Mental system diseases refer to the malfunction of the human brain nervous system, caused by congenital developmental disorders or postnatal stimulation. Usually, such diseases result in a loss of control over thinking and logical analysis in the brain, and in rare cases, they may also affect physical and bodily functions.
Currently, most countries around the world categorize mental illnesses in the same category as physical ailments, without any discrimination. Compared to over a hundred years ago when those with mental illnesses were subjected to inhumane torture and discrimination, this marks a significant leap. The treatment of mental illnesses has always intrigued the general public. For instance, an American medical doctor conducted an experiment by inserting normal individuals among psychiatric patients and infiltrating a psychiatric hospital undercover. The aim was to understand how psychiatrists treat and assess psychiatric standards.
Firstly, what are the differences between psychiatric patients and ordinary individuals? Due to the deep influence of movies and TV shows, there is significant discrimination against psychiatric patients, often portrayed as being loud, aggressive, and irrational. In reality, aggressive patients are the minority; most psychiatric patients are relatively stable. With proper and scientific treatment, most can return to a normal life. Thus, a psychiatric patient in a stable state is indistinguishable from an ordinary person on the streets.
There is a humorous story about how doctors assess whether psychiatric patients have recovered.
Before discharging psychiatric patients, the doctor tests them to see if they have fully recovered. The test involves filling a large bathtub with water and providing a spoon and a basin. The requirement is to drain the water as quickly as possible, and the one who achieves this is considered recovered. Our immediate response as normal individuals would be to use a large basin to scoop the water, thinking it would be the fastest way to drain it. However, the correct answer is to immediately pull the plug of the bathtub so the water flows out, eliminating the need to scoop it out basin by basin. This test is actually a brain teaser and does not necessarily diagnose the impact of mental illness on the brain.
There is a story about an American doctor who is actually a psychology professor with a doctoral degree. As psychology is a scientific discipline that studies human internal activities and predicts mental qualities, classes are often theoretical and abstract. Once during a lecture on whether people with mental illnesses think similarly to normal individuals, students felt the teacher’s explanations were too abstract, leading to a strained atmosphere in class.
In response to the students’ doubts, the psychology doctor did not get angry but instead identified an issue he had overlooked. He realized the importance of understanding how individuals with mental illnesses think internally and how psychiatric professionals assess their mental well-being. Thus, he decided to personally experience the daily life and treatment of psychiatric patients in a mental institution. With a bold plan in mind, he designed a detailed experimental procedure. He recruited volunteers from society, including professionals from various fields such as psychologists, psychiatrists, a doctor, an artist, and a housewife. These individuals were mentally sound with no family history of hereditary mental illnesses.
To make these individuals appear more like those with mental issues, he first instructed them to present themselves in a disheveled manner, avoiding haircuts, baths, and intentionally looking dirty and unwell. Once prepared, without informing the mental hospitals of the actual situation, he individually sent these volunteers to several mental institutions for evaluation.
The volunteers provided doctors with pre-written details of their supposed illnesses, including hearing inexplicable voices regularly. Subsequently, these hospitals diagnosed most of the volunteers with auditory hallucinations and other psychiatric disorders due to schizophrenia. One person was even diagnosed with severe schizophrenia, believed to exhibit manic behavior and aggression.
Upon entry into the mental hospitals, these volunteers maintained their normal daily routines, yet doctors deemed their behavior abnormal. They suspected the individuals were adept at deception, concealing their illnesses intentionally. The doctors earnestly developed treatment plans and specific medications tailored to address their perceived psychiatric conditions. The volunteers were required to take various medications daily and undergo corresponding treatments as part of their medical regimen.
After the experiment ended, the psychology professor publicly disclosed his process and exposed the malpractices in these mental institutions. This revelation sparked widespread attention, prompting societal scrutiny into the professionalism and scientific standards of psychiatric diagnostic facilities. Consequently, reforms in psychiatric care were initiated, transforming diagnosis, identification, and treatment processes into thoroughly scientific and rigorous procedures, significantly impacting mental health management for future generations.
