Failure to Function

• Failure to function adequately is at the point when someones can no longer cope with the demands of everyday life.
• We might decide that someone is not functioning when they are unable to maintain basic standards of nutrition and hygiene.
• We might consider someone failing to function when they cannot hold down a job or maintain relationships with those around them.
• Rosehan and Seligman have proposed additional signs

  • Failure to follow interpersonal rules such as maintaining eye contact
  • Personal Distress
  • When someone is irrational or dangerious to themselves or others
• Strength - Threshold for help

  •  Around 25% of people in the UK will experience a mental health problem in any given year. However many press on dispite severe symptoms.
  • It tends to be when we cease to function that people seek professional help.
• Limitation - Discrimination

  • It is hard to tell if someone is deviating from social norms or failing to function - such as choosing not to have a job or those who take part in high risk leisure activities

  This mean that those making unusual choices are at risk for being abnormal.
• There are some circumstances in which most of us fail to function such as bereavement. It may be unfair to give someone a label that may cause them future problems just because they react to difficult circumstances.