Mental Health/Illness & Stress

Question 1

Define mental health

Answer 1

State of emotional and social wellbeing in which individuals can cope with normal stresses of life, can work productively and can contribute to their community.

Question 2

Define mental illness

Answer 2

A mental disorder that affects one or more functions of the mind. A mental illness can interfere with a person’s thoughts, emotions, perceptions and behaviours.

Question 3

Give an example of a mental illness

Answer 3

• mood disorders
• depression, bi-polar
• anxiety disorder
• OCD, phobias
• schizophrenia

Question 4

Define normality

Answer 4

A pattern of thoughts, feelings or behaviour that conforms to a standards of proper and acceptable ways of behaving.

Question 5

Define abnormality

Answer 5

A pattern of thoughts, feelings and behaviours that are atypical, distressing and dysfunctional

Question 6

What are the six types of normality?

Answer 6

Sociocultural
Functional
Historical
Medical
Situational
Statistical

Question 7

Describe the sociocultural approach to normality

Answer 7

TF&B that are appropriate or acceptable in a particular society, thus inappropriate or unacceptable and dysfunctional behaviours = abnormal

Question 8

Describe the functional approach to normality

Answer 8

TF&B are deemed normal if the individual is able to live independently in society - abnormal if individual is unable to function effectively in society

Eg. Feeding and clothing yourself, finding a job, making friends are normal
Not holding a job or avoiding relAtionships, abnormal

Question 9

Explain the historical approach to normality

Answer 9

Normal and abnormal is determined depending on the era/time period of a particular society or culture

Eg. Corporal punishment being the norm in the 70’s-90’s whereas now it is very rare and illegal