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Iris Lis

Ms. Franco

English 12, Period 4

18 November 2016

Socializing with a Mental Illness

A mental illness is something some people were born with; it just changes the perspective
of many things. Many were born with different mental illnesses with different depths, just like
how people are born with different ears, eyes, nose shape and skin tone. Famous painter Vincent
Van Gogh was diagnosed with a mental illness known as Bipolar Disorder (Durrant). Having this
illness did not stop him from trying to be part of society. Many would look down upon those
with any type of mental illness and never associate with them. People believed that mental illness
is only cure within the person who has the mental illness. In other words, have them deal with it
on their own. A person with a mental disorder such as Vincent Van Gogh, can still be a functional
member of society
A mental illness is commonly looked at as a flaw in society. The common voice would
say that anyone with a mental illness does not have the capacity to accomplish simple tasks
normal people could without question. Vincent Van Gogh was a man who suffered a mental
illness called Bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is a mental war between the mind and itself. A
person with bipolar disorder has episodes dealing with heavy emotions, depressing lows and
extreme highs. Even with this disorder, Vincent Van Gogh was able to create many amazing
paintings that no one could do at the time. He was able to channel his emotions into these
paintings. Van Goghs paintings range from his blue period, which was his depressing lows to
beautiful sunflower art work, which would be one of his manic highs (Impact). Vincent Van
Gogh was a man with a mental illness, looked down upon by others but was still able to create
beautiful work for the world to admire (Van Gogh, Vincent). Mental illness leaves a huge
legacy, not just for the person suffering it but for those around them(Lysette Anthony Quotes).
Some might say that Van Goghs mental disorder was why he was able to leave a legacy

of paintings behind. His style was an iconic form of art during and after his time because it had

never been done before. The contour of the images he would paint was entirely different from

classic artist because his brain functioned differently (Van Gogh, Vincent.^Comtons...). Van

Gogh would use complex hues as a way to portray his emotions in his artwork (Van Gogh, Stone,

and Stone). His emotions and the way he was not able to express himself towards other is the

thriving point to to his paintings. Since many people made him feel like an outsider and left him
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on his own, his paintings was a way to communicate to others without any physical contact.

Many people put down his paintings at first because no one thought a man with his mental health

was able to do such beautiful things.

Having a mental illness might cause someone to isolate themselves from the outside

world. People tend to leave those who are suffering from mental illness which causes the illness

to worsen. Socializing can help keep those with such an illness from falling apart

(Socialization). Vincent Van Gogh was shunned by his peers which made him feel worse about

himself leading to his suicide. Socializing is key when it comes to mental illnesses. Time spent

socializing can lift spirits up and keep confidence from crumbling down. Many people think that

others with mental illnesses should all be locked up in one place all together, a mental hospital.

When they are isolated from society, people tend to think out of sight is out of mind. Society

seems to function better when people are separated into sections. For example, when someone

who has Bipolar disorder is acting up, they are more likely to be paired up with someone who

shares the same disorder in a mental hospital to help treat them. This would make normal

people feel better about their well-being.

When someone is diagnosed with a mental illness, people see them as a lost cause;

nothing can help them except themselves. That is why people tend to leave them alone and let

them solve this issues on their own. Many people are terrified of those with mental illnesses

because they are afraid that they might breakdown out of nowhere and cause harm to those

around them. These mental breakdowns happen because they lack social skills and have a hard

time connecting with people. No matter how many people they talk to, they still cannot have a

normal relationship with anybody. What they require is more than just a deep conversation. They
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need a relationship where they can share caring emotions thatll benefit them by allowing them

to feel normal.

Having a mental illness is not easy to overlook and requires a lot of help because of how

fragile their mind is. Socializing is one of the best ways to overcome or reduce any depressing

emotions. Many people with mental illnesses should not feel the need to isolate themselves from

society. They could find an understanding relationship thatll help them in the future. People with

mental illnesses should not be shunned from the outside world. Their brain isnt correctly

functional because of mental illness. However, it should not get in the way of connecting with

people because many can achieve what they set their mind to.
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Works Cited

Durrant, Nancy. "Alcohol, bipolar disorder, syphilis -- the madness of Vincent van Gogh ; What

was it that drove the painter to suicide? A new exhibition at the Van Gogh Museum looks

at the evidence, says Nancy Durrant." Times of London. 16 Jul. 2016: 8. eLibrary. Web.

20 Nov. 2016.ov. 2016.

Impact, The Net. "Vincent Van Gogh Gallery." Vincent Van Gogh Gallery. N.p., n.d. Web. 18

Nov. 2016.

"Lysette Anthony Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.

"Socialization." Mental Help Socialization Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2016.

"Van Gogh, Vincent." Compton's by Britannica, v 6.0. 2009. eLibrary. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.

Van Gogh, Vincent, Irving Stone, and Jean Stone. Dear Theo: The Autobiography of Vincent

Van Gogh. New York, NY: Plume, 1995. Print.