ISM: Overall Effort/Progress

Beginning:

(Video of Alec & I arriving at the mental hospital)

Attach facts about the importance of taking care of mental health- Say or type it?
According to The National Alliance on Mental Illness-
Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S.43.8 million, or 18.5%
experiences mental illness in a given year
Approximately 1 in 25 adults in the U.S.9.8 million, or 4.0%
experiences a serious mental illness in a given year that substantially interferes
with or limits one or more major life activities
Approximately 1 in 5 youth aged 1318 (21.4%) experiences a
severe mental disorder at some point during their life. For children aged 815, the
estimate is 13%.
1.1% of adults in the U.S. live with schizophrenia.
2.6% of adults in the U.S. live with bipolar disorder.
6.9% of adults in the U.S.16 millionhad at least one major
depressive episode in the past year.
18.1% of adults in the U.S. experienced an anxiety disorder such as
posttraumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and specific phobias
Among the 20.2 million adults in the U.S. who experienced a
substance use disorder, 50.5%10.2 million adultshad a co-occurring mental
illness
An estimated 26% of homeless adults staying in shelters live with
serious mental illness and an estimated 46% live with severe mental illness and/or
substance use disorders
Approximately 20% of state prisoners and 21% of local jail
prisoners have a recent history of a mental health condition
70% of youth in juvenile justice systems have at least one mental
health condition and at least 20% live with a serious mental illness.
Only 41% of adults in the U.S. with a mental health condition
received mental health services in the past year. Among adults with a serious
mental illness, 62.9% received mental health services in the past year
Just over half (50.6%) of children aged 8-15 received mental
health services in the previous year
African Americans and Hispanic Americans used mental health
services at about one-half the rate of Caucasian Americans in the past year and
Asian Americans at about one-third the rate
Half of all chronic mental illness begins by age 14; three-quarters
by age 24. Despite effective treatment, there are long delayssometimes decades
between the first appearance of symptoms and when people get help
 Serious mental illness costs America $193.2 billion in lost earnings
per year
Mood disorders, including major depression, dysthymic disorder
and bipolar disorder, are the third most common cause of hospitalization in the
U.S. for both youth and adults aged 1844
Individuals living with serious mental illness face an increased risk
of having chronic medical conditions. Adults in the U.S. living with serious
mental illness die on average 25 years earlier than others, largely due to treatable
medical conditions
Over one-third (37%) of students with a mental health condition
age 1421 and older who are served by special education drop outthe highest
dropout rate of any disability group
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S., the 3rd
leading cause of death for people aged 1024 and the 2nd leading cause of death
for people aged 1524
More than 90% of children who die by suicide have a mental
health condition
Source: http://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-By-the-
Numbers#sthash.Y7IELEjk.dpuf
Introduction:

Unless you majored in psychology or attended medical school or studied the topic
in ISM, chances are the bulk of your knowledge about mental illness comes from the
newspapers you read, the television shows you watch and the movies you see.
Unfortunately, these media outlets are not the most reliable source to learn about mental
health, and in turn, the publics view of the mentally ill are based off of what they see on
TV. The portrayal of the mentally ill as incompetent, dangerous, slovenly, undeserving is
influenced by the media. These portrayals of the mentally ill are the reasons why people
gain inaccurate views of those with psychological disorders. It is extremely important for
the public to be aware of the agonizing effects if we believe what the media feeds us.
Mass media is one of the publics primary sources of information about disorders
such as bipolar, schizophrenia and depression.
Most media portrayals of mental illness are stereotypical, negative or flat-out wrong
meaning many people gain an unfavorable or inaccurate view of those with psychological
disorders simply by skimming a few sentences or picking up a remote control.
If media representations of mental illness arent improving, individuals can at
least become aware of psychological disorders. That way, they can distinguish between
fact and fiction, stereotype and reality and the characters onscreen and vs. real life peers.
I had the opportunity to interview with several professionals in the healthcare
field regarding the stigma surrounding the mentally ill

Interviews:
 1. What does it mean to have a mental illness?
2. What is considered a serious mental illness?
3. What are the most common misconceptions about those who are mentally ill?
4. What causes mental illness?
5. Is anyone immune to mental illness?
6. Can mental illness be prevented?
7. Once someone has had a mental illness can they ever get better again?
8. What are some of the warning signs of mental illness?
9. What should I do if I know someone who appears to have all of the symptoms of
a serious mental disorder?
10. What treatment options are available?
11. Where can I go for help?
12. What personally do you do to cope with stress in your life?
13. If theres one thing you wished your clients or patients knew about mental illness,
what would it be?
14. What would you wish the general public would know about the mentally illness?

My Experience:
I hope through my efforts with this project, I will be able to help educate others
(especially teens) who arent aware of what mental illness is, or arent aware of the
serious symptoms these individuals show. I would like to help others branch out from
their knowledge of mental illness from tv shows and movies to actual reality.
At times, stereotypes and labels can really degrade someone, and make them feel
as if theyre out of place in life- when in all, they are people who deserve the same
amount of respect as we do.
Because as Martina Navratilova said, Labels are for filing. Labels are for
clothing. Labels are not for people. or as Andrew Solomon said, Its hard to think well
of yourself in a world that sees you as a threat.

DRAFT:

Stigma and Misrepresentation: People with mental illness look different than others, This is
the first stereotype that I wanted to point out. In TV shows, the character that is mentally ill
always has to stand out from the rest of the crowd. Their hair is unkempt, their clothes are dirty,
and overall their appearance is different. When in reality, the mentally ill are just like us. They
go to work, they worry about finances, they go on vacation, etc. There are people that I have met
that had a psychological disorder, but Ive never realized it because they are people I associate
with on daily basis. Its important not to generalize people based off of what the media presents
them as, especially if theyre inaccurate.
 Psychiatric hospitals cause more harm than good, Ive noticed that in most cases, the
mentally ill appear worse as they receive treatment at these facilities. Its quite ironic how
psychiatric hospitals resembled a prison more than a place of healing, when many recover.
Instead, patients are shown as psychotic and out-of-control, which fosters further
discrimination against them. A psychiatric hospital is brimmed with Psychiatrists (who are
Medical Doctors), Psychiatric Nurses (who attain a Masters degree in mental health), and
Psychologists (who attain a Masters degree in psychology). These professionals are educated,
genuine, and willing to help others in need. So, saying that mentally ill patients dont improve
undermines the need for these professionals. Before we form any judgements, I think its best to
look at the logic and facts surrounding the mentally ill.
And lastly, People with mental illnesses cant recover, Like I said, we have
professionals that have studied mental illness for years, yet no progress is made? I believe
healing requires patience and time- just like the process of learning. Its not going to be easy, but
its definitely not impossible.

Signs and Symptoms: Recognizing mental illness; signs and symptoms of those with mental
disorders; Discuss the most common types (depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar mood
disorder, personality disorders, trauma and eating disorders)
Source: http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-
wellness/articles/2015/04/16/how-mental-illness-is-misrepresented-in-the-media

Treatment Options: Treatment (Medication, psychotherapy, group therapy, day treatment or

partial hospital treatment, specific therapies); the importance of support from family and friends
REMINDERS

Target audience: Adolescents/Adults lacking in psychiatric background

information
Prepare interview questions beforehand- interview people who are knowledgeable
and arent knowledgeable in the field
Interview questions

1. What does it mean to have a mental illness?

2. What is considered a serious mental illness?
3. What causes mental illness?
4. Is anyone immune to mental illness?
5. Can mental illness be prevented?
6. Once someone has had a mental illness can they ever get better again?
7. How common is mental illness?
8. What are some of the warning signs of mental illness?
9. What should I do if I know someone who appears to have all of the symptoms of
a serious mental disorder?
10. What treatment options are available?
 11. Where can I go for help?
12. What personally do you do to cope with stress in your life?
13. If theres one thing you wished your clients or patients knew?
14. What are the most common misconceptions about those who are mentally ill?
15. What would you wish the general public would know about the mentally illness?
16. What percentage of the population is impacted by it?

Potential interviewers
1. Dr. Sandy Le (Mentor- Forensic Psychiatrist)- Sunday, April 9
2. Dr. Howard Cohen (Psychiatrist)
3. Mrs. Jessica Villalobos (Baylor Heart Plano- ER Nurse)
4. Mr. Anh Nguyen (Baylor Heart Plano- ICU Nurse)- Sunday, April 9
5. Mrs. Jessica Villalobos (Baylor Heart Plano- ER Nurse)- Sunday, April 9
6. Dr. Vincent Tran (Clinical Psychologist)
7. Mrs. Carnika Donald (Psychiatric Nurse)
8. Dr. Harold Jimenez (Baylor Heart Plano- ER Doctor)
9. Mrs. Shahidrah Cowgill (Fundamental Foundations Counseling Center, PLLC-
Counseling Psychologist)
10. Dr. Ha Vu (Adult Psychiatrist)- Sunday, April 9
11. Mrs. Jennifer Hanna (Health Science instructor- retired ICU Nurse)
12. Chief Mark Piland (Frisco Fire Station- Fire Chief)
13. Captain David Odum (Frisco Fire Station- Career & Volunteer Firefighter)
14. Shane Beach, Taylor Nix, and Brandon Wilson (Frisco Fire Station-
EMT/Paramedic)
15. Jillian Innis (AP Psychology teacher)-Tuesday April 10/11