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Crazy Like Us Chapter Summary

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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

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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.

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