Download Mental Illness

Mental Illness
Mental Illness
Also called emotional illness, mental disease or
mental disorder.
Mental Illness is Common
Everybody, at certain points and situations,
experience conflicts which need to be addressed
1 in 5 Canadians suffer from some type of mental
illness in their lives
40% of all patients’ visits to family doctors are related
to emotional, not physical problems
10% to 25% of North Americans suffer from anxiety
disorders
1% of Canadians suffer from schizophrenia
1% of Canadians are bipolar
Depression
The rate of increase of depression among
children is an astounding 23%
15% of the population of most developed
countries suffers severe depression.
30% of women are depressed. Men's figures
were previously thought to be half that of
women, but new estimates are higher.
http://www.ontarioshores.ca/cms/One.aspx?portalId=169
&pageId=10339
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeZCmqePLzM
How Do We Decide if a Person is
Mentally Ill?
Abnormal behaviour in one society, can be
seen as perfectly acceptable in a different
society
Psychology’s Definition
Mental illness is abnormal behaviour that is out of
the ordinary and does not conform to the behaviour of
most people in a given society
How do we distinguish between illness and originality
or between illness and non-conformity?
Mental Illnesses are Culturally
Influenced
Mental illness is present in all cultures
- the frequencies of different types of mental
illness vary
- the social acceptance varies
Culturally Specific Mental Illnesses
Example:
People in Western societies who carry on
conversations with dead relatives or other
supernatural beings are considered mentally ill.
The same behaviour is likely to be considered
healthy and even enviable in a culture that follows
Personalistic Medicine. Such a person would be
thought fortunate for having direct
communication with the supernatural world.
Example:
Among the Yanomamo of S/A, highly aggressive, violent men are
considered normal and highly respected as leaders.
In contrast, among the Pueblo Natives of the U.S., individuals
who are aggressive and violent are seen as dangerous and are
ostricized if the shaman is not able to heal them.
Factors That Affect Mental Health:
1. Social Factors
A) Environmental (social) factors that can trigger mental
illness:
- Death
or divorce
- A dysfunctional family life
- Living in poverty
- Feelings of inadequacy, low selfesteem, anxiety, anger, or loneliness
- Changing jobs or schools
B) Social or cultural expectations
Example:
A society that associates beauty with thinness can be a factor in the
development of eating disorders.
C) Substance abuse by the person or the person's parents
- linked to anxiety, depression
paranoia
2. Psychological Factors
Psychological factors that may contribute to mental illness
include:
- Severe psychological trauma suffered as
a child such as physical or sexual abuse
- An important early loss, such as the
the death of a parent
- Neglect
- Poor ability to relate to others
3. Chemical Factors
Some mental illnesses have been linked to an
abnormal balance of special chemicals in the brain
called neurotransmitters.
Neurotransmitters help nerve cells in the brain
communicate with each other.
-If these chemicals are out of balance
messages may not make it through the
brain correctly, leading to symptoms of
mental illness.
4. Genetic (Heredity) Factors
Many mental illnesses run in families – genetic susceptibility
- people who have a family member with a mental
illness are more likely to develop a mental illness
Mental illnesses are linked to abnormalities in many genes –
not just one.
- that is why a person inherits a susceptibility to a mental
illness and doesn't necessarily develop the illness.
mental illness itself occurs from the interaction of multiple genes
and other factors, such as stress, abuse, or a traumatic event
5. Infection Factor
Certain infections have been linked to brain
damage and the development of mental illness
or the worsening of its symptoms.
Example: pediatric autoimmune
neuropsychiatric disorder (PANDA) is
associated with the streptococcus bacteria
* this has been linked to the development of
obsessive compulsive disorder in children
6. Brain Defects or Injury
Defects in or injury to certain areas of the brain
have also been linked to some mental illnesses.
- damage to the prefrontal cortex is
directly related to:
- schizophrenia
- attention deficit disorder
- antisocial personality
7. Epilepsy
An electrical storm in the brain
- can affect specific areas of the brain
depending where the seizure originates, the
length and severity
- medications cause depression, medicated
fogs and exhaustion
Historic Treatment of Mental
Illness
http://cherished79.wordpress.com/2008/09/06/remo
ving-the-stigma-of-mental-illness-video/
Stigma
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeXVRhN3Vs4&featu
re=relmfu
Treatments of Mental Illness
Psychoanalysis
- developed by Freud
- patient attempts to say whatever comes
into their head
- requires frequent visits
- long term
Hypnosis
- the induction of a trance or altered state of
consciousness
- effective treatment of pain
- phobias
- memory recall
Behaviour Therapy
- interventions that help a person unlearn
maladaptive behaviour
- effective treatment of phobias
- effective treatment of OCD
Group Therapy
- patients with the same affliction counsel each
other through shared experience
Electroconvulsive (ECT) (Shock Treatment)
- uses electrical currents to produce a
seizure in anesthetized patients
- effective treatment of depression
- effective treatment of some psychosis
- used for people who cannot take
medications
Drug Therapy
- use of various medications or a mixture of medications
Institutionalization
- used only when the patient is a danger to
themselves or a danger to society
De-institutionalization
- patient is introduced back into society
- supported by community health centres
and half-way homes