Psychology - Mental Health

• Characteristics of psychologically healthy people

  • Positive engagement in society
  • Effective coping with challenges
  • Not being overwhelmed by difficult feelings
  • Positive relationships and support networks
  • Dealing with disappointments positively
• Western society has developed medical/biological explanations for mental health problems, tested scientifically
• Non-western cultures have explanations based more on the mind and spirituality, with treatment based on religious ideas
• Increased stigma towards mental health conditions


  People feel shame and are less likely to seek medical help
• Symptoms of mental health conditions can be interpreted differently around the world
• Hearing voices is seen as an auditory hallucination and schizophrenia diagnosis in the UK, but an acceptable religious experience for some from Afro-Caribbean backgrounds
• People from Afro-Caribbean backgrounds in the UK are more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia than the general population
• How modern living has changed

  • Increased social isolation
  • Fewer close friends to confide in
  • Negative effects of social media
• Changes in the economy

  More temporary employment, job insecurity, financial worries
• Prescriptions for antidepressants rose 97% between 2008-2018
• Increased awareness and understanding of mental health problems due to charities and changes in laws like the Mental Health Act
• Reduced social stigma around mental health, with high-profile campaigns encouraging people to talk about it
• Knowing someone with a mental health condition improves attitudes towards people with mental health conditions
• Willingness to work, live and continue a relationship with someone with a mental health problem increased by 11% between 2009-2016
• Effects of mental health problems on the individual

  • Reduced communication with others
  • Difficulty with daily tasks
  • Negative impact on physical wellbeing
• Effects of mental health problems on society

  • Need for social care and support
  • Increased crime rates
  • Costs to the economy and healthcare system