علم الصحة النفسية

General Information

• Course: Mental Health
• Level: Fourth Year
• Department: Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University
• Students: All Basic Education Students

Course Outline

• Chapter 1: Introduction to mental health and psychological adjustment
• Chapter 2: Personality and its theories
• Chapter 3: Psychological and mental disorders: Classification, causes, and symptoms
• Chapter 4: Models of neurotic and psychotic disorders

Chapter 1: Introduction to Mental Health

• Learning Objectives:
  • Define key terms related to mental health and adjustment
  • Understand the importance of studying mental health
  • Identify characteristics of psychologically healthy individuals
  • Differentiate between healthy and unhealthy behavior
  • Recognize the relative nature of mental health and illness
  • Correct misconceptions about working in mental health
  • Define psychological adjustment and its influencing factors
  • Differentiate between primary and secondary drives
  • Identify various psychological defense mechanisms
  • Differentiate between healthy and unhealthy defense mechanisms
  • Understand one's own personality and the personalities of others

Mental Health (Psychology)

• Studies the general mental state of individuals
  • Aims to enable individuals to achieve mental well-being, psychological adjustment, and social effectiveness.
  • Protects individuals from mental and psychological disorders, and treats them.
• Two main areas:
  • Theoretical and practical
• Theoretical component:
  • Studies psychological and social environmental factors.
  • Identifies principles of healthy and abnormal behaviour origins and development.
• Applied component:
  • Employs theoretical knowledge.
  • Aims to help individuals develop their potential and achieve psychological adjustment.
  • Equips individuals to address challenges and prevent behavioral deviations and psychomatic disorders.
• Main focus on psychological and social-environmental factors.
  • Excludes organic, physiological, and neurological factors.
    • These are the purview of psychiatry (Opsychiatry)

Different Perspectives on Mental Health

• Negative Definitions:
  • Defines mental health by the absence of abnormal behaviours.
  • Focus on the absence of mental illness, disability, or weakness.
  • Incomplete or potentially misleading.
    • Absence of disorder isn't sufficient to ensure overall well-being.
• Positive Definitions:
  • Highlight positive aspects—such as psychological adjustment, maturity, emotional stability, self-acceptance, and self-actualisation.
  • Emphasise the absence of mental illness, but with a broader perspective.

WHO Definition

• Defines mental health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not just the absence of disease or disability.

Other Noted Theories

• Psychodynamic perspective:
  • Emphasizes the interplay of the id, ego, and superego in shaping behaviour.
  • The role of early childhood experiences in shaping personality.
• Modern psychodynamic approaches:
  • Emphasizes feelings of love, belonging, and creativity in relation to overall well-being—like those of Fromm, Horney, and others.
• Humanistic perspective:
  • Views humans as fundamentally good, possessing internal drive for growth and self-actualization—as viewed by Maslow and Rogers.
    • Emphasises the importance of values like truth, goodness, beauty, self-honesty, courage, commitment in relation to life's work.
• Define mental health as the harmonious and balanced interaction between internal and external forces.
• Notes that positive well-being is contingent on a dynamic balance and integration of internal and external factors.

Defining Mental Health (Continued)

• “Abd al-Aziz al-Qusay” (1975)
  • Defines mental health as “the state of comprehensive adjustment between various psychological abilities related to tackling regular human life issues and experiencing a sense of happiness and fulfillment.”
• “Abd al-Salam ‘Abd al-Ghaffar” (1976):
  • Defines mental health as the comprehensive integration of an individual's potentials and their functional development toward the ultimate expression of one's existence.

Other Key Concepts

• Mental Health Approaches:

  • Developmental Approach aims to increase well-being and adjustment throughout life.
  • Preventative Approach focuses on avoidance of mental illness, early detection, and mitigation of its effects.
  • Treatment Approach focuses on the treatment of mental disorders and restoring adjustment.

• Mental Health Characteristics:

  • Positive Attributes:
    • Positivity
    • Optimism
    • Realistic self-assessment
    • Setting realistic goals
    • Healthy social relationships
    • Fulfillment of Drives and Needs

• Mental Health Indicators:

  • Respect for societal norms and values
  • Maintaining independence while adhering to the values of society
  • Appropriate stress management with self-control
  • Healthy societal relationships with empathy and accountability.

Factors Affecting Mental Health

• Global and regional instability
• Rapid social change
• Shifting Values
  • Materialism's emphasis negatively affecting social bonds and family ties.
• Environmental factors (pollution, war)
  • Adverse effects on mental wellness, and social harmony.
  • Job dissatisfaction (in a materialistic society)
• Increased population without commensurate resources

The Relative Nature of Mental Health

• Mental health isn't a static state of either "being present" or "being absent".
• It's a dynamic, active, and relative concept.
• Varies among individuals.
• Varies over time within the same individual.
• Changes according to developmental stages, time, and society.
  • Varying standards and expectations influence the perception of mental health and illness.

Mental Health Professionals

• Mental Health Professionals:
  • Psychiatrists (Medical Doctors specializing in mental health)
  • Psychologists (Mental health practitioners)
  • Social workers:
    • Conduct initial assessment.
  • Other mental health assistants
  • Nurses

اختبر معلوماتك حول علم الصحة النفسية وأسباب السلوك السلبي والإيجابي. ستساعدك الأسئلة في فهم الأهداف العلاجية ومساهمة علماء النفس في المجتمع. استعد للاختبار وتمتع بفهم أعمق لهذا المجال المهم.