Defining Mental Health Flashcards
What is a disorder?
> A set of symptoms which interfere with daily functioning.
Symptoms which are reasonably consistent between patients but the origins/causes may differe
E.g. PTSD, major depression
What is a syndrome?
> A specific profile of symptoms
The origins and clinical severity may vary
E.g. Dyslexia, Down syndrome
What is a disease?
> A condition with a known cause, predictable course and standard protocols for treatment.
E.g. Malaria, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease
What is the definition of mental health?
Mental health is a state of emotion and social well-being in which individuals can cope with the normal stresses of life, and can work productively and contribute to their community.
What are the typical characteristics of good mental health?
High levels of function: independent, goals, development
Social wellbeing: connected, valued, desired
Emotional wellbeing: balanced, normal range, strategies
Resilience: the capacity to recover quickly from set backs.
What is a mental illness?
A mental illness affects one or more functions of the mind. This can interfere with a person’s thoughts, emotions, perceptions and behaviours.
What is the definition of ‘mentally healthy’?
A state of emotional and social wellbeing where individuals:
> Realise their own abilities
> Can cope with the normal stressors of life
> Can work productiviely
> Contribute to their community
What is the definition of a ‘mental health problem’?
Where an individual appears to the mentally healthy but have issues that interfere with normal function for a short period of time:
> Exaggerated forms of normal thoughts, feelings and behaviours
> Causes: issues with thought processes
What is the definition of a ‘mental disorder’?
A clinically recognisable set of symptoms and behaviours that usually need treatment to be alleviated.
What is the mental health continuum?
Healthy > Reacting > Injured > Ill
Healthy: normal functioning
Reacting: Common & reversible distress
Injured: Persistent functional impairment
Ill: Clinical disorder; severe functional impairment
What are the internal and external factors affecting mental health (4 P’s)?
> Predisposing
Precipitating
Perpetuating
Protective
What are predisposing factors?
Long-term, conditioning cations that make someone liable or more inclined to a specific condition.
Such as: genetics, personality (e.g. poor belief in their own ability to succeed)
What are precipitating factors?
Short-term elements that contribute to the occurrence of a disorder.
Such as: poor sleep, stress, loss of a loved one
What are perpetuating factors?
Factors which maintain the disabling symptoms of an individual , increasing the duration of an illness and inhibit recovery.
Such as: rumination, stigmas preventing willingness for treatment, bullying, trauma
What are protective factors?
Conditions in an individual/community/society that helps mitigate risks.
Such as: good diet, social support, cognitive behaviour strategies
