In Taiwan, those with mental disorders are subject to general publics misperception that the root causes of the mental disorders are "over-thinking", "having a lot of time and nothing better to do", "stagnant", "not serious in life", "not paying enough attention to the real life affairs", "mentally weak", "refusing to be resilient", "turning back to perfectionistic strivings", "not bravery" and so forth.Employment discrimination is reported to play a significant part in the high rate of unemployment among those with a diagnosis of mental illness. An Australian study found that having a mental illness is a bigger barrier to employment than a physical disability. The mentally ill are stigmatized in Chinese society and can not legally marry.Efforts are being undertaken worldwide to eliminate the stigma of mental illness, although the methods and outcomes used have sometimes been criticized. Media and general public
Media coverage of mental illness comprises predominantly negative and pejorative depictions, for example, of incompetence, violence or criminality, with far less coverage of positive issues such as accomplishments or human rights issues. Such negative depictions, including in childrens cartoons, are thought to contribute to stigma and negative attitudes in the public and in those with mental health problems themselves, although more sensitive or serious cinematic portrayals have increased in prevalence.In the United States, the Carter Center has created fellowships for journalists in South Africa, the U.S., and Romania, to enable reporters to research and write stories on mental health topics.
The hair is seen under a microscope with bumps in the hair strand. These cause the hair to be brittle and break in the thinner sections. Severe cases of monilethrix can also effect finger and toe nails causing abnormal growth. Monilethrix can also cause keratosis pilaris (small bumps on the skin). Less severe cases of Monilethrix may only affect certain parts of the scalp, usually the back of the head and neck. Diagnosis
Monilethrix may be diagnosed with trichoscopy and other forms of dermoscopy. Light microscopic examination is diagnostic and reveals elliptical nodes of normal thickness and intermittent constrictions, internodes at which the hair easily breaks. Under examination, the hair is beaded. The beading is the result of a periodic narrowing of the shaft with nodes separated by about 0.7 mm. In general, there is a tendency for spontaneous improvement with time, especially during puberty and pregnancy, but the condition never disappears completely. Genetics
Monilethrix is caused by mutations affecting the genes KRTHB1 (KRT81), KRTHB3 (KRT83), or KRTHB6 (KRT86) which code for type II hair cortex keratins. The disorder is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. This means that the defective gene(s) responsible for the disorder is located on an autosome, and only one copy of the gene is sufficient to cause the disorder, when inherited from a parent who has the disorder. If an affected parent and an unaffected parent have children, 75% of the time they will be affected by Monilethrix. It can be equally present in both males and females.