Story of America Cards

The Mentally Ill (Part 2)

Ok we are here with part 2 of The Mentally Ill from story of America cards The Daily life section, be sure to see Part 1 where i went over Mental Health from 1600 to 1860, as now we will move on to how Mental Health was treated from 1865 to Now, so let's get on with it.

(The Road to Mental Health)

Among the many negative results of the bloody Civil War were the thousands of cases of nervous disorders suffered by soldiers on both sides, Fortunately the military physicians soon learned to distinguish between the chronically ill, who were first hospitalized and later placed in experimental cottages and farm colonies for rehabilitation and the acute insane who were placed in asylums with little hope of recovery.

By the 1890s such progressive treatment programs as these had been dropped; however, because of the increasing numbers of patients, Accommodations grew scarce and superintendents were even more burdened by administrative details.

Although many health-care professionals were concerned about this situation, the transition to the modern concept of mental health was affected in large part by a patient, Clifford W. Beers, Beers a college student in the early 1900s, who became increasingly depressed when his brother was diagnosed as epileptic.

Fearing epilepsy himself, he attempted *Off Himself*, he spent the next three years in mental hospitals, where he encountered beatings, padded cells and the kind of brutalities that flourished simply because insane persons were considered family disgraces not to be spoken of in the outside world.

Beers emerged from his cruel experience with a lifelong curse, which he outlined in a popular book called A Mind That Found Itself (1908).

Psychologist William James, worte an introduction that supported Beers' plea for nationwide child counseling programs.

Present-day mental health principals are supported through religions and educational counseling, and through law-enforcement programs designed to reach juvenile delinquents whose problems stem from mental illness.

New dimensions of the problem were uncovered during World War II, when 39% of all army recruits were rejected for some form of Mental Illness. Today, one in three hospital beds is occupied by a patient with mental illness, and the federal government now supports major programs for training and research, (Then again I'm reading a card that was printed in 1980 so this may have changed).

During the 1970s a New York television program exposed filth, neglect, and hopelessness of inmates in one local institution (That being I think what this part is talking about called Letchworth Village, i looked up a 1972 Documentary where it was lead by Geraldo Rivera and ABC News, and i know Ghost Adventures visited the location, I just wanted to add on that I don't know if it's the location i mentioned because the card does not say it but it differently matches up with what it said about the 1970s New York television program that exposed one local institution).

As a result, new legislation attempted once more to assure proper community mental health facilities in the form of private homes, brought or leased by the state in each town, There a small number of mental patients live with a professional staff in an environment that closely resembles a normal home.

(Methods for Mental Health)

There are a lot of Methods so I'll share them here to make this longer a bit, Pharmacotherapy is a therapy that uses pharmaceutical drugs. Pharmacotherapy is used in the treatment of mental illness through the use of antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and the use of elements such as lithium. It can only be prescribed by a medical professional trained in the field of Psychiatry.

Physical activity is For some people, physical exercise can improve mental as well as physical health. Playing sports, walking, cycling, or doing any form of physical activity trigger the production of various hormones, sometimes including endorphins, which can elevate a person's mood.

Studies have shown that in some cases, physical activity can have the same impact as antidepressants when treating depression and anxiety. Moreover, cessation of physical exercise may have adverse effects on some mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety. This could lead to many different negative outcomes such as obesity, skewed body image, lower levels of certain hormones, and many more health risks associated with mental illnesses.

Activity therapies are called recreation therapy and occupational therapy, promoting healing through active engagement. An example of occupational therapy would be promoting an activity that improves daily life, such as self-care or improving hobbies. Similarly, recreational therapy focuses on movement, such as walking, yoga, or riding a bike.

Expressive therapies or creative arts therapies are a form of psychotherapy that involves the arts or art-making. These therapies include art therapy, music therapy, drama therapy, dance therapy, and poetry therapy. It has been proven that music therapy is an effective way of helping people with a mental health disorder. Drama therapy is approved by NICE for the treatment of psychosis.

Psychotherapy is the general term for the scientific based treatment of mental health issues based on modern medicine. It includes a number of schools, such as gestalt therapy, psychoanalysis, cognitive behavioral therapy, psychedelic therapy, transpersonal psychology/psychotherapy, and dialectical behavioral therapy. Group therapy involves any type of therapy that takes place in a setting involving multiple people. It can include psychodynamic groups, expressive therapy groups, support groups (including the Twelve-step program), problem-solving and psychoeducation groups.

Self-compassion is According to Neff, self-compassion consists of three main positive components and their negative counterparts: Self-Kindness versus Self-Judgment, Common Humanity versus Isolation and Mindfulness versus Over-Identification. Furthermore, there is evidence from a study by Shin & Lin suggesting specific components of self-compassion can predict specific dimensions of positive mental health (emotional, social, and psychological well-being).

Social-emotional learning is The Collaborative for academic, social, emotional learning (CASEL) addresses five broad and interrelated areas of competence and highlights examples for each: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

Meditation is a practice of mindfulness meditation that has several potential mental health benefits, such as bringing about reductions in depression, anxiety and stress. Mindfulness meditation may also be effective in treating substance use disorders.

Mental fitness is a mental health movement that encourages people to intentionally regulate and maintain their emotional wellbeing through friendship, regular human contact, and activities that include meditation, calming exercises, aerobic exercise, mindfulness, having a routine and maintaining adequate sleep. Mental fitness is intended to build resilience against every-day mental health challenges to prevent an escalation of anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation, and help them cope with the escalation of those feelings if they occur.

Spiritual counselors, meet with people in need to offer comfort and support and to help them gain a better understanding of their issues and develop a problem-solving relation with spirituality. These types of counselors deliver care based on spiritual, psychological and theological principles.

(Ending)

And that's it for Mental Health, I hope this is informative and that you like the 2 Parts. Yeah when going though I'm glad that i didn't live during these eras, I do have Mental Illnesses myself one of them i know being anxiety but that's all I'm gonna say on that.

To tell you what I'll be working on next for this series I'll talk about Vigilantes and Folk Medicine so anyway see you next time.