Physical Disability and Mental Distress - Essay Example

A physical disability refers to a condition substantially limiting (a) person(s) from performing single or more primary physical tasks like lifting, walking, ascending stairs, carrying or even reaching. (gnocdc.org, 2009) On the other hand a mental distress is an unpleasant mental state characterised by depression, fear, confusion, anxiety, mood-swings among others, leading to an impaired ability to handle daily normal life chores. It may relate to a variety of experiences such as states of mild and less severe to severe situations. Every 25 out of every 100 people is likely to suffer mental distress at one point in their lives. (changes.org.uk, 2009) This study seeks to explain the abovementioned conditions further and in a more detailed manner. To this, the question, “What are the similarities /differences of physical disability and mental distress?” will be answered. The two situations are highly similar in various fronts. They lead to abnormalities in human bodies and the overall wellbeing. Their similarities may be expressed in the findings concerning; negative attitudes, stigma and segregation. People with physical disabilities do have a negative attitude toward others .One of the most disturbing of cases is that they might consider it negatively, the help or aid usually offered to them by other people. There’s a tendency that people will always try to give assistance to people with such disabilities. Hocken Berry, who is a journalist and has a physical paralisation says that actions, which to most people look positive in every sense, can turn out an insult to persons with physical limitations. Further, negative attitude in people with physical disabilities who are offered aid by others on the situations seemingly calling for such, see it as their helpers portray pity as well as nervousness. This is as far as they are concerned. (Heatherton, etal,p421) One major cause of physical disability is a long period of a disease or sickness. The process that leads to a physical disability may be gradual, leading to impairment as well as restriction of activity. It leads to as decline in self esteem. A visible aspect of a physical disability makes sufferers feel very frustrated. They perceive others to notice more of their disability than they do their public identity. The other people may fail to acknowledge such factors of their demeanor like humour, jovialness or even their attainments intellectually. Those with disabilities that are not very much noticeable like epilepsy may struggle and conceal further their conditions. The factor leading to such a behaviour is fear on the effect of their covered mishaps. They argue that they’ll suffer detrimental social consequences like loss of loved ones. These are described to suffer ‘felt stigma’ that can end up in distress and anxiety. Physical illnesses (noticeable or otherwise) are said to be stigmatising by scholars. It’s of a higher chance that those persons with physical impairments that are visible are going to be more stigmatised. Where the condition is resulting into stigmatisation the highly pronounced disabilities lead to their victims finding it extremely hard to handle their daily interactions with other persons. (Taylor and Field, 2003 pp 125,126) Apart from the mentioned occurrences, segregation is also a consequence by people with physical disabilities. Persons without a disability are likely to laugh at, stare at, and make jokes of the conditions suffered by the disabled. Also, they may overcompensate on the dislikes by showing hospitality toward the people with a physical disability. Another extreme case that goes in tandem is the ignoring of those with such disabilities. (Heatherton, et al, p 421) On the other hand, mental distress is no different. Patients making somatised depression presentations, in a fundamental care, portray attitudes that are more hostile, (that’s, to mental illness) than the ones making presentations that are psychosocial. Those with somatised presentations have a high tendency of living in an environment of stigmatisation in it worst form. The negativity in attitude showed towards their mental illness goes on to frequent hesitancies on the part of somatisers to converse with a doctor about their facing emotional predicaments. They also refuse to have a specialised health care to resolve their mental condition.(Hersen, et al, 2007 p 430). Stigmatisation on the part of mental distress is very evident. This is due to the fact that individuals view mentally ill people as violent and also unpredictable. ‘Scape-goating’ as well as stigmatisation and which are social responses, may trigger exclusion which might have also resulted to the mental distress. This instigates the circle which is usually a vicious one, of the rise in powerlessness, victimisation and distress. Yet, according to Tew and Foster in their book, after a period of time and due to stigmatization, persons with mental distress may lose their networking socially and with their families. Eventually, they are socially sidelined. This subjection to hardships and the negative attitudes by people toward them may cause identity shifts and a negative sense of oneself. (Tew and Foster, 2004 pp 25,26) Feltham points out that it’s not often that it is mental distress that leads to segregation or isolation. Women may feel isolated while taking care of children at home and it may serve as a contributory factor to mental distress. Lowness in the social economic status of an individual is seen as the most basic factor to causing mental distress, though. (Feltam, 1995, p137) Mental distress and physical disability are dissimilar in that their causes are different. While a physical disability affects the ability to carry out physical activities, mental distress almost impacts negatively to the whole being’s functionality (both physically and mentally). Also in pursuit of their differences, one can tell that although these two have been characterised to be having similar impacts, they don’t always go together. As a matter of fact, if their incidence is instantaneous, things get worse. A survey carried out in Northern Ireland showed that only 34% of the normal people had encountered mental distress in a great deal for the 12 months of study. However, for the physically disabled, 52% had gone through a similar ordeal. These findings show that people with physical disabilities, just like the normal population, are also prone to encountering situations of mental health predicaments. They are even at a higher level of likelihood of wanting to seek mental health assistance than the normal persons. (DHSSPS, 2004 p1) While concluding, it’s easy to notice that the two medical conditions are highly similar in terms of their misgivings. They can happen to the same person at the same time at a rate of about 50% of the cases from the study’s findings. Separating them is almost impossible, though. Thus, while answering to the thesis question more of similarities have been given than is the case to differences. Reference list: Changes.org.uk. (2009). Mental Distress. Retrieved February 16, 2009 http://www.changes.org.uk/html/mental_distress.html DHSSPS. (2004). Health and Social Wellbeing: Disability and Mental Health. Retrieved February 16, 2009 http://74.125.77.132/search?q=cache:ZUUtStFrKfgJ:www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/disabi litymentalhealth.pdf+mental+distress+vs+physical+disability&hl=en&ct=clnk&c d=2 Feltham, C. (1995). What is Counselling?: The Promise and Problem of the Talking Therapies. SAGE. Edition: illustrated, p 137. Gnocdc.org. (2009). Definition of Physical Disability. Retrieved February 16, 2009 http://www.gnocdc.org/tertiary/definition.cfm?IdCode=5_15PhP&SourceCode=S F300b Heatherton, T.F. et al. (2003). The Social Psychology of Stigma. Guilford Press. p 421. Hersen, M. et al. (2007). Adult Psychopathology and Diagnosis. John Wiley and Sons. Edition: 5, illustrated, revised, p 430. Taylor, S.D. and Field, D. (2003). Sociology of Health and Health Care. Blackwell Publishing. Edition: 3, illustrated, revised, pp 125,126. Tew, J. and Foster, J. (2004). Social Perspectives in Mental Health: Developing Social Models to Understand and Work with Mental Distress. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Edition: illustrated, pp 25, 26. Read More