mental health Flashcards
what is mental health?
a state of wellbeing where a person
- realises their own abilities
- can cope with normal stressors
- can work productively
- can make a contribution to the community
why is mental health represented on a continuum
- no absolute divisions
- a person’s location of a continuum is not fixed
- varies as our circumstances change over time
mentally healthy def
- generally positive state of mental well-being
- striving to fulfil goals
- can cope with and manage challenges
- working productively
- potential and having a sense of connections to others and the community
what are some characteristics of mentally healthy people?
- positive state of wellbeing
- can use abilities to reach potential
- can work productively
- can contribute constructively to the community
what are some distinguishing features of a mentally healthy person?
- tend to be functioning well in everyday life
- tend to have higher levels of emotional and social wellbeing
- unlikely to be experiencing persistent distress
what is a mental health problem?
adversely affects the way a person thinks, feels and/or behaves, typically to a lesser extent and shorter duration than a mental disorder
- typically normal, short-term reactions due to difficult situations
what are some characteristics of mental health problems?
- may feel worried, tense, despair, irritable (often in response to a stressor)
- may socially withdraw
- may experience a loss of energy and motivation
- may have difficulties concentrating, making decisions and thinking clearly
- some degree of psychological impairment
what are distinguishing features of a mental health problem?
- tends to involve less distress and disruption to everyday functioning than a mental disorder
- tends to have a lower level of emotional and/or social wellbeing than mentally healthy but higher than mental disorder
- tends to be temporary➝ pass once stressor passes
what is a mental disorder?
a mental health state that involves a combination of thoughts, feelings and/or behaviours which are usually associated with significant personal distress and impair the ability to function in everyday life
what are some characteristics of a mental disorder?
- thoughts feelings and/or behaviour are atypical or the person
- thoughts, feelings and/or behaviours are inappropriate within the individual’s culture
what are some distinguishing features of a mental disorder?
- disability in everyday functioning
- low levels of social and emotional wellbeing
- causes more distress and disruption to a person’s life
- longer lasting and more serious than a mental health problem
what are internal factors and examples?
influences that originate inside or within a person
bio: genetics, sex, levels of neurotransmitters, ns functioning, bodily responses to stress
psych: thoughts, feelings, beliefs, attitudes, perceptions, learning, reconstruction of memory
what are external factors and examples?
influences that originate outside a person
social: school, work, relationships, education, income, housing, access to health care, cultural influences
what is the biopsychosocial model?
describes how bio, psych and social factors combine and interact to influence mental health
- a ‘whole’ functioning in their unique environment= more likely to gain an accurate picture of a person’s mental health
what are biological factors?
physiologically determined influences
what are psychological factors?
influences associated with mental processes
what are social factors?
influences that originate outside a person
what are the 3 typical characteristics mentally healthy people have in common?
- high level of functioning
- high level of social and emotional well being
- resilience to life stressors
what is high level of functioning?
- how well an individual independently operates in their environment and adaptively meets the challenges of living across a range of areas
- adaptive behaviour: can adjust to the demands of life
what are some examples of high levels of functioning?
- daily living skills: participation in self-care and independent living activities such as personal hygiene, dressing, eating, remembering to take any prescribed medications, fulfilling household responsibilities
- school and work: productive and achieving goals
- leisure/recreational activities: participation in extracurricular activities at school, hobbies/ interests/ free time outside school/ work
- cognitive skills e.g. learning and applying knowledge, logical and clear thinking, planning and decision-making
what is social well being?
ability to have satisfying relationships and interactions with others
what are some examples of high levels of social wellbeing?
- develop and maintain healthy relationships
- socially interact with others in appropriate ways
- respect and understand others
- competently resolve conflicts
- feel self-confident alone and with others
what is emotional well being?
ability to control emotions and express them appropriately and comfortably
what are some examples of high emotional well being?
- able to understand, share and regulate emotions in appropriate ways
- can enjoy life despite occasional setbacks and disappointments
- develop awareness and understanding of their own emotions
- identify emotions in others and empathise
