Introduction
Mental problems at the present stage of society are discussed with greater openness than in the past decades. One of the driving forces for the development of this factor was the Crazy movement or Mad Pride. This initiative contributed to the development of awareness that people, regardless of their social, economic, or social status, may have mental deviations. Moreover, the Crazy Movement contributed to the establishment of government programs to support the psychologically ill, which is of particular value. Thus, this scientific work aims to study the reasons for the importance of the Crazy Movement and to consider its contribution to the formation of mental health awareness in modern society.
The influence of the Crazy Movement on the acceptance of mental diseases in society
First of all, it is necessary to gain an understanding of the historical background of the movement in question. Henceforth, Mad Pride is a movement that was founded by four men at the end of the twentieth century, whom themselves had deviations in psychological development (Coleborne, 2020). There were several reasons for the foundation of this initiative at that time. One of the main things was the prevention of stigmatization in relation to mental issues that people face (Bharadwaj et al., 2017; Hoffman, 2019). This was of particular importance since unhealthy stereotypes existed in the mind of the public at that time in relation to people with psychological disabilities. Thus, the purpose of this movement was to show that despite non-psychological diseases, a person can lead a normal, balanced, and healthy life.
Stigmatization is one of the most severe consequences of silence about problems related to psychological health. It is defined as public disapproval and prejudice towards people with mental disabilities. The main consequence of this attitude is the deterioration of symptoms and the course of diseases, which further affect the general condition of the population. In addition, an open conversation about the presence of mental problems can become an obstacle not only in communication but also, for example, when finding a job. Furthermore, the government should conduct programs to encourage an increase in the level of education about the topic under study, which will help eliminate discrimination against people with problems with mental well-being.
Another reason that contributed to the emergence of the phenomenon of Mad Pride was the restriction in the provision of medical care to patients in the form of defective legislation. Hence, this aspect can be considered from different points of view. For example, many at that time believed that psychological illnesses were treated well, but many patients complained of incorrectly prescribed drugs that could only worsen their condition. Thus, the legislation did not deny the presence of mental illnesses. At the same time, in the conditions of everyday life, mentally ill people could receive inappropriate treatment or even not receive it due to financial difficulties.
One of the controversial things was the name of the movement that emerged. Therefore, despite its important message, the presence of the word “mad” in its name carried quite mixed perceptions (Beresford, 2020). This was since this word in society often carries a negative connotation and is associated with exceptional cases when mental illnesses cloud the patient’s mind and lead to negative consequences. Sources state that these occur “when a person is exhibiting aggressive tendencies or other behaviors that could potentially lead to harm” (Sabella, 2021, p. 66). However, the task of the Mad Movement was to show people that mad individuals do not always carry something bad in them. Thus, the activists of the movement were aimed at changing the meaning of the word and associations with it to more positive ones. This will help to rid people of the fear that they may encounter misunderstanding when talking about their illness associated with a psychological state.
The importance of Mad Pride for a Mad movement is expressed in the dissemination of awareness and awareness of diseases related to the psychological state of a person. It also implies providing knowledge that, for example, diseases such as schizophrenia are not the obsessive and frightening disorders that movies and books show to the public. Moreover, the popularity of this phenomenon is supported by a large number of individuals who have mental deviations. At the moment, a relatively large number of the population have certain diseases associated with psychological well-being. However, only half of them can openly talk about their problems, and the rest prefer to hide this information (Latha et al., 2020). This circumstance hinders the spread of awareness, which can pave the way for the establishment of equal treatment for all people, regardless of mental attitude.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this work was engaged in the study of the influence of the Mad Movement on the acceptance of mental diseases in society. The initiative that emerged at the turn of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries helped to spread awareness about the importance of limiting stigmatization around psychological deviations. In addition, it showed that anyone could have problems of this kind, and it is important to treat all patients equally. Moreover, expanding the influence of knowledge about mental health can help to diagnose the disease faster and more effectively and begin providing assistance to reduce symptoms.
References
Beresford, P. (2020). ‘Mad’, Mad studies and advancing inclusive resistance. Disability & Society, 35(8), 1337-1342.
Bharadwaj, P., Pai, M. M., & Suziedelyte, A. (2017). Mental health stigma. Economics Letters, 159, 57-60.
Coleborne, C. (2020). Why talk about madness? Bringing history into the conversation. Springer.
Hoffman, G. A. (2019). Public mental health without the health? Challenges and contributions from the Mad Pride and neurodiversity paradigms. Developments in Neuroethics and Bioethics, 2, 289-326.
Latha, K., Meena, K. S., Pravitha, M. R., Dasgupta, M., & Chaturvedi, S. K. (2020). Effective use of social media platforms for promotion of mental health awareness. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 9.
Sabella, D. (2021). Improving mental health awareness. AJN The American Journal of Nursing, 121(9), 66-69.