ipl-logo

Nellie Bly Insane Research Paper

1497 Words6 Pages

Back in the middle 1880’s a reporter named Nellie Bly was asked to go undercover for the World to find out how the patients at Insane Asylum at Blackwell's island were being treated. How would she do this? Nellie Bly went on a journey of convincing other she was “insane” to have herself committed so she could see first hand what it was like to be a patient of the Insane Asylum. To prepare to be committed she practiced how she believed an “insane” person would act, wide eyed and confused. She slowly worked her way from a temporary home for women where she convinced them she was “crazy” to a courtroom where she was thought to be insane and taken to the Bellevue Hospital where she was pronounced “insane”, and finally to the Insane Asylum at Blackwell’s …show more content…

According to Pirkis, Warwick Blood, Francis, and McCallum (2006) non-fictional media has a role in the negative way people see people with mental illness(p.523). With are large number of TV shows and movies portraying people with mental illness it is no surprise that the portyals take on set stereotypes. The most common is someone who is aggressive and dangerous to themselves and to others. Du Pré (2017) points out that while the media portrays individuals with mental illness as violent on 11% of mental health patients are actually violent which is almost the same as the amount of violent individuals in the overall population (p.279). Pirkis, Warwick Blood, Francis, and McCallum (2006) also pose the stereotype of “the female patient as seductress” and give the example of the film Dressed to Kill (1980), where the female patient that is mentally ill tries to seduce her psychiatrist (p.529). This is also seen in “Ten Days in a Mad-House” where Nellie Bly speaks of a patient named Sarah Fishbaum whose husband had sent her to Blackwell’s island because she had been after other men. The nurses would offer her men and tell her that the doctors wanted to be with her and that she should try to seduce them. This negative portrayal of people with mental illnesses leads to a negative connotation being associated with those with mental health issues leading to stigma. According to Du Pré (2017) stigma is defined as social rejection where the person in disrespected or ignored completely (p.162). Du Pré (2017) also mentions that people suffering from mental illness are judged harshly and tend to suffer reduced self-esteem due to taking the judgement very seriously (p.163). This stigma can lead to people with mental illness not seeking treatment or stopping treatment due to

Show More
Related
1236 Words | 5 Pages

Mental health stigma is alive and well in today’s world, which may surprise some people due to the progressiveness of the new generation. Shockingly, nearly 1 in 5 US adults have some sort of mental illness (“The State” 15). One would assume that the prevalence of such an issue would lead to a forgiving society, yet media outlets everywhere continue to associate negative actions with those struggling with mental illness. John Goodwin and Izzat Tajjudin investigate this concept in greater detail in their work, “‘What Do You Think I Am? Crazy?’

Read More
1547 Words | 7 Pages

Article Analysis Assignment Article: “Resisting the Stigma of Mental Illness” by Peggy A. Thoits Analyzed by Lynsey Chapman November 22, 2014 In the article titled “Resisting the Stigma of Mental Illness,” Peggy A. Thoits explored the ways in which individuals who have a mental illness resist the stigmas and stereotypes that come with the classification of being mentally ill, and how they relate to self-esteem. The article referenced different studies where individuals had been interviewed about subjects varying from patients’ evaluation of their life (self-esteem) to the overwhelming stigmatization of those who have mental illnesses and how they deal with it. Thoits uses these studies to apply her two forms of resistance of stigma

Read More
1012 Words | 5 Pages

A range of aspects of life, such as education and employment, physical health, and interpersonal connections are affected by mental illness throughout the diagnosis, treatment and recovery stages, and often continue to affect beyond an individual’s recovery from mental illness. Although many effective mental health interventions are available, people often do not seek out the care they need. Stigma as defined by the Western Australian state government is “a mark of disgrace that sets a person apart” while self-stigma, as defined by the mental health organisation SANE Australia is “when we accept other people’s negative, inaccurate views of ourselves”. In the medical setting, negative stereotypes can mean that providers are more likely to focus

Read More
574 Words | 3 Pages

In Margarita Tartakovosky’s “Media’s Damaging Depictions of Mental Illness”, she unveils the mysteries behind media attention toward mental illnesses and how this affects prejudice or stereotypes. In an analysis of this article, Tartakovosky adequately describes many myths that the media tend to persuade people into considering. One of the more intriguing myths is based on how some people believe that physicians have a devilish way of treating their patients. Many of these accusations are based on many fictional characters in movies such as Dr.Evil. I find it hard to believe that adults actually believe that actions done by a fictional character in a horror movie can transition to real life.

Read More
634 Words | 3 Pages

The myth that such individuals tend to be violent contributes to society’s fear and exclusion of individuals with psychological disorders such as schizophrenia. One result of this fear is a negative attitude, or prejudice, towards such individuals. This prejudice can lead to discrimination in the workforce and other social settings as well as negatively affect the development of relationships for such individuals. Also, the myth that a mentally ill person is unable to hold higher up positions in the workforce and/or be successful in sustaining oneself, can lead to the view that people diagnosed with schizophrenia, for example, should not be trusted with solitary tasks or larger responsibilities. This false viewpoint can inhibit personal growth and confidence in individuals with a psychological disorder.

Read More
655 Words | 3 Pages

Nellie Bly was the penname of Elizabeth Cochran Seaman (1864-1922), a trailblazer in the field of investigative journalism, not just for the fact she was a woman but due to the nature of her work. Bly was known for breaking down gender barriers and taking on daring assignments. Her most famous work was “Ten Days in a Mad-House," published in 1887, her full account of how she went undercover to reveal the harrowing conditions and abuse facing the patients of the Women's Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's Island in New York City. Her work inspired significant reforms in the treatment of mentally ill patients and helped to advance the women’s rights movements in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While Nellie Bly’s groundbreaking work “Ten Days in a Mad-House" was considered atypical for the 19th century, it remains significant and relevant due to the impact her work has had on social reform efforts, journalism, and the continuing struggle for the rights of the mentally ill.

Read More
1453 Words | 6 Pages

(Fawcett, 1). Regarding this quote, it’s been proven that mental illness is misrepresented by the media. It cannot be justified that any of the negative stereotypes are one-hundred percent accurate. Within this research paper, points will be provided that will suggest concrete evidence on how mental illness is misrepresented in the media, and the stereotypes that add to fuel to the flame.

Read More
1517 Words | 7 Pages

The stigma’s greatest advocate is the general public’s ignorance on the subject of Schizophrenia. That coupled with the media’s portrayal of Schizophrenia leads to an unfounded stigma that society perpetuates (Ellison et al 341). One of the universal facts about mankind is that they have a fear of the unknown. In relation to Schizophrenia, the unknown is the illness itself and following that scenario, the lack of knowledge leads to a fear of the illness. Due to the lack of knowledge about the true nature of the illness, the general public is more inclined to allow other information to fill in the void.

Read More
630 Words | 3 Pages

Mental sicknesses/problems threaten (firm and steady nature/lasting nature/strength) and order, and media coverage worsens this situation by equating mental illness with violence. As a result, mark of shame is widespread and growing, helping/encouraging family silence, (treating certain groups of people unfairly) laws, and (being totally separate from others). The pain of mental illness is burning enough, but adding the layer of mark of shame affects personal well-being, money-based working well and getting a lot done, and public health, fueling a (situation where a bad thing causes another bad thing) of lowered expectations, deep shame, and hopelessness. (Stephen P. Hinshaw). My conclusion is learning what researcher is finding out about Mental Health Stigma is to become the best Human Service Professional and do my best to be humble to

Read More
326 Words | 2 Pages

Albeit mental illness is a common illness millions of people experience, researchers believe that the negative labels associated with mental illness effect mentally ill patients. Researchers Amy Kroska and Sarah Harkness developed the hypothesis that once one is diagnosed with a mental illness, they stimulate negative feelings about themselves due to the negative labels society associates with mentally ill people by perusing old studies and conducting studies of their own. Their results empathized the differences in self-meanings by diagnosis. The researchers conducted research questions that focused on how mentally ill patients saw themselves and how they believed others saw them. The data was collected from two general hospitals within around

Read More
1341 Words | 6 Pages

In 2001, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified stigma and discrimination towards mentally ill individuals as “the single most important barrier to overcome in the community.” Stigma can encourage discrimination against individuals with mental illness. In turn, this effects how a person who is stigmatized views themselves. For instance, when a stigmatized person is directly denied resources like a job, housing, or healthcare, this puts that person at a disadvantage. Stigmatized people then experience discrimination at all levels, such as economic, social, legal, and institutional (Davey, 2017).

Read More
516 Words | 3 Pages

INTRODUCTION The qualitative study, measured via interviews, focused on the stigma revolving mental health and its impact on patients with psychotic and non psychotic disorders. The study focused on the personal experiences and story telling of 46 individuals on their accounts of the discrimination and other consequences of stigma they have experienced about their individual disorders. PROCEDURES

Read More
426 Words | 2 Pages

Media presentation of mental illness validate negative attitudes and stereotypes that provide a false association between mental illness and violence (Francis et al., 2001). A common theme from studies of news reporting is that media representation of mental health is often negative in tone. This is largely due to the type of news story covered, with a large amount of coverage focusing on crimes committed by those with mental health problems. This type of media reporting has often been criticized as helping propagate structural stigma around mental

Read More
1554 Words | 7 Pages

The stigma that is attached with mental health can cause patients to feel hopeless, refuse to seek help, and experience low-levels of quality life (Livingston, Tugwell, Korf-Uzan, Cianfront & Coniglio 2012). Social media makes it more accessible to acquire knowledge towards issues that arise globally, but it can also create backlash and target specific individuals in a negative light. As stated prior, 70% of a sample expressed that portrays of individuals with mental illnesses often are offensive (Aguiniga et al. 2016). In addition, social media and films characterize people with mental health issues as “the other”, that furthers stigmatizes mental health and sets a tone of fear.

Read More
857 Words | 4 Pages

Introduction It was difficult to make the decision to be public about having a severe psychiatric illness, but privacy and reticence can kill. The problem with mental illness is that so many who have it especially those in a position to change public attitudes, such as doctors, lawyers, politicians, and military officers are reluctant to risk talking about mental illness, or seeking help for it. They are understandably frightened about professional and personal reprisals. Stigma is of Greek word of the same spelling meaning "mark, puncture," came into English through Latin Stigma is it is commonly used today to describe the negative feelings and stereotypical thoughts, and attitudes about people based on the traits of a person, which can

Read More

More about Nellie Bly Insane Research Paper

Related Topics

Open Document