Mental Health

WHO Definition of Mental Health

state of wellbeing in which the individual realises their own abilities, can cope with the stresses of life, can work productively and make a contribution to their community

2 Continua Model (Westerhof & Keyes, 2009)

Mental wellbeing exist on a spectrum with two dimensions, optimal or suboptimal mental health and a disorder or no disorder

Definitions for Positive Mental Health

Lots of overlap from different theories, with no consensus but some ideas like:

autonomy, self actualisation, personal growth, meaningfulness, positive emotion

Huppert et al. (2014) Features representing Flourishing

based on DSM4 criteria and symptoms

vitality, engagement, resilience, emotional stability, positive emotion, meaning, competence, optimism, self esteem, positive relationships

How do CPs work with mental health

working in mental health services, providing early intervention services, focusing on specific settings/population/ages or specific types of diagnoses/conditions

Mental Health Statistics

1 in 4 will experience mental health problem (various sources such as Mind studies)

Capsi et al (2020) new zealand study suggested 86% had met criteria for mental health condition at least once in a 40+ year lifespan

DSM5 Mental disorder definition

significant distress or disability in social, occupational or other important acitivites, not including culturally approved responses to common stressors or great loss

Wakefield (1992) review with Harmful Dysfunction account

Mental disorder involves harm in the form of distress or impairment due to a failure of psychological mechanisms not performing their evolved function

Some criticise this saying because mental-disorder is a prototypical based concept we cannot have a strict definition for dysfunction

How do CPs decide who needs input?

Levels of distress/suffering and how impactful they are on daily functioning, if a person’s behaviour is causing harm to others, if they are diagnosed or if other people believing they have a problem

‘P’ Factor (Capsi et al., 2014)

Based on structure of psychopathology and from their longitudinal new zealand data, interviewing participants.

Came up with a general psychopathology dimension called P factor to describe susceptibility to mental health difficulties

Moncrieff et al (2023) systematic review of evidence on Serotonin

No consistent evidence of an association between serotonin and depression, but long term use of antidepressant sseems to reduce serotonin concentration

Jam Jar Model of Vulnerability (Jehannine)

To be experiencing an episode of illness, the jar must be filled to the top.

Differrent people’s jars can be filled with different amounts of genetic and environmental factors. We can make our jar taller by stacking rings based on constructive coping mechanisms so the jar fills slower

Risk Factors for Mental Ill Health (RCP)

Being a woman, living alone, having no qualifications, come from a lower social class, live in a housing association, ACE or having a physical health condition already

Poverty on MH

Key predictor due to factors like distress, ACE, hopelessness, inability to afford healthcare or a good diet, greater drug/alcohol use, stigma

Corrigan (2012) On Stigma

Can be public - prejudice and discrimination from the larger population

or self-stigma - internalising public attitudes and suffering internally because of it