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Psychiatry, mental illness and culture
Müller, Matyáš ; Komárek, Stanislav (advisor) ; Fulka, Josef (referee)
The aim of the dissertation is to treat psychiatry and mental illness from the anthropological point of view. The topic is treated at three levels. First, I describe psychiatry as a specific culture's product, and I explore how it constitutes itself as an unbiased science. I conclude that in spite of developing its scientific aspect, its human-science aspect is neglected, stuck in the 19th century's paradigm of evolutionism. Although there is a number of sources of a new less scientistic and ethnocentric and more reflexive paradigm nowadays, it still seems to be more a vision than reality due to the institutional toughness of the present paradigm. Second, I study "mental illness" as an abstract concept. I ask if the Western psychiatry's classification is universal and I explore various culturally specific forms of mental illness and its conceptualizations. Third, partially grounded in my fieldwork, I ask how abstract psychiatric terminology is embodied in a concrete human being and how the sufferer's point of view differs from the one of the professional in the mental health care. The dissertation intends to show that despite all the three levels being interlocked, their unity is not self-evident but is always constructed and contested.
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The picture of mental illness in the print media in three central European countries
Nawková, Lucie ; Jirák, Roman (advisor) ; Bražinová, Alexandra (referee) ; Vevera, Jan (referee)
Media are considered to be the public's primary source of information regarding mental illness. Evidence suggests that media representations of people with psychiatric disorders are frequently negative and contribute to their stigmatization. On the other hand, media can play an important role in reducing this stigmatisation by providing adequate information about this topic and engaging in antistigma campaigns. Up to now there was no standardised measurement of the stigma of mental illness in print media using clearly operationalized definitions. The objectives of this project were twofold; to develop a standardised and objective instrument to measure stigma of mental illness in print media; and to conduct an analysis of the current coverage on mental health/illness issues in Czech, Croatian, and Slovak print media. The development of the Picture of Mental Illness in Newspapers (PICMIN) instrument was based on the principles of content analysis, a research technique for making replicable and valid inferences from text to the kontext in their use. The instrument consists of eleven descriptive and five analytical categories. The most interesting findings based on the analysis of media representations of mental illness were; a similarly high level of stigmatizing articles across countries, clearly...
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The Social Construcion of Mental Illness - Historical Changes during Middle Ages and Early Modern Times
Sklenařík, Pavel ; Paulíček, Miroslav (advisor) ; Kotlík, Pavel (referee)
The present thesis deals with the phenomenon of madness in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Age. The author describes the function of madness in the context of each historical period by way of examining the historical development of the social status of the mentally ill. Various aspects of insanity as well as distinct characteristics and qualities of lunatics persons, such as gender, assets, or the actual level of mental disorder, are taken into consideration in order to demonstrate the consequently differing approaches of the sane to the insane and vice versa. The result of the historical process of the formation of the society's stance towards the lunatics and insanity in general is then transferred to the present where the discussed processes are demonstrated on real examples. Insanity is viewed through the prism of social constructivism. In line with the view that insanity, as a social construction, is a product of discourse, one of the present work deals with the dispute on the right of defining insanity whose result influenced the inception of psychiatry as a discipline as well as the current attitude of the society with respect to insanity.
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Disease is neutral - Life with "depression"
Vojtková, Lucie ; Šmídová, Olga (advisor) ; Praško Pavlov, Ján (referee)
This thesis is inspired by the theory of social construction of mental illness. The work is a case study that uses the metaphor of the story and narrative analysis of interviews examining the individual human experience with mental illness. My goal was to find out what makes us understand the disease and how this understanding can be used in a daily struggle with the disease. In the theoretical part, I drew from documented knowledge about mental illness, particularly for depressive disorder and schizophrenia simplex. Then I presented the narrative approach as a legitimate way of exploring understanding of lived experience. The practical part is implemented as a case study and through narrative analysis provides interesting insight into the way of understanding and coping with mental illness a person who has the expertise and also suffer from mental illness. Key words: mental illness, social construction, narrative, narrative approach, the dominant medical discourse, depression, schizophrenia simplex, stigma, coping strategies.
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Interventions focused on the support of family members of person with mental illness.
Skřečková, Nela ; Dragomirecká, Eva (advisor) ; Kodymová, Pavla (referee)
(English) This diploma thesis deals with the issue of mental disorders and services provided to family members of people with mental disorder within a non-profit sector. The first part includes theoretical chapters which are processed by analysing available literature. The chapters inform about mental disorder, quality of life, and describe the care of people with mental disorders - particularly social skills and communication, housing, education, employment and leisure time. The theoretical part also focuses on social work with the mentally ill and includes a role of a social worker. In conclusion, the theoretical part describes the possibilities of supporting family members within the system of the care of persons with mental disorder, especially educational and psychoeducational programmes. The empirical part maps the current range of services for family members of people with mental disorder, and in connection with that, it determines what workers consider to be their benefit. Then, the views of family members on the psychoeducational programme and the current system of taking care of persons with mental illness were examined in a parent organization. To implement the research, I chose a qualitative approach. The method used was a questionnaire survey and group interviews. The results showed...
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Semiotic analysis of a student film
Kučera, Jan ; Sigmund, Tomáš (advisor) ; Phung, Hyu Nghia (referee)
My thesis deals with the semiotic analysis of schizophrenic perception and its application in the creation of a script for a student film. The theoretical part describes the perception of mental illness in the context of culture and society and the development of this perception because it is crucial in defining and understanding the term mental illness. An integral part of the thesis is the definition of schizophrenia as a mental illness, a description of its symptoms and the interpretation of the world of a schizophrenic. The analytic part, excluding the semiotic analysis, includes a detailed examination of the script and the application of the theme to the medium film.
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The mental help people - how to live with schizophrenia
KORČÁKOVÁ, Leona
The work deals with the methodology of therapeutic communities for people with schizophrenia. It includes the description of individual steps that can be employed when working with the target group in such a devised facility. It describes useful and less useful procedures in an eight-year perspective that have not been previously dealt with on paper. This project remains so far unique in the Czech Republic. The work embodies the existing psychosocial theories and methods which are still possible to experience when working with clients and which have been verified in practice. The methodology is compared with the demands that are placed as the Quality standards of social services.
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Work Opportunities of Long {--} term Mentally Ill People in the Employment Market
ČERNÁ, Pavla
People have always met with the issue of insanity but nowadays it is discussed more often as the present society makes higher demands on its members, particularly to provide for the family. That is considered to be the main criterion of social existence. These days there is a rising number of persons suffering from a mental illness who are to an extent able and willing to work, to fulfil the requirements of the society and to satisfy their needs with respect to work. Therefore the author has decided in her own research to map out the issue of employing long {--} term mentally ill people and the most important factors influencing their work opportunities in the employment market. This is the target of the thesis. Survey was carried out by the quantity research using the method of questioning and the technique of the anonymous questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed among the clients of establishments for mentally ill people. As research was carried out from the point of view of the person suffering from the mental illness the questions were designed at areas at which these persons are good and those which make them troubles. The results showed there is not a substantial difference between men and women. Despite the existence of particular differences between sexes (e.g. in education, in completing professional courses) these differences are not bound to the presence of a mental illness. Therefore the basic characteristics such as sex, age, education, language and professional competences correspond with the average which is common among other people and do not discriminate mentally ill persons. However the difference at these persons lies in the cognitive deficit influencing output, ability to work, adaptability and flexibility. Almost 50 % of mentally ill people are registered in the protected employment market or do not work due to the worries about the demands made in the open employment market. Contribution of this thesis is according to the author the information that people suffering from a mental illness are able independently or with a little support operate in the society but it is necessary to be aware of the cognitive deficit influencing the personal characteristics and behaviour of people with mental illness. This fact must be considered mainly when we offer them the employment. It corresponds with the need to improve the awareness of possible employers and also labour offices of the issue and of specific needs of the target group i.e. the long {--} term mentally ill persons e.g. by means of lectures and discussions organized by the institutions which deal with the mentally ill population.
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