Analysis of the Is There No Place on Earth for Me by Susan Sheehan - Book Report/Review Example

? Book Review Introduction Is There No Place on Earth for Me is a book written about a woman who experienced schizophrenia, a mental illness. The author is Susan Sheehan, a reporter who studied a mentally ill patient named Sylvia Frumkin. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia. She was also hospitalized several times at different locations around the city of New York. The reporter monitored Sylvia Frumkin for almost a year by speaking with her, attending upon her, monitoring her situation, consulting with her physicians and even observing her throughout her sleep in a mental hospital. The book represents a remarkable piece of journalist writing. It took into concern certain crucial aspects associated with Sylvia. It is observed that Sylvia depicted a typical kind of persistent propensity in which she became significantly troubled due to mindless generalizations, biasness and untoward thoughts (Sheehan, 1983). Brief Summary The book Is There No Place on Earth for Me provides a picture of a disordered and largely incompetent healthcare system. According to the book, the state mental hospitals were largely overpopulated and understaffed. Thus, it was quite challenging to provide patients with complete attention and medical care they required. Furthermore, a majority of the doctors came from other countries, and thus there was a considerable barrier between them and the patients with respect to culture and language (Sheehan, 1983). In case of Sylvia, the ineffective medical practices had possibly made her sickness much worse than before. The doctors did not demonstrate the willingness to get acquainted with her case history. She was not provided sufficient medications to actually minimize the symptoms of schizophrenia. Her life at home became extremely traumatic. In the book, Sylvia was described by those individuals who had known her to be having episodes of fury. She frequently resorted to violent activities when she became irritated. When she was able to control her emotions, she became quite pleasant and delightful (Sheehan, 1983). It was observed that after the publication of the book, the health condition of Sylvia improved noticeably, and she was able to return home for a better life. The period of mental wellness of Sylvia lasted longer as compared to others. Noticeably, the publicity of the book had brought her into the limelight, which can be evidently observed from the fact that her case was considered by a prominent psychoanalyst, who in later phases took Sylvia under his wing. As a result, she ultimately started to receive the required medical care and consideration (Sheehan, 1983). Important Dimension of the Problem Nature The book represents the problem of schizophrenia among people and the related issues faced by the patients. Generally, schizophrenia is considered as a mental disorder or a disorder of perception. One of the prototypical symptoms of schizophrenia is the existence of misunderstandings, i.e. certain beliefs which are considerably different from the acknowledged truth. For instance, patients with schizophrenia can believe that certain individuals or groups of individuals can harm them in a certain way. This behavior is also termed as paranoid misunderstandings. People having schizophrenia usually go through certain kind of illusions i.e. they experience different phenomena through their sensory system that others do not observe. The most typical nature of this mental disorder is auditory delusions. Schizophrenia also brings about dull or flat impacts, which signify that the affected people do not demonstrate emotions as strongly as general people do (Hall, 1998). Not every individual having schizophrenia demonstrates similar behavioral traits. Essentially, it is a condition driven by numerous characteristics. There are primarily three characteristic symptoms of schizophrenia, namely, thought conflicts, hallucinations and primary misapprehensions (Springwood High School, n.d.). Scope The scope of the problem lies in ensuring a gamut of considerate, methodical and reliable medications or treatment approaches as a fundamental necessity for ensuring successful functioning of Sylvia. At the same time, community programs are considered as a vital constituent for Sylvia in order to enhance her mental ability. On the basis of Sylvia’s experience described in the book, it can be stated that in an unstable mental health condition, the treatment process of severe and devastating brain illnesses such as schizophrenia should be changed. Schizophrenia, similar to other mental illnesses, is no longer a therapeutic or psychiatric mystery. It is a severe biological brain illness which manifests itself in a worsening and continuing disability. In summary, it can be said that schizophrenia is observed as an illness which becomes worse if it is not treated with proper care (Springwood High School, n.d.). Trends According to Wysokinski et al. (2009), diseases based on mental disorder such as schizophrenia has an impact on around 14% of the general population of the world. This disease is curable, and it is found that only one third of nations in the global context do not possess any mental health policy or distinct budget for the treatment of schizophrenia. Thus, a majority of nations are showing a significant extent of consideration towards alleviating the suffering of patients. It has also been observed that amid untreated schizophrenia patients, the level of compliance is quite low. This low level of compliance is considered as a significant obstacle for the treatment of the disease. There are several factors which bring about certain negative impacts on a patient’s effort to deal with schizophrenia, which include the level of understanding or attitude towards the available treatment, low level of collaboration amid patients and doctors, low level of support from family members and relatives, low psychoactive materials, cognitive discrepancies along with difficulties arising in the process of treatment as well as severity of symptoms among others. Affected Population According to the survey conducted by the World Health Organization (2013), about 7 per 1,000 adult individuals in the world are affected by schizophrenia. However, since this mental disorder is chronic, the overall incidence of this disease is quite high at approximately 1% of the global population. This signifies that schizophrenia affects about 24 million people internationally. Nevertheless, the symptoms of schizophrenia are curable with the use of different medicines along with various psychological and social care approaches, where the expenses can amount to US$ 2 per month for each patient (European Brain Council, 2011). On the basis of the study of Public Health Agency of Canada (2001), the commencement of schizophrenia usually befalls people belonging to the age group of late teenagers till mid-30s. Schizophrenia among adolescents is quite rare. Moreover, the study also revealed that males and females both are significantly impacted by schizophrenia; however, males usually develop this mental illness earlier as compared to females. On the other hand, beyond the age of 45, schizophrenia tends to affect females by a considerable extent as compared to the males. Therefore, they (females) tend to demonstrate certain symptoms of irritation, which in turn at times results in violent conducts. Causes The study of Jones, Mowry, Pender, and Greer (2005) stated that the precise reason for schizophrenia is unidentified, where the patients are diagnosed according to the existence of several distinct indications. They also revealed that there is an absence of any understandable biological reason for the illness. Their research also claims that schizophrenia can be caused by the changes in the level of chemicals which play a vital part in brain neurotransmitters. Genetic research suggests that several life events can cause the symptoms of schizophrenia, namely: Premature birth and low weight during birth. Pathological infections throughout the development of children in the womb. Limited level of oxygen during birth. In the later phases of life, schizophrenia can occur due to the events of: Social loneliness. City dwelling. Unhappy family relations, for instance, aggressive or overly critical parents. Apart from these aspects, another factor which can cause schizophrenia is drug misuse, especially cocaine and cannabis. The use of cannabis is observed to have a considerable impact on schizophrenia, and it can also enhance the risk of mental illness (European Brain Council, 2011). The study of Public Health Agency of Canada (2001) further revealed that functional anomaly in neurotransmitter generates the symptoms of a mental disease. This functional anomaly can cause structural brain deformities. A combination of inherent and ecological aspects is also considered as to be liable for the development of functional anomaly. For instance, close family members having schizophrenia are ten times more prone, as compared to general population, to be impacted by the illness. Furthermore, parents having schizophrenia also have 40% chance of transmitting this mental disorder to their children. With respect to ecological aspects, their contribution towards the disease of schizophrenia includes perinatal disturbance, place of birth, and season. Discusses How the Book Changed or Contributed To Your Understanding of the Problem The book represents the changing conceptions regarding mental illnesses and psychological problems of patients. From the book’s review, it can be observed that in the protagonist’s, a mental patient’s, case physicians were neither especially concerned about providing proper medical care, nor did they show any personal zeal to encourage health care development. The mental patients were simply surrounded with idle and other non-productive individuals as a part of treatment. This book suggests that the vital step for schizophrenia treatment is to make a proper diagnosis, which is not a very simple task. Successful treatment of schizophrenia relies on several aspects, where providing only medication is not sufficient. In order to make the treatment effective, it is vital to know the patient considerably well, develop a strong sustaining system and to help him or her make healthy lifestyle choices. For mental patients, the medication ought to be individualized according to their specific requirements. Policy Changes That Might Help To Address the Problem There are several policy changes which can help to address the problems that schizophrenia presents. Active Contribution of People Having Schizophrenia Global experiences and evidence demonstrate that the active contribution of family members of patients living with schizophrenia is the key for driving changes with respect to the prevailing treatment scenario. The involvement should be meaningful, and the policies as well as the standards must ensure that the patients are completely supported in their struggle to deal with and overcome schizophrenia. The healthcare workers must also welcome individuals who are diagnosed with the disease. It will help to enhance the quality of healthcare services along with contributing to ensure constant improvements of the mental healthcare system (Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2012). Increased Availability and Coordination of Mental Health Services An effective mental healthcare system is essentially based on obtaining mental healthcare services. Therefore, an increased level of coordination between the communities and the mental healthcare facilities can lead to an augmented level of sensitivity regarding an individual patient’s requirements. As a consequence, it can facilitate the satisfaction of the needs of the patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2012). Improvement of Overall Living Circumstances and Health Consequences The circumstances people face in their life can determine whether they feel safe, confident and supported in their home and in the society. These aspects are termed as social determinants of mental health, and they also have a considerable influence on schizophrenia. Thus, policy changes for minimizing the prevailing discrepancies in society can create a striking impact on the life and mental health condition of such people (Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2012). Conclusion In conclusion, it can be stated that the components and the subject of the book are well organized and they provide a relevant understanding about mental illness along with its associated criticalities. The book is invaluable as the writer transverses the mind of the key character for exploring the inner conflicts and making a thorough interpretation regarding the life experiences of a mental patient. The book not only provides information about schizophrenia, but also regarding the struggles that are faced by the patients who are affected by the disease. Therefore, reviewing the book can facilitate to derive an ideal overview concerning the illness and the ways to deal with it. References European Brain Council. (2011). Schizophrenia fact sheet. Retrieved from http://www.europeanbraincouncil.org/pdfs/Documents/Schizophrenia%20fact%20sheet%20July%202011.pdf Hall, R. H. (1998). General characteristics of Schizophrenia. Retrieved from http://web.mst.edu/~rhall/neuroscience/07_disorders/schizo_general.pdf Jones, A. L., Mowry, B. J., Pender, M. P., & Greer, J. M. (2005). Immune dysregulation and self-reactivity in schizophrenia: Do some cases of schizophrenia have an autoimmune basis? Immunology and Cell Biology, 83, 9-17. Mental Health Commission of Canada. (2012). Changing directions, changing lives: the mental health strategy for Canada. Retrieved from http://strategy.mentalhealthcommission.ca/pdf/strategy-text-en.pdf Public Health Agency of Canada. (2001). Schizophrenia. A Report on Mental Illnesses in Canada, 49-58. Springwood High School. (n.d.). The clinical characteristics of schizophrenia. Retrieved from http://www.springwood.norfolk.sch.uk/Downloads/Psychology/CLINICAL%20CHARACTERISTICS%20OF%20SCHIZOPHRENIA.pdf Sheehan, S. (1983). Is there no place on earth for me? New York: Random House Press. World Health Organization. (2013). Schizophrenia. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mental_health/management/schizophrenia/en/ Wysokinski, A., Talarowska, M., Orzechowska, A., Zboralski, K., Galecki, P., & Florkowski, A. (2009). Current trends in pharmacological treatment of schizophrenia presented on the XIV World Congress of Psychiatry. Archives of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy 3, 5-9. Read More