Mental health

• Mental health


  Characteristics of people who are not suffering from mental distress
• Characteristics of mental health


  • Positive engagement with society
  • Effective coping with challenges
  • Not being overcome by difficult feelings
  • Positive relationships
  • Dealing with disappointments
  • Making decisions
• Positive engagement with society


  • People attend school, work and social events and work hard to make a constructive contribution while there
• Effective coping with challenges


  • Being able to work on life's problems (e.g. exams, big work projects) with focus and consistently, without getting overwhelmed by the task and giving up, or ignoring them
• Not being overcome by difficult feelings


  • While sadness is a normal human experience, someone with resilient mental health will be sad temporally and keep what is making them sad in perspective
• Positive relationships


  • Mentally healthy people will often have a support network (perhaps small) of close friends and family they can rely on
• Dealing with disappointments


  • When bad life events happen they try to keep it in perspective and react in a positive manner without excessive self criticism
• Making decisions


  • Don't over think or procrastinate over choices
• Mental health problems in western societies


  Generally explained and treated on biological principles tested using scientific methods
• Some non-western cultures


  Emphasise the mind and spirituality as an explanation for mental health issues, seeking treatment based in religious practice
• Stigma


  Some cultures have a significantly greater negative attitudes towards individuals with mental health disorders, seeing mental health problems as a personal failing
• Stigma towards mental health disorders in some cultures

  May result in people from those cultures being more resistant to seeking medical help fearing shame
• Schizophrenia


  People with an Afro-Caribbean heritage in the UK are much more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia than the general population
• Hearing voices is more culturally acceptable for Afro-Caribbean culture as the voices are interpreted as being a religious experience
• Reasons why mental health has become more prevalent


  • Increased challenges of modern living
  • Isolation
  • Social Media
  • Precarious employment
• Increased challenges of modern living


  The world has changed significantly in the previous few years due to technological, economic and political factors. It is thought that some of these changes have had a negative effect on peoples mental wellbeing
• Isolation


  Many more individuals are living alone, in particular older people. Young people are now leading more independent, less family-oriented lives. Research also suggests people now have far fewer close friends who they feel they can confide in
• Social Media


  Young people are thought to be especially affected by the rise of social media platforms such as Facebook. This can cause body issue disorders, a sense of competition and enable online bulling all leading to anxiety and depression
• Precarious employment


  The economy has changed in recent years towards more temporary positions known as the "gig economy". This is thought to cause emotional stress for workers concerned about how they will survive financially
• The number of UK antidepressant prescriptions increased by 97% between 2008 and 2018 suggesting there are factors of the modern world increasing depression
• Mental health awareness


  More awareness of mental health
• Understanding of the causes of mental health problems


  • Developed over time in the UK
  • Due to the work of charities
  • Impact of The Mental Health Act (1983) that protected rights of people suffering mental illness
• Social stigma towards mental health sufferers

  Lessening in the UK
• There has been a decrease in the level of social stigma shown to mental health sufferers in the UK
• Factors contributing to lessening of social stigma

  Range of factors
• Mental health campaigns


  • High profile advertisements
  • Some aimed specifically at men who still show higher levels of social stigma compared to women
• Attitudes towards people with mental health problems


  Improved by knowing someone personally with a mental health problem
• The increased number of people disclosing mental health problems and sharing their personal experiences has increases tolerance
• The National Attitudes to Mental Illness Survey found people's willingness to work, live and continue a relationship with someone with a mental health problem have improved by 11% between 2009 and 2016
• Individual effects of having a mental health condition


  • Not just the symptoms of that particular disorder that impact on the sufferers life
• Symptoms of the mental health condition


  Cause the sufferer to reduce the amount of communication they have with the people around them
• Reduced communication


  Can cause previously close friends and family members to become more distant
• Parents having mental health issues


  Can result in their children being placed into care settings due to parents not being able to provide a safe environment
• Children being placed into care settings


  Can result in a long term separation and distress for both children and parents
• Difficulties coping with day to day life for people with a mental health condition


  • Symptoms can make tasks that are simple for others are very challenging
  • Can cause problems with hygiene and difficulties attending and performing at school or work
• Symptoms or medication side effects of a mental health condition


  May prevent the sufferer from looking after their physical health such as eating unhealthily, having sleep loss and lacking the motivation to take part in physical exercise
• Social effects of mental health


  • Impacts sufferers and people around them
  • Impacts overall functioning of society
• Need for more social care


  • People with mental health problems often unable to maintain employment to cover their own living costs
  • Need support with housing
  • Need additional health care and benefits to pay for essentials such as food
  • People with severe mental health problems may need to be cared for in institutions
• Mental health problems


  Often impair judgement making people violent
• People struggling with addiction


  May use petty crime such as shoplifting to fund their habit