Introduction
It is only natural that people get distressed at one point or another. However, the nature of the distress and its experience differs and largely depends on a number of factors such as social and economic status, gender, sexuality, disability among others. The psychological discourses and practices change from place to place and from time to time hence shifting either positively or negatively.
Mental illness was identified not so long ago as a mental disorder affecting the social behavior of an individual. Historically, bipolar disorder was seen as a somatic difficulty alongside other disorders such as borderline and schizophrenia. Through the process of creating psychiatry as a discipline, psychiatric discourses were introduced as mental health aimed at controlling social distresses.
The difficulties associated with identification of such mental illnesses are however increasing especially now that the economy, social and cultural lives are changing. Additionally, personality may also come in the way of identification of mental illness especially where the social priorities of an individual are important in maintaining a societal obligation or expectations (Voronlka 2010).
On the other hand, the struggle to maintain one’s obligations to the society may as well be the leading cause to significant moral behaviors. A shift from a certain social obligation or structure may therefore lead to the speculation of social distress. It is this emphasis on maintaining social obligations that brought much focus on Britney’s change of behavior.
In this case, Britney, who is an international pop star, was easily theorized with bipolar disorder in regard to the expectations of the society where she is expected to maintain her personality as well as her physical appearance. This article looks at the conceptive idea of mental illness and particularly, to understand bipolar disorder.
Psychiatric expertise
The interpretation of behavior through psychological science has been changing ranging from badness to immorality and now to mental instability. All these changing concepts have emerged as the perception of citizenship is also constantly changing. The concept of social preference as well as that of citizenship paves way for the consideration of distress especially where the individual involved is has certain obligations to the society.
In this context, mental illness can be illustrated differently according to psychiatric professionals. In this context, mental illness does not necessarily mean that the person in question is actually suffering from a mind related disease. In this perspective, mental illness is defined by the way that someone thinks.
The different ways that psychiatric discourses are exercised may determine the fate of the mentally unstable people. For instance, some mental related systems, either medical or social may hinder result to the exclusion of such individuals from the society.
This occurs mostly when the mental ill people are identified by their negative identities which leaves them stigmatized and depressed (Voronlka 2010). However, this can be prevented by avoiding this identification where the affected individuals are made to make the best of their conditions so as to find power in themselves.
This is the reason why the case of Britney is a very good strategy to use especially in educating the young either at school or by just reading the magazine articles. However, it all depends on how each on them takes the whole thing. While some will/have been more concerned on how madness and women have been related in the society, others will just ignore it.
Psychiatric discourses may be oppressive to women and other vulnerable members of the society such as heterosexists, albinos and other such groups of people. Such people may be implicated in social conditions and associated with distress despite the fact that their conceptualization may not be subject to scientific study.
Much research has been done on the demeaning of women as psychotherapists. Women have, over the years, been viewed as inferiors of men in all aspects of life. Due to this factor, many women have been associated with distress related to their sex.
As such, many women have been considered mentally ill or unstable due to the fact that they have grievances against their social status in regard to that of men. Treatments for such women are more likely to be related to internal causes such as mental instability rather than being viewed as a result of grievances for social order in the society. Women are getting oppressed through psychological disciplines.
Women and children have been violated sexually at the expense of psy-disciplines which have placed the blame on the women for their oppression and abuse (Voronlka 2010). As such women and female children as well as other vulnerable members of the society are being victimized as the psychiatric disciplines give biomedical explanations against them.
This has been the major factor that has led to women resisting male psychiatrists. While certain reactions by women are considered to be psychological, similar reactions by men are considered as normal emotional reactions.
This could explain the reason why many psychologically ill people seeking psychological help are not recovering as fast as those who are not seeking psychological assistance. Due to this social order by men, women are now turning down male psychiatrists and rather choosing to seek help from, not so professional, but experienced females who may have the knowledge on such experiences.
However, psychological experts have acknowledged the impact of inequality in social and structural aspects of people’s lives on mental capabilities. Thus medications have been used on such people to help them cope with those different situations much better, according to the psychological practitioners. However, evaluation is the very most important initial step towards recovery so that the appropriate type of medication and therapy can be identified.
Self responsibility and compliance is equally important during recovery of mental illnesses. Researchers have associated the loss of mental illness stigma to the publicity of more and more significant personalities who have had mental problems. Many teenager behaviors that were viewed as normal as referred to as a stage that they had to go through, are now being treated as mental problems and psychological advice is being sought.
Conclusion
Mental illnesses have existed amongst many society members over the years. However, many people have been negligent about the matter partly because they are not aware of the existence of such conditions and on the other part because they are not aware of psychiatric help (Voronlka 2010).
Despite the fact that some people have been oppressed by psychological disciplines in relation to their social status and other structural factors, they have been used as tools to enlighten the marginalized members of the society about the reality of mental disorders and the existence of treatment methods for such illnesses.
Through such people as politicians and public personalities, the media with the help of psychiatrists, has been able to bring this very important discipline into lime light. As a result, many people especially the youth are now turning to psychiatric practitioners for help and this means more and more affected people are recovering.
Works Cited
Voronlka, Jijian. “Making bipolar Britney: proliferating psychiatric diagnosis through tabloid media”. 2010 – July 19. Web.