Mental illness - 1262 Words

Mental Illnesses in the play Proof by David Auburn Proof written by David Auburn goes through the life of an esteemed mathematician plagued by mental illness. In the beginning of the play Proof we are introduced to a professor at a local Chicago College named Robert. We first are introduced to Robert through a delusion of Catherine’s, another main protagonist of David auburns play. Auburn shows Robert’s genius and madness at various stages throughout the play. Auburn goes on throughout his play to exemplify the impact mental illness has on everyday family life. David Auburn introduces his two protagonist, Catherine and Robert through a delusion of Catherine’s late one night. We learn that Robert is a prestiged mathematician who†¦show more content†¦Catherine goes on and explains to Hal that Robert’s work has no connections to mathematical greatness, but to the same level as a â€Å"monkey at a typewriter.†( Auburn 15). When Hal says he is â€Å" prepared to look at every page.† (Auburn 15), Catherine says â€Å" no. I’m not crazy†(Auburn 15). This is significant because we as readers question if Catherine is really saying that to Hal or trying to convince herself that she isn’t crazy. We get an idea that Catherine is crazy to. As Robert’s struggle with schizophrenia continues he starts to exemplify some bizarre habits. We aren’t introduced to Robert’s true madness until Catherine comes home from college to visit him. We get the image of a man sitting outside on a cold Chicago winter night without a jacket complaining that the excruciating heat inside the house. We aren’t told specifically that Robert has schizophrenia but we are lead to believe that he is suffering from it. â€Å"Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that has affected people throughout history†(Schizophrenia). Schizophrenia impacts about 1% of the United Stated Population. Even though schizophrenia isn’t common it still impacts millions of peoples lives each year. Robert exemplifies a lot of the same characteristics a patient who is diagnosed with schizophrenia is having. Many people diagnosed with schizophrenia feel that someone or something wants to harm them. They have a very hard time telling whatShow MoreRelatedMental Illness : Mental Health Illness2108 Words   |  9 PagesMerriam-Webster, mental health illness is described as a broad range of medical conditions (such as major depression, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, or panic disorder) that are marked primarily by sufficient disorganization of personali ty, mind, or emotions to impair normal psychological functioning and cause noticeable grief or disability and that are usually related with a disruption in standard judgement, feeling, mood, behavior, interpersonal interactions, or daily functioning. Mental healthRead MoreMental Illness1733 Words   |  7 Pagesthe biology of their human brain has malfunctioned. These people have a mental illness. In my paper I will informing you with the biology of a mental illness. The specific information of the biology of a mental illness I will be telling you about is what the biology of a mental illness it, diagnosing a mental illness, and how the biology of mental disorders has affected the world. To understand the biology of a mental illness you need to know what it means or what I am trying to explain to youRead MoreMental Illness : Mental Health Illness1986 Words   |  8 PagesMerriam-Webster, mental health illness is described as a broad range of medical conditions (such as major depression, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, or panic disorder) that are marked primarily by sufficient disorganization of personality, mind, or emotions to impair normal psychological functioning and cause noticeable grief or disability and that are usually related with a disruption in standard judgement, feeling, mood, behavior, interpersonal interactions, or daily functioning. Mental healthRead MoreMental Illness And Mental Health893 Words   |  4 Pagesreasons I wanted to write about mental health is because I do not think is discussed enough and more importantly I do not think it is given the importance it deserves. Mental Health is something you heard now and then, but itâ €™s never actually discussed and it should. When I asked about this topic some people were uncomfortable, others were more open to discussion, but both of these people had something in common: they did not actually had an idea of what is a mental illness or disorder, the people whoRead MoreMental Illness, And Miss Emily Grierson1707 Words   |  7 PagesA long line of Griersons have lived in the town of Jefferson, many of whom displayed signs of mental illness, and Miss Emily Grierson was the last of that line. She finally passes away from sickness unbeknownst to the town. The townspeople attend her funeral â€Å"through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, †¦ [or also] mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her house, which no one save an old man-servant – a combined gardener and cook – had seen in at least ten years.† (ChapterRead MoreMental Illness Of Mental Health1981 Words   |  8 PagesMental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community (WHO, 2014). Mental health disorder can be defined as a health problem that significantly affects how a person feels, thinks, behaves, and interacts with other people. Mental health problems include the mental ill health that can be experienced temporarilyRead MoreMental Illness And Its Effects1717 Words   |  7 Pages Involuntary psychiatric commitment has been like a pendulum, sometimes in favor as a government policy to treat mental illness, and other times not. Mental illness treatment has been evolving throughout history. Society once believed that mental illness was due to a reversed to an animalistic level of consciousness, possession of demons, a sinful soul, or a chemical imbalance. The medical journal Nature and Genetics, recently reported that, a defect in chromosome number six which has been identifiedRead MoreMental Illness5917 Words   |  24 Pagestruth of mental illness and it has created mental illness as a stigma. The mental illness itself created a fear, by understanding mental illness we can profit a new understanding of mental illness and reduces the stigma out of it. Basically Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. The goal of this research is to understand what the majority (from respondent) perspective on the mental illness, the aimRead MoreThe Stigma Of Mental Illness1745 Words   |  7 PagesThe majority of people that have a severe mental illness are object to challenges in double measure. From one point of view, they wrestle with the symptoms and disablement that result from the illness. From another point, they are tested by the stereotypes and preconceived ideas that stem from the misunderstandings about mental illness. As a culmination of both, people with a mental illness are stripped of the chances that define a quality life such as a good job, safe housing, adequate health careRead MoreAging Parents Of Adults With Serious Mental Illness718 Words   |  3 PagesThe final article I analyzed was titled â€Å"Aging Parents of Adults with Serious Mental Illness† and was written by Jennifer Van Pelt. This article sought to address the type of support parents caring for special needs adult children require as they age. It discussed how pa rents are the primary caregivers to children with a severe mental illness, or SMI, throughout the majority of the child’s life. The amount of care provided to adults with SMI by their aging parents is so substantial that if parental