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Nolan J. Tiersch

Professor Jean Coco

English 1001

14 April 2018

My intended audience is focused to those studying or practicing medicine for treatment of mental

illness. The goal is to offer information and an overview of differences among treatments in

conflicting cultures, while exploring a novel approach to integration.

Preface
What needs work in in the paper is the information I include under the sub questions. I would
like to remain aware of my intended audience with comments of where I stray from influential
material. I would like aid with the order I present material, to create a linear flow of context
throughout the paper leading to conclusion. Lastly, suggestions for organization or reordering of
context may offer additional help to the direction flow of material. The strength of my teacher
comment draft is the outline with the use of focused sub questions to address major points
encompassing the LOI. Throughout researching the topic and reflecting the focus of the paper, I
have generated what I believe to be a decent skeleton for the paper.
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Ideology of Mental Illness Treatment

Psychology is a recently developed field of scientific study, which focuses on the analysis

of the human mind. It encompasses not only the physical attributes of the brain but the responses

of a client (Person of study) under given circumstances. Disputes of abnormal psychological

function has existed through most of human history until presently. The expansion of knowledge

in the field of psychology is led by recognition of mental disabilities. Psychologists and

researchers have developed a universally accepted literature, the DSM-5, to standardize the

analysis of symptoms, to properly diagnose psychological disorders.

The manifestation of psychological disorders can be linked to the various factors such as:

traumatic experiences; childhood development; societal pressures and stress over-exertion (Sue).

Mental disorders are considered illnesses; the severity of these illnesses can be often more

destructive to one’s health than physical ailments. The increasing prevalence of psychological

disorders is occurring on an international scale and appear to have dynamically variable effects

on different clients. Thus, emphasizing the importance of development towards effective and

modernistic approaches to treatment for mental illness.

Skepticism that the integration of multiple treatment methods may offer a balanced and a

fundamentally more universal approach for treatment. The idea of treatment integration has been

particularly difficult through prior case studies; however, I along with others believe the attempt

to do so should not be abandoned (Laska). Hypothetically, psychologists could use the proposed

concepts to broaden their knowledge of therapeutic practices. Thus, increasing the average

performance for therapists on an international scale; possibly creating versatile therapists, which

offer optimized treatment for individual patients considering the factors which led to their mental
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illness. This would be best introduced into the field through a phycology journal, explaining

standardized method of patient interaction.

In this paper, I would like to examine treatment for psychological disability practices

internationally. To approach this, in a line of inquiry I ask, “How does the methodology for

treatment of mental illness differ between Eastern and Western cultures?”. In attempt to

concisely address the broad nature of this inquiry topic, I divide the paper into subtopic questions

which are: 1) “What are the medicinal approaches for mental health?”; 2) “What are the

therapeutic approaches for mental health?” and 3) ”What are advantages and disadvantages for

mental health?”.

What are the medicinal approaches for mental health?

Western culture practices the placement of clients into classification systems; placement

is determined by the degree of symptoms expressed in clients. Once placed into a classification,

clients are typically prescribed similar medications. Medications are synthetic compounds, which

have passed clinical trials to promote the mental health of a client by diminishing undesirable

symptoms. In contrast, traditional medicines in Eastern culture use extraction of compounds

found in nature. Current Eastern medical models of that nature have a homeopathic effect. For

example, as stated in Homeopathy and Integrative Medicine: Keeping An Open Mind,

“Homeopathy enjoys growing popularity with the lay population, but it is not acknowledged by

academia or included in medical guidelines” (Bellavite).

What are the therapeutic approaches for mental health?

Western theories of counseling and psychotherapy classifies an individual by the

demonstration of traits shared throughout the population. Eastern practices stray away from the
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generalization of clients as a whole; the therapists take an individualistic approach to

understanding each person. Mindfulness and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy discusses Eastern

methods of practicing psychoanalytic psychotherapy. For example, “The teaching or essence or

‘way’ of Buddhism, that is, a ‘non-dualistic wisdom’ or ‘non-self-referential awareness’ into the

Western mainstream” (Lin).

What are advantages and disadvantages for mental health?

The advantage of Western Culture is the main ability to reach their populations

efficiently. With much technology development conduction through the recent years, dating to

the age of industrialism, we have been obsessed with rapid production. This allows for

advancements to quickly be made and pushed nationwide; however, with synthesized

compounds, it is hard to predict the outcome to exposure with any given human mind. As

depicted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, prescribed medicine may be

abused or lead to worsening of symptoms; currently we face the opioid epidemic across the US.

The advantage of Eastern Culture is the inherit objective of self-reflection found in their

culture. Unlike Western culture, Eastern mainly focuses on examining an individual’s mind and

utilizing natural ways to uproot the client’s disturbances. Thus, minimizing opportunities of

substance abuse or substance reliance for welfare. Eastern methodology has been practiced for

centuries with similar tactics, with frequent success but on a small scale at a person to person

rate. The culture’s lack of adaption to technology and minimal collection of clinical statistics

diminishes standardization platforms.

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Works Cited

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders

(5thed.). Arlington, VA: Author

Bellavite, Paolo. "Homeopathy and integrative medicine: keeping an open mind." Journal of

Medicine and the Person 13.1 (2015): 1-6.

Laska, Kevin M., Alan S. Gurman, and Bruce E. Wampold. "Expanding the lens of evidence-

based practice in psychotherapy: A common factors perspective." Psychotherapy 51.4

(2014): 467.

Lin, Peter, and Henry M. Seiden. "Mindfulness and psychoanalytic psychotherapy: A clinical

convergence." Psychoanalytic Psychology 32.2 (2015): 321.

Sue, David, et al. Understanding abnormal behavior. Cengage Learning, 2015.

US Department of Health and Human Services. “About the U.S. Opioid Epidemic.” HHS.gov. 6

Mar. 2018, www.hhs.gov/opioids/about-the-epidemic.