Key Concepts

• mental health:

  * generally happy and high self esteem

  * productive

  * skilled at problem solving and tackling challenges
• mental health problems:

  * moderate symptoms eg loss of appetite and disrupted sleep

  * unable to handle everyday stress so turn to alcohol or isolates oneself
• mental disorder:

  * severe and long lasting symptoms

  * may require treatment or therapy to recover
• current prevalence of mental health problems?

  * 1 in 4 have mental health problem

  * number of mental health problems decline with age

  * women tend to be diagnosed more than men

  * people identifying LGBT are more at risk of experiencing mental health problems
• incidence of mental health problems over time?

  * some like schizophrenia have stayed stable over time, while others increase or decrease

  * classified into ICD (International Classification of Diseases) and DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for mental disorders)

  * Mental Health Act 1959 reduced a lot of stigma surrounding mental disorders

  * recent surveys show society as more tolerant and less judgemental nowadays, thanks to charities, campaigns and raised awareness
• effects of stigma?

  * before being diagnosed, individuals can display behaviours which are bizarre and socially unacceptable

  * behaviours could be stigmatised bc go against social norms

  * if given a diagnosis, could be a label for people to use on them
• effects of discrimination?

  * more about acting on prejudices

  * could discriminate by not giving diagnosed individuals the same rights or opportunities eg promotions at work
• effects of mental problems on society?

  * if increases, we need to find resources and time to help people

  * treatments can be expensive

  * professionals believe in care in the community helps

  * currently there's a worry of people missing work bc of mental problems, and this is effecting the economy