HLTHAGE 2GG3 Study Guide - Fall 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Mental Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Psychopathology
12 Oct 2018
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HLTHAGE 2GG3
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
Lecture 1: Introducing Mental Health and Illness
Why “Mental” Health?
• The mind and the body
• Line between physical and mental not as clear as dualists would assume
Ex: cause, experience, symptom and expression
• Despite links between body and mind, physical state cannot necessarily give an
indication of mental health (The difference matters)
-Whether tense shoulders or shortness of breath, myriad explanations
-Thus, mental health is almost entirely self-reported- great importance of self-
perception
• When we say “mental health” we’re referring to feelings, thoughts, cognition and self-
concept
What does good mental health mean?
• No generally accepted definition- contested
• Minimalist: absence of mental disorders
• Broader considerations:
-The ability to connect with other people
-The ability to enjoy oneself
-The ability to handle stress, discomfort and change
-Sense of psychological and emotional wellbeing
-Sense of capability
-Flexibility
• Thus, mental health is not entirely personal- linked to others. We must consider mental
health in a social context
Poor Mental Health- Disorder Model
• Assumes mental illnesses exist as discrete categories, one “has it” or one does not
• Based on disease model- Specific causes, specific treatments
• Although some symptoms might result components of normality, collections of
symptoms form syndromes that are discrete and unique
Poor Mental Health- Distress Model
• Distress model (dimensional)
-Mental illnesses do not exist as independent entities, rather, all people score on a
continuum of psychological distress, part of everyday life
-Those who experience substantial amounts of these negative phenomena may be
considered unwell or distressed, but disease may be a misnomer
• Everyday life is naturally full of some degree of negative affect, stress, worry, concern,
etc. What defines “poor mental health” is just as contested as “good mental health”
This Course…
• Approaches mental health and illness broadly, focusing more on these concepts as broad
spectrums of experience rather than binary states
• What factors shape development of good mental health? Poor mental health?
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
• How can we explain dramatic increase of interest in mental health and illness?
• Key Tension: Are mental health troubles the result of individual problems or broader
social issues? Should we try to “fix” the individual? Can we “fix” society?
The DSM
• “The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders”
• The official list of what counts as a mental illness→ gateway to treatment
• Categorizes and explains what is an mental illness and what falls under the category of
mental health
• Defines the limits of normal and abnormal behaviour
• Produced by the APA, disorders drawn up on by committees
• Definitions are socially constructed by individuals
• Does not tell you anything about cause and treatment
• Where do day to day experiences fit into the DSM
-Are disorders simply extensions or more intense versions of common experiences like
stress, sadness, worry and distraction?
-Even more severe experiences, like psychosis are not entirely atypical
-5-10% of the population experiences auditory hallucination
• Criticisms
-Lacks validity
-Reduces highly personal experience to simple checklist
-Measures whether a person matches particular types of disorder, does little to consider
broader notion of mental health
How a diagnosis is formed?
• Diagnosis a result of interview more so than physical exam
• Includes history taking and record of person’s current psychopathology
• Thus, diagnosis primarily made by self-reporting observation of friends and family can
figure into equation
• Results checked against DSM criteria, use of scales, clinical experience, etc.
• What emerges is not objective fact, but rather an interpretation grounded in value
judgements on BOTH sides of the clinician’s desk
Factors that Drive Mental Health and Illness
• Social determinants
-Anything about a person’s social environment or background
-income level, where you come from, the neighbourhood you come from
-Individual experiences
-Biological factors
-Socially we have constructed labels to describe these experiences as healthy/
unhealthy, dangerous, safe, normal/ abnormal
-As social constructions, our understanding of these issues differs according to time and
place
-We should not assume universal portability to concepts
The individual and society
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Why mental health: the mind and the body, line between physical and mental not as clear as dualists would assume. Ex: cause, experience, symptom and expression: despite links between body and mind, physical state cannot necessarily give an indication of mental health (the difference matters) Whether tense shoulders or shortness of breath, myriad explanations. Thus, mental health is almost entirely self-reported- great importance of self- perception: when we say mental health we"re referring to feelings, thoughts, cognition and self- concept. What does good mental health mean: no generally accepted definition- contested, minimalist: absence of mental disorders, broader considerations: The ability to handle stress, discomfort and change. Flexibility: thus, mental health is not entirely personal- linked to others. We must consider mental health in a social context. Poor mental health- distress model: distress model (dimensional) Mental illnesses do not exist as independent entities, rather, all people score on a continuum of psychological distress, part of everyday life.
