PH 265 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Mental Disorder, Mania, Dementia

• School: University of Rochester
• Department: Public Health
• Course: PH 265
• Professor: Nancy Chin

Document Summary

Distress is the most common type of mental health problem. Distress is characterized by a mixture of different complaints (like feeling sad, worried, tense, or anger), often of short duration, and in response to difficulties in one"s life. Disorder is a more severe but less common type of mental health problem. Disorders are characterized by more clearly defined groups of complaints which can be classified using a medical diagnosis, typically of a longer duration than distress, and not necessarily associated with difficulties in one"s life. Disability is the most severe, and least common, type of mental health problem. Disabilities are characterized by enduring impairments in a person"s daily functioning and may be present from birth or early childhood, or appear later in life as a consequence of a mental disorder. Mental health problems cover a broad range of severity. The vast majority of people with mental health problems look no different from any other person.