Stalked by the Fear That Dementia Is Stalking You
By Judith Graham, Kaiser Health News
Feb. 20, 2020
Share the link to the current event at the top of your post (Note: it MUST be a link your classmates can open and view).
Summarize the current event; include the wording used by the author to describe the mental or substance use disorder.
Discuss the back story of the person(s) involved in the event (e.g., medical history, life-altering event, trauma, etc.) as described by the source.
Discuss any social, physical, and/or psychological behaviors that are normally associated with the disorder described; include any unique life stressors (e.g., relationships, employment, housing, life event, etc.) that may have contributed to the event.
8
Mental Health Disorders
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Learning Outcomes
After reading this chapter, you should be able to
• Explain the history of mental health disorders.
• Discuss the interaction between genetics and environment in the development of mental health disorders.
• Differentiate the symptoms and expression of the mental health disorders discussed in this chapter.
• Use Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model to illustrate the micro-, meso-, and macro-level impact of mental
health disorders.
• Discuss mental health disorder development through the life span.
• Identify three basic approaches for the treatment of major mental disorders.
• Explain social issues as they relate to mental disorders.
• Describe how stigma affects the treatment of mental disorders.
• Explain mental health care disparities and discuss strategies to fix them.
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Introduction to Mental Health Disorders
Section 8.1
8.1 Introduction to Mental Health Disorders
Mental health is not just the absence of mental disorders. The World Health Organization
(WHO) defined mental health as “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his
or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and
fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community” (WHO, 2014, para. 1).
Characteristics of people who are mentally healthy include the following:
• They show appropriate emotions related to the circumstances.
• They have the ability to be flexible and easily adjust their responses to unexpected
occurrences.
• They have a sense of self-worth.
• They have the ability to identify and accept their own shortcomings and the sense of
humor to laugh at those shortcomings.
• They are able to make decisions and learn from failure.
• They have a sense of satisfaction in life (e.g., for work well done and with their relationships, level of success, and overall happiness).
• They demonstrate socially acceptable and considerate behaviors.
• They have a sense of values (e.g., they know right from wrong).
• They use wisdom and experience to make judgments and decisions.
• They are able to set realistic goals and plans.
• They have the ability to think independently.
• They have respect for others.
• They have personal relationships that are fulfilling and long-lasting.
• They have normal attitudes toward sex and relationships.
• They are interested in a variety of activities and are able to balance their responsibilities with personal interests (Selvam, n.d.).
Mental health disorders always occur within a social context, and how dysfunctional an individual is may be determined by the support they receive and the responses of people in their
environment. For a short video produced by the WHO about the global reach of mental illness,
go to: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8iRjEOH41c).
In the following sections, we examine the history of mental illness and common mental health
disorders in the chronological order that they are likely to appear through the life span.