Insanity
Dark, hopeless, void is the world in which the truly disturbed are trapped. Lost in the depths of their own minds, insanity victims experience true suffering each and every day in desolate wasteland from which they cannot return. Some would say these people are sick. But are the disturbed actually sick? They simply view the world from another perspective. It makes sense to act upon the way the world is viewed. Thus, insanity is not a disease, but a state of mind.
The term “insanity” is not a psychological definition, but a legal definition. It must be understood that insanity is a general term to describe those who commit criminal activities as a result of their own mind. For insanity to be accepted in the court of law, “It must be shown that, as a result of a mental disease or mental defect, they lacked at the time of their offense the substantial mental capacity either (1) to appreciate the criminality (the wrongfulness) of their conduct or (2) to conform their conduct to the requirements of the law” (Dolan, Jr., page 30). This means that, legally, it must be proven that a person did not know that what they were doing was wrong, or that they did not know how to act according to the law. Since insanity is a legal definition and covers a broad range of disorders, the schizophrenic disorder will be used for the sake of example.
The definition of a schizophrenic is “one who is characterized by disordered thinking, delusions, hallucinations, emotional disturbance, and withdrawal from reality” (The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology). In Patrick Young's, The Schizophrenic Experience, he writes, “The delusions of schizophrenics often involve 'knowing' they are being watched or that people can read their minds. It is very frightening and threatening to feel that every stranger they pass on the street knows their innermost thoughts and deepest secrets.” Imagine living in a world like this. No personal thoughts are hidden from anybody. To feel that everybody nearby knows everything can make anybody feel exposed. No wonder these people go mad!
Many people use terms such as “sick and twisted” to describe the clinically insane. Most automatically assume a person is afflicted with a disease because of their actions. Even professional psychologists refer to their patients as “ill”. But insanity is not a sickness. No virus or pathogen is involved. Rather, the insane are locked away in a reality of their own, causing them to act upon it. This also explains why perfectly “sane” people can perform the same atrocities as the insane. Insanity is thus a state of mind rather than a disease.
Thus arises the “Nature versus Nurture” argument, which is the debate between whether these defects are passed down through heritage, or if certain traits are brought to the surface through specific social conditioning. “The nature-versus-nurture argument – whether the disease is biologically inherited or caused by environmental factors – runs deep and heated in regard to schizophrenia” (Patrick Young, Mental Disturbances, page 42). Are mental defects a result of bloodline, or is it a product of society? Was the monster born, or has society created the monster within? There is much debate between these two standpoints. Each side has valid points. However, neither can completely explain how nearly any person can develop schizophrenia.
The claim that insanity is a state of mind takes both sides of this coin. Studies show that victims of mental disorders are likely to inherit the disorder if it runs in the family. This shows that conscious choice is clearly not the only factor involved in mental disturbances. But disturbances such as schizophrenia are still produced in families that show no history of schizophrenia. This means that these disorders are not inherited, but merely the tendency to develop it. Otherwise, perfectly “sane” families would not develop the disorder.
Because insanity is a state of mind, anyone is prone to it due to the fact that the only thing necessary to achieve insanity is a change in a person's current state of mind. Things such as morality, logic (choosing the best course of action or making a logical decision), and empathy all can be willingly given up by making a conscious decision to ignore it. The more that person ignores these “voices”, the more those voices of morality fade, and thus their own grip on reality fades.
There will always be an influence in a person's mind, however. This means that if the proper influences are removed, the mind needs to fall back on something else. Since everything that makes logical sense has been removed, the mind is going to fall back onto an illogical foundation. That illogical foundation is what provides the basis for mental disorders. Due to the simplicity of choosing another mindset (saying that one no longer wishes to follow this pattern and retraining one's mind to follow another), any person can choose insanity.
If a person makes a decision based upon the false world they perceive, then that person can't be to blame completely for their actions. That person acted upon how they perceive the world. Like a screaming infant at a wedding, the insane don't know any better. As written by Edward F. Dolan in The Insanity Plea, “In all these instances, it can be argued that the accused was so insane that he or she did not know what was being done. Consequently, the person did not intend to commit a criminal act.” Thus the insane cannot be completely condemned for their choice of actions, even if the consequences affect others as well. Instead, the insane need to be treated and helped. This is where the challenge comes in. The goal of the doctor is to convince the insane that the reality they perceive is not real, point out the flaws, and help the person back to reality. But even the sane have a problem accepting correction, so it is often just as difficult to correct the insane.
Unfortunately, what many psychologists try to do is medicate the problem away rather than dealing with it. All this does is put the patient in a comatose trance, thus keeping that person out of the way. It doesn't address the core issue. Insanity can't be medicated away because insanity is not a disease. Insanity requires treatment because it is a mindset problem. Medication is to be used as an aid rather than a solution.
Insanity is treated as a disease in today's world. Unfortunately, this treatment is caused mainly by a general misunderstanding of the psychology of insanity. Experts label the insane as sick, while the mass populace simply chooses to turn a blind eye towards anything that doesn't make sense. Instead of making an attempt to relate to and understand these people, society simply avoids them, saying simply that anybody who is different needs to be removed. This is the worst form of treatment for anybody.
Thus, since insanity is a state of mind, we can conclude that anybody is susceptible to it. Since anybody can develop insanity, these people need to be cared for and treated. A general application for everyday life can be learned here. If somebody is different, there is absolutely no reason to treat that person differently. That person simply sees the world through another perspective. Perhaps, instead of condemning that person for their state of mind, it would be more efficient to reevaluate one's own state of mind.
If society can learn this skill, for the sane and insane alike, perhaps more people would be tolerated. To be able to see through somebody else's eyes as well as one's own will open new doors for wisdom and knowledge. Different is not wrong. Different is unusual and nothing more. Sanity and insanity are merely states of mind.
Bibliography
Dolan, Edward F. "The Insanity Plea: Today." The Insanity Plea. New York : F. Watts, 1984. 30. Print.
Strickland, Bonnie B. "Schizophrenia." The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology. Second ed. Detroit , Gale Group, 2001. Print.
Young, Patrick. "Nature versus Nurture." Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Drugs. New York : Young, Patrick. "The Symptoms: Delusions." Schizophrenia. New York : Chelsea House, 1988. 25-26. Print.
