Definition in The Field of Mental Health

How do you define a mental disorder?

clinically significant disturbance in an individuals cognition, emotional regulation or behaviour. Usually associated with distress or impairment in important areas of functioning.

what is meant by the term of ‘social norm’?

unwritten rule of society - standard of acceptable behaviour - set by the social group and followed by those residing in it

how can social/cultural norms be used as a definition in the field of mental health?

if behaviour does not fit within what is deemed socially acceptable - someone deviates from the norm which could be an indication of a mental health condition.

implicit vs explicit rules of society?

implicit = not necessarily illegal to break just frowned upon

explicit = governed by law - broken means it is illegal and frowned upon

What are the limitations of using ‘deviation from social/cultural norms as a definition in the field of mental health’?

• Lead to human right abuses

• Variability between social norms in different cultures

• Related to the degree and context it is in

What are the strength of using ‘deviation from social/cultural norms as a definition in the field of mental health’?

• Used by clinicians today ( real world application )

what did Marie Jahoda believe about mental health?

we should treat mental health as we do physical health by looking for an absence of ‘ideal health’.

what is the criteria for ideal mental health?

• S - self attitude

• P - personal growth ( reach full potential )

• I - integration ( cope with stress )

• A - autonomy ( independent of others )

• A - accurate perception of reality

• M - mastery of environment ( successfully work, love, enjoy own leisure )

what are the limitations of ‘deviation from ideal mental health as a definition in the field of mental health’?

• culturally relative - ethnocentric

• unrealistically high standard for mental health

what are the strengths of ‘deviation from ideal mental health as a definition in the field of mental health’?

• well detailed

• positive approach to defining abnormality

PEC (dev from norms)

Human right abuse

P: A limitation of using (..) lead to human right abuses

E: Historically definitions n the field of mental health based on deviation from social/culture norms have been used to maintain social control. e.g. Nymphomania - control and pathologies women’s sexuality + Drapetomania - control slaves by diagnoses those who attempted to escape stating it was

caused by masters been to kind and familiar.

C: Therefore, this definition could therefore be dangerous if used inappropriately - used to isolate those we don’t maintain the status quo and could be used to discriminate and marginalise minority groups, thus limiting its value.

PEC (dev from norms)

Real-life application

P: A strength of using (…) its still used by clinicians today and has real-life application.

E: for example, the key defining characteristic of APD ( anti social personality disorder ) is the failure to conform to culturally normal and ethical behaviour. ( recklessness, aggression etc )

C: Therefore, it is important to recognise that when used appropriately it has and still is used as a means to diagnose, thus increasing its external validity.

PEC ( dev from norms )

Cultures

P: A limitation of using (…) is the variability between social norms in different cultures

E: A person from one cultural group may label someone from another as abnormal - using their own cultural standards. E.g. hearing voices is the norm in some cultures whereas in many western cultures it’s pathologists as a symptom of psychosis - indication of mental health condition.

C: Therefore, difficult to judge deviation from social/culture norms as many norms are dependant on the cultural context in which they are displayed, thus limiting its universality.

PEC ( dev from norms )

Context

P: weakness of (…) deviance is related to the degree and context it is in.

E: A person on the beach wearing next to nothing s regarded normal whereas wearing that to school is regarded as abnormal. Not all acts of deviance would be considered an indication. There is not a clear line between abnormality and eccentricity.

C: Therefore, using this definition could lack comprehensiveness as it doesn’t take into account the context of the behaviour.

PEC ( ideal mental health )

Culture

P: limitation is that it may be culturally relative

E: Some of the ideas incorporated are culturally bound and specific to Western or individualistic cultures. E.g. emphasis of personal achievement and independence may be considered self indulgent in collectivist cultures whereas they focus on the growth of the community.

C: Therefore, Jahodas criteria has been labelled ethnocentric, non western cultures cannot relate to the criteria she outlines. This means the definition is not global and lacks universality.

PEC ( ideal mental health )

Standard

P: limitation of (…) sets an unrealistically high standard for mental health

E: very few people will be able to attain all of Jahodas criteria so how many ideas do they need to be lacking for them to be considered abnormal? Some traits are difficult to measure - how can we assess whether someone is a mastery of their environment?

C: therefore, the definition lacks application to real life, in reality not many can manage all the criteria. Lacks usefulness and may lead to many individuals being diagnosed as abnormal, limiting its value.

PEC ( ideal mental health )

Detail

P: A strength of (…) is that the criterion is well detailed.

E: Jahodas criteria includes a range of criteria distinguishing mental health from illness. Covers most of the reason, meaning mental helath can be discussed meaningfully with professionals.

C: Therefore (…) is high in value because of its broad criteria meaning it covers a variety of mental health conditions.

PEC ( ideal mental health )

positive

P: a strength of (…) takes a

E: emphasises positive achievements rather than failures. Stresses a positive approach - focuses on what is helpful and desirable for the individual.

C: Therefore, her ideas have had some influence on mental health professionals and are in accord with the positive psychology movement.