alcoholism. In this study, one hundred eighteen Midwestern university students were surveyed regarding their attributional beliefs toward mental illness. Regression analysis found that attributional beliefs, both biological and nonbiological, failed to predict social distance. A repeated-measures ANOVA revealed significant variance between conditions...

Dream Team Plans a Blitz on Schizophrenia

Three top neuroscientists are betting big money and their scientific careers on a new approach to studying schizophrenia and other psychiatric diseases. With help from philanthropists, they are launching an institute that will look for treatments by probing early brain development for the origins of mental illness.

Schizotypy: Implications for Illness and Health

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Book Forum: The Schizophrenia SpectrumFull AccessSchizotypy: Implications for Illness and HealthLARRY J. SIEVER, M.D., LARRY J. SIEVERSearch for more papers by this author, M.D., New York, N.Y.Published Online:1 Apr 2002https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.159.4.683-aAboutSectionsView articleView PDFView EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail View articleGordon Claridge and colleagues use this book as a platform from which to explore the boundaries of psychosis, which they argue are situated on a continuum with normal behavior and experience. This volume includes a compendium of chapters ranging from rather specialized discussions of such concepts as latent inhibition and cerebral lateralization to more freewheeling discussions of spiritual experiences and creativity in relation to schizotypy. Schizotypy is a book to be sampled and explored by those interested in this concept and the provocative questions the authors raise. Some clinicians may find some of it too abstruse or too peripheral to their clinical concerns, but those who are intrigued by the central theme will likely find it of value.The central dilemma, addressed by Claridge at the outset, is that “schizotypy” is a rather specific term that is unambiguously associated with schizophrenia in its current usage. The terms used by Claridge and the chapter authors, however, appear to be more related to psychoticism. The choice of schizotypy fits well with some of the research literature that is presented, but the multidimensional approach espoused by the authors suggests that schizotypy consists of a number of dimensions, including psychoticism, negative schizotypy (marked by social withdrawal), and cognitive disorganization. Psychotic-like phenomena are the least specific aspect of schizotypy because they can extend from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder to other psychotic disorders, dyslexia, drug-induced states, and different forms of delirium. Yet, it is the rather quieter and sometimes more subtle social deficit symptoms that seem particularly specifically related to schizophrenia. At a time of intense interest in investigating the prodrome and endophenotypes related to schizophrenia, it is helpful to be reminded of this distinction. For example, Richardson reminds us in her chapter on dyslexia in schizotypy that psychotic-like symptoms can be common in dyslexia with no predictive power for a diagnosis of schizophrenia.It may be that the dichotomies among organic, psychological, and psychobiological paradigms raised by Claridge are remnants of an era when our understanding of the implications of differences in brain function was much more primitive. There is no doubt that there is a very real component to both the altered biology and the psychology of the schizophrenia spectrum. In distinguishing schizophrenia from Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases, however, Claridge states, “There is no evidence that schizophrenia leads to any cognitive impairment (in the dementing sense) or indeed to any impairment that cannot be explained as a secondary consequence of other factors,” which belies data suggesting that at least a substantial proportion of subjects with schizophrenia may have cognitive impairment very similar to dementia, especially in their elderly years. Indeed, milder forms of cognitive impairment are now recognized as an essential construct in understanding schizophrenia.I, for one, would have been more comfortable with the contents of this book if it were more oriented to psychosis-related traits, because these seem to be the backbone of the book. The academic discussions are somewhat uneven, and some material is dated, but, in general, the volume would be of interest to psychologists, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals who are interested in the boundary between normalcy and psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. Claridge’s concluding remarks are thought provoking, and possibly the main disappointing aspect of this volume is the limited scope of the contributions of Claridge himself, whose Origins of Mental Illness(1) represented one of the most scholarly and penetrating analyses of the relationship between normalcy and mental illness in language that nonresearchers and even the educated lay public could understand. I hope, however, that the book will be read as a challenge to strictly deterministic models of illness as the authors call attention to the continuities between the altered states and traits we associate with normalcy and psychotic phenomena.Edited by Gordon Claridge. New York, Oxford University Press, 1997, 360 pp., $115.00.Reference1. Claridge G: Origins of Mental Illness. Oxford, UK, Blackwood Press, 1985Google Scholar FiguresReferencesCited byDetailsCited ByNone Volume 159Issue 4 April 2002Pages 683-a-684 Metrics History Published online 1 April 2002 Published in print 1 April 2002

Unitas: The clinic of the street—community mental health in practice

Whatever happened to community mental health? It died. Well, almost. The community mental health movement of the 1960s and 1970s represented a radical departure from the conservatism of the traditional medical model which stressed the biological and intrapsychic origins of mental illness. Community mental health ideology emphasized social, cultural, and environmental factors responsible for mental illness and its prevention. Community mental health downplayed the “cult” of the professional and played up the healing power inherent in the social fields and support structures a person is already embedded in. Emphasis was placed on professionals working collaboratively with and through community caretakers in promoting social adjustment for all in a particular social environment. This article describes how community mental health ideology has been operationalized for over 33 years, serving functioning and dysfunctioning youth through developing their capacities to be caretakers to each other and to younger community children in the form of a symbolic family. The impact of such relationships and the place of the “therapeutic community meeting” or “family circle” as vehicles of therapeutic leverage, are profusely illustrated. Yes, community mental health still lives, even in these times of managed care.

Origins of Mental Illness: Temperament, Deviance and Disorder

Origins of Mental Illness: Temperament, Deviance and Disorder

The Origins of Mental Illness (Book).

The Origins of Mental Illness (Book).

Origins of Mental Illness: Temperament, Deviance and Disorder

Gordon Claridge is a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, and a university lecturer in abnormal psychology. He brings a clinical background to neurophysiological research and attempts to bridge the gap between these two aspects of psychopathology—the clinical and the experimental. The central theme he develops is that "psychiatric disorders—even their most severe forms—are abnormal manifestations of temperamental and personality characteristics which we all possess to a greater or lesser degree and which have interesting and testable correlates in the conceptual nervous system." The biologic basis of mental illness is contained in his theory. Genetic as well as environmental influences do contribute to differences in human individuality, but he sees the task of abnormal psychology as finding ways of integrating factual evidence about biologic differences between people. With due regard to human individuality of expression and irreducible biologic processes in the conceptual nervous system, he proposes that normal development, psychological deviance,

Review of Origins of Mental Illness: Temperament, Deviance and Disorder.

Review of Origins of Mental Illness: Temperament, Deviance and Disorder.