Are people who are dirty mentally ill? (College paper)?

[BabyMama]

I am writing a paper on a possible correlation between mental illness and dirtiness. There is no real scientific background on this, it is just to test how well I can argue a point. Please give opinions on the state of my argument. Dirtiness is not a normal human condition, or even a normal animal condition.If you keep a dirty home, you are either homeless, or you are mentally ill. A sane person would not live in filth. They would care about the safety of their food by storing it properly, and washing utensils and dishes properly. A normal person does not want to step in sticky crap on the floor, or have to dodge around debris and garbage on the ground. Some people make the excuse that they cannot keep the house clean because they are too busy, which means that they cannot manage their time well, or that they cannot keep their house clean because of their children, which means they do not know how to discipline their children. People who claim that the mess, disorganization and dirt do not bother them are simply insane because that is not a normal thought process. Dirtiness is a learned behavior, many people whose parents were unclean become unclean as well, because this is all they know. It causes a delusion that their surroundings are normal. Many people who are dirty think that people who are clean are , obsessive compulsive, and unhappy, and are unable to see their behavior is far more detrimental. Therefore, dirtiness is a sign of mental illness, if not a condition of its own due to the abandonment of social norms, a blatant disregard for safety and Hygiene, and delusional of normalcy and that those around them are wrong, mentally ill themselves, or in some cases, out to get them.THe subject was assigned. It is meant to see if I can get people to agree to something with or without actual back up. Its a test of persuasion. It is meant to be radical, unconventional, and offensive, and I have to argue it with someone who has an opposite topic. It is not my belief.

 

[Tamra]

An interesting theory, but I believe it to be extremely untrue. I have several severe mental illnesses and I keep my home relatively spotless. Friends of mine that have a dirty house are very busy. Not because they chose it, because they have to work two jobs or they have special needs children.You arguement sound vey one sided. You do not mention that there may be no correlation, that in some of the case studies you have seen, some fit the bill and some don;t. One thing about mental health, it is unpredictable. To make such a bold statement as every insane person is dirty and every dirty person is insane to stating something you believe, not a proven fact. If there have been no offical studies, I don't know how you could write a paper on it, but if you must, you have to apprach it scientifically.You have to represent each side clearly, with an argument supporting both and in you conclusion, you may state which you believe to be true. Your statements about dirtiness being a abnormal state is not back up and I can think of several examples in only a few seconds that contrdict your statement. For example, Dung Beetles actually live and eat in poop. If that isnt unclean, than what is. And by the way, cleanliness a social norm, not something that we would otherwise be aware of. Animals literally live in their own shit and don;t care. It is a part of their life, and to them , it is not wrong.I can tell from your writting that you are passionate about this topic and you probably know someone that is both dirty and mentally ill. Just because it happens sometimes doesn't make it true. Think of some common stereotypes. Some black people do like chicken, but that doesn't make it true for every black person born. Your statement about homeless people was also out of place.Your writing, although true to you, makes the reader feel defensive. When I read the question, I felt personally attacked, even though it is not true for me, but I felt that I needed to find flaws in your arguments because they were to sharp, if you are going to state something negative about a group of people, you need to do so gentally. Conitually state in your paper that this is opinon or it is based on sos and so collected data from this reliable source.I hope you understand, and by the way, don;t use the word insane. Ever. That is a legal term, in no psychology book will you find that word and since youare dealing with metal health, call it mental health or psychological problems or some similar term. You should research this.Also, since medical health, or insane, crazy and not normal, (these words make the reader defensive) is such a broad topic with thousands of diseases, you should look at a correlation of depression and uncleanliness or bi-polar disorder and uncleanliness. Uncleanliness is also kind of broad, you might want to try to narrow it down to cleanliness of a persona home or hygiene. I also want to point out that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a mental illness and most people who are suffering from it are obsessively CLEAN. Here is a link with more info:http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=46748So, in conclusion, I strongly suggest that you change your subject because after a quick search, I did not find and information either for or against your theory. By the way, did you come up with it or did you see it somewhere?Anyways, if you keep your subject and you want me to take a look at your paper and make some more specific comments, I will be glad to do so. Email me here.SSims@chatham.edu

 

[xxBabygirlxx]

Well, I understand that this was an assignment and not an actual opinion most likely, so it isn't a bad argument but a little fictional sounding.You might want to leave out the part about clean people being "out to get them". It is too dramatic to be believable. Try to think of something else if you can.Also, in therapy there are many analogies. The home one keeps is really considered analogous to the person's state of mind. Chaotic, unkempt, dirty home means a chaotic, unkempt, dirty mind. So it is not unfounded that this might actually be true to some extent.Otherwise, well written and good paper.