Mental health bias occurs when individual actions and beliefs attract the utmost attention from people and society. However, it is essential to realize that the preference can also arise when general assumptions are turned into normative beliefs shared by networks of practitioners or health organizations (Lai et al., 2019). On my side, I hold to the bias that mental health conditions can only receive medication for it to be restored to normal. In this case, I am wildly convinced that some individuals’ brains are less likely to operate generally as others. For this reason, individuals such category need to be put under medication for the regular operation of their brains. Other interventions, such as counseling and taking work recess, are unlikely to bring desirable change.
Mental illness refers to the situations that tend to influence one’s mood, thinking, and general behavior. These effects are likely to be experienced occasionally, while they appear to be chronic in other cases. Mental disorders can affect one’s daily functioning and interaction levels with others (Lai et al., 2019). Several factors are related to its occurrence since there is no specific cause of the condition. These include one’s family history and genes, brain injury, use of recreational drugs, among other reasons. To determine the existence of a mental disorder, various diagnostic steps are followed:
- Evaluation of medical history
- Physical examination
- Psychological evaluation
Racism is not a mental illness but a systematic and societal process that can actively be unlearned. In this regard, the inscribed culture of the society dictates what is to be considered as mentally ill or not. Therefore, mental illness is seen as any situation that hampers an individual’s ability to operate in society. For instance, if a person walks naked, it is universally interpreted as experiencing mental illness.
Reference
Lai, M. C., Kassee, C., Besney, R., Bonato, S., Hull, L., Mandy, W., & Ameis, S. H. (2019). Prevalence of co-occurring mental health diagnoses in the autism population: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry, 6(10), 819-829.