Index IntroductionContextual History The Problem of Understanding the Benefits of Acceptance Challenging Ourselves to Accept Without Understanding Conclusion References IntroductionIn many situations, humans have an innate need to understand a complex situation or behavior before being able to accept it. This may happen despite reassurances of its validity from professionals or loved ones around them. In mental health, this is a major issue, with some conditions characterized by "incomprehensible" behavior. Even conditions with more recognizable characteristics, such as anxiety and depression, have elements that may be incomprehensible to others. Those who have not experienced these symptoms will struggle to understand and will often find it difficult to truly accept these conditions. The word accept here has many connotations: it is the acceptance of mental health as a real health problem, of the behaviors of those suffering from mental health, and, fundamentally, of the fact that mental health exists in today's society. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Acceptance significantly affects perceptions which can, in turn, influence treatment, research, employment opportunities, and the personal experience of those suffering from mental health. Therefore, in this essay, I will discuss how our need to understand before accepting can be fundamentally harmful, and how it may be more beneficial to continue to seek understanding but put acceptance at the forefront of our efforts with mental health. Contextual History Although our understanding of mental health has increased exponentially in recent years, the history of mental health acceptance is much more varied. In the Middle Ages, mental health problems were often seen as the result of sin or demonic possession, with treatments reflecting this level of understanding. While much of mental health is still a mystery, we now view it as a medical condition, with research conducted into its causes and treatments, no longer seen as the result of a curse or deity. A good indicator of the state of acceptance of a condition is the level of compassion afforded by the treatment. While the infamous Bethlam, founded in the 13th century, may be considered innovative and its very existence is indicative of the acceptance of mental health as a condition, its often barbaric treatment of patients would suggest otherwise. A lack of understanding, acceptance and compassion has led to a series of brutal and invasive treatments, which worryingly have continued into modern times with the prevalence of 'ice pick lobotomies'. These were performed within minutes and in an arguably unethical environment, representing a major treatment until the 1950s. Conversely, there is also evidence of less intensive treatments and care regimes leading to improved social cohesion and quality of life for patients. We could consider the case of Emma De Beston, who in the 14th century was cared for, like many others, by her community. She was accepted even though her condition was not fully understood. It is clear from the lessons of history that mental health acceptance has a strong correlation with patients' quality of life and as such is incredibly important. The distinction and connection between understanding and acceptance There are multiple definitions of understanding, all with slight variations which can, in turn, lead to different interpretationsof a statement. Basically being able to understand means being able to perceive something correctly, allowing you to make correct actions and correct connections. Where correct implies that it is actually true and appropriate. Beireter states that “understanding involves skills and dispositions with respect to an object of knowledge sufficient to support intelligent behavior”. In his work, he discusses how understanding a situation is essentially different from being able to relate to it in some way. Simple relationships can lead to interpretation of a situation but, because knowledge is limited, true understanding cannot be achieved. It is potentially more useful to view understanding as a scale rather than a defined point in a learning experience. Each level should help lead to the next, and each stage potentially allows for different levels of acceptance. Viewing understanding as a continuum leads to questions about its links to acceptance: is there a specific level at which acceptance is now possible, is it an effort to achieve greater understanding that allows this, or is acceptance itself a continuum ? To help visualize this continuum we can imagine the scenario of a child's relationship with multiplication: Contextual - a child in reception can understand that it is something that arises in mathematics, this is a level of understanding where a situation can be contextualised. Operational: the child can now memorize and remember simple multiplications, he understands the concept enough to be able to operate in the task at hand. Definition - now that he is older, the child may understand that the definition of multiplication is to add a number by himself a certain number of times, he may not be able to explain this to someone who does not understand the situation but can use the concept for a further measure than the operational relational one: they now have an understanding of how multiplication relates to other operations, they understand what the inversion of division looks like and treat the two accordingly. When we look at the application of these categories to mental health, it becomes more complicated. Some may argue that even a contextual understanding is sufficient to accept, while others may pursue a much higher level of understanding before they are willing to accept. Compared to understanding, acceptance is described as “a person's assent to the reality of a situation, acknowledging a process or condition without attempting to change or challenge it.” This may seem like a strange definition when applied to the context of mental health. It could be argued that not attempting to change or protest a mental health condition discourages recovery or minimizes its severity. An alternative approach is given by Tolles, a spiritual master, who defines acceptance as a response to a situation as a “that's it” moment. This is perhaps a more appropriate description. It does not state that we do not seek to change a situation, but that we recognize it as it truly is without arguing against the existence of a situation. This is a useful approach as it allows us to accept a situation in the moment while trying to prevent it from continuing to exist. Acceptance of mental health is itself threefold in its forms: acceptance of self, acceptance of it by those around you, and acceptance of it by society at large. The three categories come in various forms and stages, with often distinct problems to solve. The Problem of Understanding Increasing public awareness and understanding of mental health issues are key goals in the mental health community.There has recently been a huge increase in 'conversation' thanks to campaigns such as 'UOKM8?', 'Time to Change' and increased participation in World Mental Health Days or Weeks. However, many believe that the time has now come to shine the spotlight on this particular aspect of the case. The general population is much more aware of mental illness now than ever before. Concern comes into play regarding the degree of understanding, which is often limited to a purely contextual level. Herein lies the danger that some people claim to understand mental health conditions to a greater extent than they actually do. We can say that these people have an interpretation of the situation around them, but they do not possess a true understanding of it. Even more concerning is if these people put some interpretation on what is actually wrong, then their words or actions may become more harmful to others than before their attempt at understanding. When we now imagine our continuum of understanding, this area perhaps lies completely outside of our scale. This is often seen in the "Theroux phenomenon": subjects watching an hour-long documentary feel that they are able to explain accurately and often begin to speak like experts in the area, despite having no direct experience or having had any experience. of their research. “…recognize that posting on social media “stars can't shine without darkness” could piss someone off into despair and that, in reality, anxiety can be a normal reaction and is different from general anxiety disorder , a serious condition. That feeling down is not the same as depression. Patients often describe how a common struggle in this area is the persistent attempts by those close to them to understand their condition. Instead of attempting to help, frustrated loved ones may initiate interrogation-style sessions, applying their lack of acceptance or knowledge to a situation in a harmful way. The frustrations of the situation can lead to anger, guilt and denial. A patient's push to provide a singular event or reason for their condition simply shows a lack of real understanding of the situation at hand. Often the questions asked go unanswered and instead of seeking them together, patients may feel ostracized by those around them. “If you know someone who is depressed, please resolve to never ask them why.” - Stephen Fry “The question “why are you depressed?” it made me even more depressed every time I was asked” - Hazel Stones It is important to clarify at some point the distinction between the form of understanding that a professional and a civilian in general aim to have and form. While greater understanding of mental health is always desirable, this essay does not focus on the need for understanding in research or other professional medical settings. In these cases it is absolutely necessary to seek understanding, but the notable difference is that they seek a much higher level than those around them. At the core of their work, they are trying to understand the biological causes, lifestyle or possible causes and how to counteract them. In terms of our previous scale, this goes beyond the relationship, in a sense they are taking their relational understanding and using it to further break down the scenario. The everyday population, however, will never seek understanding on this same scale; although many have a contextual understanding, the desired level would be more operational. The goal is for them to be able to operate appropriately in mental health cases, with their actions thatthey help and do not harm further. The problem with understanding the general population is that they are often dissatisfied with this level of understanding, seeking deeper meanings, causes, or explanations to behaviors. We can consider two rough categories of mental illness, “accepted” and “not” – which incidentally coincide with “recognizable” and “not”. Conditions that appear to be extensions of typical behaviors, such as depression and anxiety, are as such considered more recognizable. This causes people to believe they have a better grasp and understanding of the situation if it appears to be similar to what they could understand. Even more so if there appears to be an apparent cause such as bereavement, a significant change in personal situation or trauma. In these cases, mental health issues are seen as a little more acceptable, easier to discuss, and are considered a more appropriate response. Indeed, when negative stigma was assessed at multiple time points, both anxiety and depression were consistently found to score significantly lower in suffering from negative stereotypes and patient blame. Comparison Schizophrenia is viewed more negatively than anxiety and depression. This is clearly visible in trends observed over long periods of time as reported by Angermeyer and in many works by Crisp. Although Jaspers focuses much of his work on the need to understand, he admits that there are some situations that do not satisfy this need, separating them: “The deepest distinction in psychic life seems to be that between what is significant and allows for empathy and what a its way is incomprehensible, 'crazy' in the literal sense, the schizophrenic psychic life”. Schizophrenia and other less recognizable illnesses are undeniably less accepted in modern society. Irregular behaviors and actions are so far from the social "norm" that people are unable to understand them or explain the reasons for them, and as such struggle to accept them. This demonstrates a fundamental issue with the principle of understanding in mental health. Many mental health conditions are simply too complex to understand in a way that has causes and explanations, as the general public would hope. We must also consider the harsh truth of the ability to understand "incomprehensible" conditions, that is, in order to understand and empathize with them, it is necessary to have experienced them. Even in the psychiatric field, if one believes one can deeply understand a patient's incomprehensible condition, one might argue that by doing so they have come too close, breaking the traditional barrier between doctor and patient. It can be hypothesized that in order to understand such distressing conditions, in a way that allows one to empathize, the person must have or currently suffer from a similar mental condition. In some cases this allows recovered patients to move forward and help their community, as in the case of Frederick Frese. Dr. Frese has suffered from schizophrenia since he was 25 and has been hospitalized more than 10 times, but has continued to manage his condition ever since, earning a master's degree in psychology. He eventually returned to the facility where he was once held and cared for, but now he's on the other side of the table, managing the site and treating other patients. Frese states that “many of those lending their voices to the emerging consumer advocacy movement were people who, despite having been diagnosed and treated for schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder….” It's a fine line to be able to walk, many who have suffered from past delusions can be accidentally triggered into another episode ifthey try to relate too deeply to the delusions of other patients. The Benefits of Acceptance It is a well-established fact that acceptance is a positive step for many processes. In fact, one popular form of therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, is focused on training people to become more aware of and crucially accepting of their feelings and thoughts. This allows the patient to continue to base their actions on true realities rather than misunderstood versions of events. Historically, the acceptance of race, religion, sexuality, and other important variables within human culture has been seen as a step toward a more progressive society. In many of these cases, there was no real understanding initially, yet acceptance was given. This represents the efforts of cultural change and the hard work of many protesters and leaders, sometimes over hundreds of years. It's fair to ask what the tangible value of acceptance in and of mental health is. It is widely known that acceptance in general has positive effects. Along with numerous other articles, Bond and Bunce consistently show that greater acceptance in general correlates with greater mental health and job prosperity across all studies conducted. It is constantly used as a tool within multiple practices, ranging from mindfulness to its own branch of therapy. These practices cite multiple benefitsacceptance, largely centered on the ability it gives us to process and act appropriately, as Theo Bennet says "If I consider you crazy, then how can we start a dialogue?". Acceptance can allow people to fully embrace a discussion, to become more in touch with their own emotions and those of others. It fundamentally enables progress by helping others and ourselves overcome problems. This is evident from the role it plays in developing psychological flexibility. We are already acutely aware of the benefit that understanding has, and being able to accept earlier can in turn help an individual understand later. Often, a lack of understanding of a situation stems from an inability or unwillingness to communicate problems and emotions. Acceptance allows us to overcome potentially difficult situations by trusting that the situation is as it appears. People often credit others' (and themselves's) acceptance of their mental health as a key step in their recovery processes. The extent to which we accept a situation can determine how we guide our goals and objectives for the future and, consequently, what actions we can take. Now, instead of spending energy fighting a situation, we might aim to manage it, or begin to process how the situation originated, thus leading to greater understanding. Challenging Ourselves to Accept Without Understanding It may seem counterintuitive to our natural process of learning to accept without understanding, however there are multiple issues throughout history where we have been able to do just that. Indeed, some disciplines are based on this approach: science in general has been governed by the search for explanations of widely accepted phenomena. We have accepted the evidence and existence of phenomena such as quantum effects and stellar cycles that date back to the beginning of human history. In a less academic setting, we consider the opinions of others that we accept, even if we do not share their opinions and may not be able to understand them. Some heterosexual people struggle to understand homosexual attractions, cannot personally perceive their appeal and find it as suchdifficult to understand them. Yet they accept this behavior despite this fact. Over time, society has moved beyond previously difficult issues such as race, religion, and sexuality, pushing for greater acceptance which, over time, has led to greater understanding and a richer culture among us. What is required of us to become more accepting is cultural analysis and self-reflection. Often in this scenario we are asked to "put ourselves in someone else's shoes", but this seems difficult in a situation you cannot understand or comprehend. The mental health community often claims that mental health is just like physical illness, however, as previously discussed, this approach has its problems as a method of encouraging acceptance. Maybe to accept we should try to relate to a bare and bare statement about mental health. That is, most people with these conditions suffer. A negative emotion that we are all familiar with to some extent. This is a twofold statement, first in the fact that they are in a negatively affected state that deserves compassion and some level of care, but also in the fact that it exists in principle as a phenomenon. There have always been critics of mental health, fueled by their own lack of faith and the publications of skeptics like Szasz. Szasz takes the situation to extremes in his literature, listing mental health as the cause of events that will go down in history as false, joining the ranks of "gods, witches and microorganisms". Much of his argument is based on the concept that it does not respond to or appears to have a notable physical cause, which in some cases can now be disputed with various forms of scans. However, even Szasz, with his seemingly outlandish comments, accepted mental health behaviors, advocating adult counseling therapy. Risks involved While it is important to aim to be able to accept, it is probably part of the human requirement to be able to understand first. If we challenge ourselves to accept first, we may find ourselves attempting to understand by forging erroneous or harmful opinions about mental health conditions. Szasz likely accepts the existence and problems of mental health, yet his views can be incredibly upsetting or harmful to others. He seems like a paradoxical preacher, who claims that therapeutic sessions are helpful but at the same time undermine the conditions of the individuals who can turn to him. Another concern is that if acceptance is achieved, then it is entirely possible that the dialogue will be stopped. Individuals may feel that their social responsibilities are now over and that they need not make further attempts to educate themselves or empathize in the field. Instead of allowing progress, those with a “least effort” approach may take it as an excuse to cease actions. However, if this were the case, we should ask ourselves whether this is true acceptance or just a statement of it. Looking back at our definitions, saying you agree to something and then burying your head in the sand is not an indication of intelligent and appropriate behavior. So perhaps what we need to be wary of is the risk of incomplete acceptance. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Conclusion Now more than ever it is important to treat mental health fairly and compassionately. There has been a substantial increase in the number of cases of mental health problems over the last 50 years, in more recent times this has been even more rapid with visits to mental health professionals by:, 71(1):81–90, 2014.