I have created my own definition of mental health and mental illness. I believe they both have unique definitions that help explain what they are. Personally, members of my family and my friends suffer from mental illnesses, which gave me a unique view on mental illness and mental health. As a social worker, it is important to understand different mental illnesses and how to assess which illness the person may have. I believe when working in this field, I will have some challenges because people in my family have struggled with mental illnesses. In general, I am excited to take this course and expand my knowledge about mental health and mental illnesses to further my understanding of clients I may encounter. In addition, I hope this course …show more content…
In addition, I believe mental health is an individual’s state of well being and how easy it is for them to cope with daily stressors without it impacting their life. Mental health is how an individual sees themselves and the level of self-respect and confidence they have. I have gathered this personal definition of mental health through personal struggles and also by psychology classes in previous years. I believe mental health is on a spectrum that an individual can move up and down on throughout life. I know that my moods fluctuate depending on different stressors, for example, in secondary school, I struggled with my self-esteem which lead to negative coping mechanisms, although I was never diagnosed, looking back I know my mental health was unstable. Furthermore, my personal definition of mental illness is a state where an individual’s mental health is unstable and which leads to unrealistic thoughts, hallucinations or delusions that impact their everyday life. Furthermore, I believe it is a chemical imbalance in the brain that changes the way a person views the world and themselves. I have developed this definition of mental illness through learning about it in secondary school and in psychology courses in post secondary school. I have learned about different parts of the brain and imbalances lead to different mental illnesses. Therefore, through personal and schooling experiences, I have created my own personal definitions of mental health and mental
Society's understanding of mental health has been revolutionized in recent decades. There has been increased research directed towards mental health, greater support for those who are affected, and a better understanding of it by the general public. In this current generation, mental illnesses are now viewed as serious conditions that need to be properly treated. Mental health is a vital component of an individual's well-being and how he or she is able to cope with the difficulties of life. When challenges arise, mental state is critical to overcoming those challenges.
To understand what mental illness is you have to know what it means. Mental health is the state of our well-being. Mental health has to do with the mind. According to thefreedictionary.com mental health is “a state of emotional and psychological well-being in which an individual is able to use his or her cognitive and emotional capabilities, function in society, and meet the ordinary demands of everyday life”. Mental illness are behavioral, psychological, and emotional disorders that effect the mind. Mental illness is not something that should be avoided. There many different types of mental illnesses. There are also mental healthcare services that can help people with their mental illnesses.
The National Institute of Mental Health defines mental illness as a disruption in neural circuits. Mental illness is a social phenomenon which has been around since the prehistoric times. It is unequally distributed across social, ethnic and gender groups in the UK. The explanations for these differences rest upon biological, economic, cultural and institutional factors. Despite these, many medical advancements have made to treat mental illnesses. Looking at the history of mental illness, it was a widespread belief that mental illness is caused by spiritual or religious reasons, and rituals were used as the means to treat the individuals similar to today. So what is mental illness? The term itself covers broad of emotional and psychological
I have really enjoyed doing the research for this project. Mental illnesses are something that I have been really fascinated in, and by writing about several of these illnesses I have learned quite a bit. I never realized that some of these mental illnesses could be so similar yet affect their lives so differently. Many people could not live a happy life if it was not for the help of their loved ones, and the doctors that make their treatments available.
Mental health is being aware, accepting yourself, and striking a balance in all aspects of your life like social, spiritual, physical, economical, and mental (Association, 2001). Mental health can be described as our positive interactions with the context and events in our life, and having the ability to cope with life’s stressors. Mental health problems can begin at anytime during your life (CAMH, 2010). In fact anything can make it difficult for an individual’s ability to interact effectively, and may lead into a mental health problem (Association, 2001).
In general, mental health has been defined as multifaceted based on six dimensions behavioral, cognitive, socio-political, effective, spiritual and psychological. In addition, mental health comprise of spiritual and emotional resilience that help an individual to continue surviving after sadness, disappointments and pains have occurred(Thomas, 2016). However, mental illness in refers to a mental health problem that involves the changes in
Race, by definition, refers to biological characteristics of individuals as reflected in their physical appearance (Lyndonna Marrast, David U. Himmelstein, and Steffie Woolhandler, 2016) Contrary to popular race, the concept of race is not something that is intrinsic to human nature; in other words, it is an aspect of society that has been socially constructed with the intention of separation and segregation. Usually, those that are placed into racial categories are associated with certain prejudices and biases that are the result of multiple stereotypes that are perpetuated in our society; for example, there are multiple stigmas of African Americans in today’s society. As a result, this has allowed for the development of a specific way of
Mental illness is a lot like having a psychical illness, and more than sixty million Americans suffer from some type of mental disorder every year. Most people who suffer from a mental disorder are unaware that they even have a mental problem until they seek some type of medical attention. The evolution of Social Work in Mental Health, has been influenced by development of different types of psychiatric care. Mental illness causes a lot of emotional pain and that pain causes us to push for a solution. Social workers do many things some of the important work that social workers so is help people who have a range of issues that includes eating disorders, mental illness, financial problems, substance and mental abuse, along with marriage and
According to the National Alliance Mental illness is defined as a condition that impacts a person’s thinking, feeling, or mood and may affect his or her ability to relate to others or function on a
Mental health can described as being the psychological state of someone who is functioning at a satisfactory level of emotional and behavioural adjustment; this refers to our mental and emotional well-being. Once hearing that someone is mentally unhealthy, or has a mental illness, usually their first reaction is one of concern, fear, or confusion.
Lysette Anthony once said “Mental Illness leaves a huge legacy, not just for the person suffering from it but for those around them”. Mental Illness affects our society in many different ways from our families all the way to our work environments. Mental Illness can affect our society mainly through medical cost, injuries, and even disability. Some people well, most people think that mental illness is just an health condition that changes people’s mood or feeling which it is but, it’s also a condition that may affect someone’s ability to function and when it affects someone’s ability to function then it’s affecting a lot of people in the world.
Mental health can be seen as a continuum where illnesses are defined as patterns of behaviour that cause psychological suffering, distress and disability preventing adequate functioning with the potential of risk of harm to the self or others (Martins-Mourao, 2010, p. 92).
According to the C.D.C ( Centers for Disease Control) the term mental health is commonly used in reference to mental illness. However, knowledge in the field has advanced to a level that completely separates the two terminologies. But even so mental health and mental illness are indeed in fact related, they represent different psychological state of mind with in a person. Mental health refers to our physical and emotional well being. Mental health is mainly all about how we behave, interact, and think. It c...
Mental health refers to the state of individuals psychologically, emotionally and socially. Mental health affects a person’s emotions, feelings, thoughts, and sections when exposed to different situations. Furthermore, mental health is responsible for a person’s reaction to stress and other social conditions. Generally, mental health affects how a person relates to others and their ability to understand and interact with them. Therefore, problems that affect a person’s mental health affect the abilities to socialize, their feelings, moods, reaction to situations. The person experiencing mental health problem may portray different behaviors when confronted with different issues. Mental health issues have several
The dictionary definition of mental health is, “psychological well-being and satisfactory adjustment to society and to the ordinary demands of life, the field of medicine concerned with the maintenance or achievement of such well-being and adjustment” (Dictionary.com). In other words, mental health is the way people deal with their feelings and how they act throughout their day. Mental diseases, such as depression, could cause people to think of going through the day as a chore and could become really upset at the idea of having to continue to get up and do the same thing over and over again. Mental illnesses cause people to look at life differently or see good things through a different eye.