Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche begins by discussing the westernization of illness in other countries. The book, which was written by Ethan Watters, gives four examples of the Americanization of illness, discussing anorexia in Hong Kong, PTSD in Sri Lanka, schizophrenia in Zanzibar, and depression in Japan. The first chapter, “The Rise of Anorexia in Hong Kong”, begins with Dr. Lee. Dr. Lee has spent years studying anorexia, and has found the course of the disease has changed throughout history, especially after the introduction of the DSM. In early research, Dr. Lee found that many clients who reported an anorexia- type disease showed physical symptoms, such as stomachaches and feelings of a blocked esophagus. As …show more content…
The Japanese had a very stigmatized view on depression, and people would usually only get help if their case was severe. This shifted after countries began selling anti-depressants in Japan, however. In the United States, many people are dealing with depression, and many seek treatment for the disorder, regardless of the severity. When the U.S. ran advertisements to destigmatize the illness in Japan, they fractured the cultural beliefs that Japan previously held.
Another important theme shown throughout Crazy Like Us is the effect of family on mental illness. As a general trend throughout the book, the more supportive the client’s family was, the less negative emotions the client felt toward their own condition. In some cases, there is also evidence to suggest that family dysfunction can be a trigger for symptoms.
In “The Rise of Anorexia in Hong Kong”, Dr. Lee found that many of his original patients, who exhibited physical symptoms, began experiencing the condition after an extreme event within the family. One patient, for example, began feeling ill after her partner had left her to emigrate to England.
After the tsunami in Sri Lanka, many survivors reached to their family for support, and many preferred to be with their families in their destroyed neighborhoods than to be in refugee camps. For the Sri Lankans, family support was a vital part in the healing
There are days where they go without eating and are thrown multiple complications as they struggle to become stable. Although this does not necessarily happen due to the fact that the family is always moving from place to place, sometimes leaving everything behind. This memoir should be the recommended book for summer reading due to that fact that it gives an exclusive view of the flawed life of the author providing the reader with an idea of how living in a dysfunctional family does not have to hold you back from success, it also acts as a huge reminder to the audience that the life they are living should not be taken for granted and should be embraced to the greatest extent.
Prior to this class I did not know the severity of just how deadly eating disorders were. Growing up you heard about eating disorders and there may have been a few girls in high school that you knew were suffering from an eating disorder but that was the extent of what you knew. The fact that 8 million people are affected by an eating disorder is a staggering number that should alarm parents and peers alone. But although it affects this many people and has the highest mortality rate among psychiatric disorders it is rarely talked about until it hits close to home.
Chapter 11: Crazy Horse goes on a raiding spree into Crow territory for several weeks along with his brother, Little Hawk, and Red Cloud, High Back Bone, and other Lakota. They dominate every camp they come across and become a real force of the land. Crazy Horse saves many of his fellow warriors over the trip and gains more respect from others. Upon returning home, he receives news that Black Buffalo Woman decided her husband would be a boy named No Water. He becomes heartbroken by her decision and stays in his parents’ lodge for several days.
Mental illnesses have a high prevalence amongst the United States population. Each year, tens of millions of individuals suffer and are affected by mental illnesses (National Institute of Mental Health, 1). These illnesses range from anxiety disorder, eating disorders, major depression, personality disorder, and many more. Yet, with the existing knowledge, mental providers and professionals, and the DSM-5, mental illness remains a growing mystery to the public. Literature has played a significant role in how mental illnesses are defined, their characteristics, and the portrayal of those who are mentally ill to the public eye.
Throughout recent years, mental illness has become a belittled and “taboo” topic in a multitude of different societies. As a result, a majority of the world’s population isn’t exactly clear as to how one should approach those suffering from mental instability. Unlike physical illness, where an entire system of doctors and hospitals and medical research developed in order to cater to those who were physically ill, mental illnesses do not get nearly as much attention. Some would argue that a physical illness proves to be significantly more detrimental to one’s day to day life. However, observation of mentally ill individuals proves that mental illness can be as equally debilitating (you probably know someone in your life who has died from the
This paper will attempt to display the cultural differences in the expression and description of depression symptoms within the Asian American and European American cultures. It is theorized that there are distinct differences between these two cultures as their worldviews are decidedly different. In the Asian American culture the world is seen through a collectivist lens, meaning that they take into consideration the views and opinions of not only their family but their community as well. Mental illness in this particular worldview is not seen as something that is shameful to the individual but their family and community. Hence, the implications for having a mental illness in this culture are greater than they would
In the book Girl, Interrupted, by Susanna Kaysen, one of the biggest focal points is mental illness. Mental illness can be tough to talk about, simply because the phrase “mental illness” encompasses such a wide range of conditions and conjures up images of deranged people, but it is very important, especially in this book. There is a certain stigma that people who are put into mental hospitals because they have medical problems or are insane and a possible danger to society. While this is sometimes true, it is far more common for patients to need help for a disorder, but just don’t know where to go or what to do, and can end up putting themselves or someone else in danger.
The movie “One flew over the cuckoo’s nest” gives an inside look into the life of a patient living in a mental institution; helping to give a new definition of mental illnesses. From a medical standpoint, determinants of mental illness are considered to be internal; physically and in the mind, while they are seen as external; in the environment or the person’s social situation, from a sociological perspective (Stockton, 2014). Additionally, the movie also explores the idea of power relations that exist between an authorized person (Nurse Ratched) and a patient and further looks into the punishment a deviant actor receives (ie. McMurphy contesting Nurse Ratched). One of the sociological themes that I have observed is conformity.
Atul Gawande uses his experiences as a surgical resident to write his article “The Man Who Couldn’t Stop Eating” in the July 9th, 2001 issue of the New Yorker. In this article, he discusses the power of appetite, using a balance between emotional experiences—specifically those of Vincent Caselli—and medical studies, to ultimately educate the public about the costs and benefits of gastric bypass surgery. Before delving into the complexities of the gastric bypass operation, Gawande introduces the story of Vincent Caselli, a man who underwent the procedure after a lifetime of struggling with obesity and his appetite. Gawande informs the readers of Caselli’s development into adulthood specifically showing the effect obesity had on Caselli’s socialization.
In the article “The Globalization of Eating Disorders”, Susan Bordo analyzes misconceptions about stereotypes associated with eating disorders. Bordo explains that eating disorders are no longer associated with one particular race, gender, or nationality. He notes that “we are dealing here with a cultural problem. If eating disorders were biochemical, as some claim, how can we account for their gradual ‘spread’ across race, gender, and nationality?” (Bordo 642).
In “The Globalization of Eating Disorders”, written by Susan Bordo in 2003, the author declares that eating and body disorders have increased rapidly throughout the entire globe. Susan Bordo, attended Carleton University as well as the State University of New York, is a modern feminist philosopher who is very well known for her contributions to the field of cultural studies, especially in ‘body studies’ which grants her the credibility to discuss this rising global issue (www.wikipedia.org, 2015). She was correspondingly a professor of English and Women Studies at the University of Kentucky which gives her the authority to write this article. “The Globalization of Eating Disorders” is written as a preface to her Pulitzer Price-nominated book “Unbearable Weight: Feminism, Western Culture, and the Body” which was similarly written in 2003. Through the use of many logical arguments and evidence, Bordo successfully manages to convince her audience that the media, body images and culture have severely influenced the ‘so-called’ trending standard of beauty and how it leads to eating disorders across the world.
Argumentative Essay Eating disorders are becoming a rising problem in many individuals regardless of their age or gender. Eating disorders are problems that revolve around abnormal eating behaviors and distorted beliefs about eating, weight or shape. They can be classified as psychiatric problems, which are considered a general medical condition. Eating disorders happen when individuals are obsessed about controlling their weight by controlling what they eat.
Effects of the Binge Eating Disorder toward a person’s emotional state The Binge Eating Disorder is one of the main issues of our society nowadays. This disorder is suffered by a variety of people. It is not exclusive to people of a specific age or sex, but it attacks anyone who might be undergoing depression, has unhealthy and unsupervised dieting plans, and coping skill problems.