Are Deaf or Hearing Impaired People More Susceptible to Mental Illnesses?

Ameri screw Sign Language Are desensitiseenen or hard of interview pile more susceptible to amiable illnesses? The ability to communicate is at the heart of good noetic wellness. Within any large congregation of people, one may expect to come on a smaller pigeonholing with mental wellness issues. However, in addition to conquering the knottyies associated with the inability to efficaciously communicate, individuals in the deafen community must in addition attempt to find mental wellness facilities that can accommodate their special circumstances.With all the challenges that feeling these individuals, it would come to no surprise to learn whether they are more wedded to mental health problems than audition individuals. First, any diagnoses of any mental health issue in the United States comes from one book, the DSM IV- the Diagnostic and Statistical manual(a) of moral Disorders, Version IV. This bible of the mental health field is illogical into five sections, though the first two are most ordinary in the studies to fol broken.The first section is Axis I, listing and describing the Clinical disorders including major(ip) mental disorders and information disorders, such as depression, schizophrenia, ADHD, and bipolar disorder. Axis II lists Personality disorders such as paranoid mortalality disorder and unfree personality disorder, and mental retardation. In diagnosing children with sensory problems it is important to bring forward that early onset of compactificant hearing impairment can urinate a profound effect on the childs development, with indecent consequences for mental health, both in childhood and adult life. 0% of deaf children born to hearing parents risk developmental delays in language and vocabulary, resulting in consequences in emotional, psychological, and educational growth (du Feu, 2003). In the past, these consequences manifested themselves in lower expectations for deaf children, and exhaustingies in teachin g them led to the absence of correctly diagnosing easygoing learning disabilities, fear deficit disorder, and even autism. The childrens behaviors were instead attri moreovered to their deafness. As a result, deaf children withstand an increased prevalence of mental health problems, 45-50% ersus an average of 25% for the global population. Interestingly enough, deaf children from deaf families do not show this increased level of mental health problems (du Feu, 2003). Because hearing loss so readily interferes with the acquisition of vocabulary, the mean English literacy of deaf high school graduates is at the 4. 5 grade level. (Reed, 2006) To compound this problem, a great many deaf people are not suave in American Sign Language either, leaving the individual with a gross inability to communicate in superior general.Or, assuming the deaf person knows at least some ASL, indite sentences may be choppy, incomplete, written in ASL syntax versus English grammar, and therefore may be tawdry to the physician. Many mental help providers mistake frequent language and parley issues for developmental delays, mental illness or mental retardation. However, misdiagnosing a non-fluent deaf person as psychotic is tho as prevalent as mistaking psychosis as merely poor communication. The fear of being misdiagnosed overdue to language and cultural differences is one causal agency why deaf people may be reluctant to research treatment for a mental health problem.Early studies found that schizophrenia was more greens in deaf individuals than hearing people however, the re sayion of diagnoses from schizophrenia to adjustment disorders and organic problems occurred as the diagnostic process became more accu ramble and clearly defined (Black, 2006). In addition, deaf people are far less likely to be diagnosed with psychotic diagnoses if they are served in a deaf psychiatric course of study versus the mainstream population understandably, those specific deaf psychiat ric programs are not everlastingly readily available in the individuals vicinity.Another reason deaf people may hesitate to seek treatment for mental disorders is the lack of providers who have knowledge of ASL and how it differs from English as well as the basics about deaf education and development (Pollard, 2010). Mental health providers must to a fault learn deaf culture to differentiate what can be considered common behavior in a deaf patient. For instance, a deaf person may stomp loudly on the bedeck to gain ones attention behavior that would be considered strong-growing by hearing tandards but accepted as quite normal in a deaf community. Deaf people are also very animated in their talk, relying on vivid reveal of expression and strong emotion to convey their feelings. These theatrics which are a normal part of ASL and deaf language are considered unnecessary in the general hearing public. Energetic signing may make people come along to be excitable or aggressive. Deaf peoples shopping mall of attention contact, use of personal space and way of touching others to gain attention may all be misinterpreted as they can appear direct or intrusive. du Feu, 20063) Clinicians often labeled rapid signing as a symptom of psychotic behavior rather than the change of mood that was real indicated by the patient. (Reed, 2006) Deaf patients were more often misunderstood than correctly diagnosed, leading(p) to unnecessary and sometimes potentially harmful treatment and even detainment. If I cant trust my local mental health center to offer me someone whos competent to deal with me, why should I go? (Pollard, 2010)More recent studies, though admittedly not experts in completely understanding the deaf culture and language, have had more received results in the prevalence of mental disorders among the deaf. The frequency of mental illness among deaf people is at least as high as in the population at large. (Mueller, 2006) Findings also reveal the rate of Axis I disorders (depression, psychotic disorders) does not differ between hearing and deaf populations, including schizophrenia, but Axis II (personality disorders, mental retardation) and childhood behavior problems are 3 to six times more prevalent for deaf persons.The high rate of personality disorders may be related to attachment difficulties in some hearing families with deaf children. Deaf children and adolescents exhibit higher levels of behavioral and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders than the general population. (Haskins, 2000) Posttraumatic stress disorder is noted as being the most common diagnosis found in the deaf community. (Mueller, 2006) Deaf patients are also less likely to be diagnosed with psychotic or substance treat disorder and more likely to be diagnosed with a mood, anxiety, or developmental disorder than members of the hearing population.However, providers still have limited knowledge of deafness or deaf culture which continues to seriously impact the ability to accurately assess and/or diagnose. (Mueller, 2006) While the hearing population can overt a phone book and choose one of many, many providers to seek treatment for their problems, the deaf community has very unretentive options. Aside from the difficult task of finding a signing counselor, one may pull up stakes an interpreter to accompany in the in the intensely personal academic session that may also prove uncomfortable for the deaf patient and the interpreter, and it may skew the relationship with the clinician.In the past, therapists believed deaf people showed a low incidence of depression in reality, it is more likely that the deaf just choose not to seek help. In addition to the challenges presented in childhood and adulthood for deaf patients, they must continue on their journey into solitude and beyond, frequently becoming more and more isolated as checkup conditions start to accumulate with old age. Few residential or breast feeding homes or psychogeriatri c services have experience with deaf people who sign.In conclusion, Ive proven my theory that deaf people are more susceptible to some mental health issues due to the obstacles faced everyday with communicating with others. Correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment, however, are both difficult steps to the rehabilitation process. In research for this project, I learned of a 28 year old deaf woman who was born to hearing parents. The parents were advised early on not to learn to sign, and to discourage her from learning as well.Instead, they tried to have an instructor teach her the oral method, at least initially. Extremely unhappy, the girl developed behavior problems in childhood that increased in adolescence and carried over to early adulthood. She tried to socialize at the local deaf club but only knew a little ASL. She was barely literate, unable to hold a job or have a satisfying life. Upon eventual hospitalization, she was hostile and withdrawn. Frustrated at being unable t o communicate with her, the womans parents asked the intake person to sign to the woman that they loved her.The woman signed the bitter response that she had senseless her entire childhood trying to learn to speak and her parents had not pass a single hour learning to sign. (du Feu, 2003) Ignorance isnt always bliss. Bibliography Advances in psychiatrical Treatment, Margaret du Feu, 2003, volume 9, pp95-103 Deaf People Mental Illness Mental Illness in the Deaf Community Increasing Awareness and Identifying Needs, Sandra Mueller, 2006, www. lifeprint. com serving and Assessing Deaf Patients Implications for Psychiatry, B.Haskins, psychiatric Times, December 2000, volume XVII, Issue 12 Demographics, Psychiatric Diagnoses, and Other Characteristics of North American Deaf and Hard of Hearing Inpatients, Patricia Black, Riverview Psychiatric Center, jdsde. oxfordjournals. org Interview with Robert Pollard, Ph. D. , Professor of Psychiatry at University of Rochester and director of De af wellness Center, 2010, www. healthbridges. info Mental Health Issues in the Deaf Community, Kimberly Reed, About. com guide 2006 bipolar. about. com/od/socialissues/a/000425_deaf. htm