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A Historical Overview of the Mentally Challenged

What is the definition of a mentally challenged person? Being mentally deficient is not defined as an illness or medical disorder, simply a low limit in functioning, developmental and cognitive abilities. Mentally challenged people are found in all races and cultures, and account for roughly three per cent of the global population. In contrast, a mental illness is a disease of the mind with symptoms severe enough to require psychiatric intervention (e.g. schizophrenia).
There have always been mentally challenged people within our society; however they have not been easily accepted in the past. Low-functioning individuals were once looked upon as "objects" of dread, ridicule or disease, and were even thought to have been demonic or possessed. This view has changed drastically, yet there is still a lot of prejudice towards the mentally challenged and handicapped.
In the United States, institutions for the mentally challenged......

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Approximate Word Count: 1476
Approximate Pages: 6 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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