Intro to mental health

• Mental health

  • Condition of being mentally and emotionally sound and not having a mental disorder
  • Individuals with good mental health feel comfortable with a good standard of life
• UK statistics

  • Depression - Approx 3 in 100 people
  • Anxiety - Approx 5 in 100 people
  • Eating disorders - Approx 2 in 100 people
• Characteristics of a mental health problem

  • May struggle to socialise with others
  • Struggle to concentrate
  • Struggle to sleep
  • Symptoms could change depending on the mental health problem being faced
• How is mental health changing?

  • Changing for the worse as more people are diagnosed
  • 2007 - 24% of adults were accessing treatment for mental health
  • 2014- risen to 37%
• Why is modern life more challenging?

  • Difficult to escape poverty - can lead to mental health problems
  • Social isolation can be a problem (e.g, elderly people)
• How has social stigma around mental health changed?

  • Previously, people with mental health issues could be given harmful labels such as "lunatic" or "insane"
  • In today's society, people are more accepting of others with mental health issues
• How do different cultures view mental health?

  • UK- Hearing voices is seen as a symptom of Schizophrenia
  • Africa- hearing voices is a sign of being mentally healthy
  • South/Middle-East Asia- Mental health issues are seen as a result of Jinns