Failure to Function Adequately

Define Failure to Function Adequately

When someone is unable to cope with ordinary demands of day to day living.

Give examples of failing to function adequately

• Hygiene

• Education

• Employment

• Social network

Outline Rosenhan and Seligman's (1989) theory of additional signs to determine whether or not an individual is coping

• Unpredictability - Impulsive, Uncontrollable.

• Maladaptive Behaviours - going against accepted standards.

• Irrationality - Unreasonable thinking and behaviour.

• Observer discomfort - causing others to feel uncomfortable e.g. too much eye contact, too little eye contact, too little personal space.

Outline The global assessment of functioning scale (GAF)

• Method of measuring how well individuals function in everyday life.

• Scale of 0-90, low scores indicate severe failure to function.

• 81-90: Absent of minimal symptoms, good functioning in all areas of life

• 41-50: Serious symptoms, impairment in several areas of everyday life, e.g. school or work.

• 21-30: Behaviour is influenced by delusions or hallucinations, communication and judgments are impaired.

• 0-10: Persistent danger of severely hurting themselves or others, inability to care for themselves; suicidal.

Strength - Represents a sensible threshold for when people need professional help.

E.g: According to Mind, around 25% of people will suffer with poor mental health at any given time however it tends to be at a point of severity where in which people are admitted for help.

Exp: This matters as it means that treatment and services can be targeted to people who need it most.

Limitation - Deciding whether an individual is suffering or is just distressing.

E.g: There are some circumstances in which most of society will fail to function for a period of time e.g. bereavement.

Exp: This matters as it may be unfair for a psychiatrist to give someone a label that may cause them further distress, just because they are experiencing some distressing circumstances.

Limitation - it is easy to label non-standard lifestyle choices (deviation from social norms) as abnormal.

E.g. Not having a permanent living arrangement or job may be seen as failure to function however, not to people who live 'off grid'.

Exp: This matters as it means that people who make unusual choices are at risk of being labelled as abnormal, and may have their free will restricted.

• Maladaptive Behaviours - going against accepted standards.

• Irrationality - Unreasonable thinking and behaviour.

• Observer discomfort - causing others to feel uncomfortable