Mental Health and Illness: Definitions

Lecture 1 Objectives

• The lecture aims to discuss the definitions of mental health and mental illness
• The lecture will consider the models of mental health and mental illness as frameworks
• Covers terminology and language related to mental health
• Introduces critical social work
• Examines the importance of critically evaluating ideas about mental health and illness

Defining Mental Health and Illness

• Mental health can be defined as the freedom from emotional suffering, abnormal behavior, and distress
• Alternatively, it can be seen as the absence of mental illness or emotional problems
• Concepts like distress, abnormality, and dysfunction provide context to these definitions
• "Health" is often associated with feeling well, while "Illness" is associated with feeling unwell
• Experiencing emotions like sadness, anxiety, or fear is a normal part of human experience and does not automatically indicate illness

Abnormality and Dysfunction

• Mental health and illness can be understood through the constructs of what is considered normal and abnormal
• Normal is usually considered a healthy state, while abnormal is considered unhealthy
• It is important to consider who determines what is "normal" behavior
• If a person's mental state prevents them from meeting daily needs and responsibilities, it is considered dysfunctional
• Individual capacity is influenced by a person's resources and environment, known as social determinants

DSM and WHO Definitions

• The DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) defines mental illness as disturbances in cognition, emotion, or behavior
• These disturbances are attributed to mental functioning and are associated with distress or disability
• Clinician's professional judgement is used for diagnosis, which can be impacted by bias
• WHO defines mental health as a state of well-being where individuals realize their abilities, cope with stresses, work productively, and contribute to their community
• It may not be possible to have a universal definition of mental health or illness
• Definitions are situated in society and culture, changing over time

Models of Mental Health and Illness

• Biomedical, Psychological-Behavioral, and Social Models offer frameworks for understanding mental health
• Mental health professionals often use multiple models in their practice
• Theories of mental health and illness draw from these models

Biomedical Model

• Brain-based interventions, like psychopharmaceuticals, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and genetic interventions are the way to address mental illness

Psychosocial-Behavioral Model

• Mental disorders are understood as patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that are harmful
• This model does not assume a binary between mental health and mental illness
• Symptoms are thought to exist along a continuum
• Mental illness arises from personal experiences and perspectives

Social Model

• Mental health is viewed as a social product or construct
• Good or bad mental health are socially constructed and defined by social relations and norms
• Emphasizes the individual in the context of their social environment and deemphasizes individual characteristics
• Power and culture can lead to the labeling of marginalized individuals as mentally ill
• Social interventions like supported housing and employment are suggested as responses
• Demedicalization is suggested, declassifying mental illness and focusing on social causes

Biopsychosocial Model

• Biological factors, social conditions, and individual experiences contribute to mental health
• Social determinants of health, such as income, housing, and education, are included
• Emotional problems are addressed by considering all these factors

Terminology in Mental Health

• The biomedical model is a common framework, but medical vocabulary can have limitations
• Medical terms assume a disease with a biological cause exists, which can be reinforced by institutionalized medicine
• Common terms like mental health, diagnosis, and treatment need careful consideration
• Understanding the perspectives and terms used by individuals with lived experience is important

Critical Social Work

• Focuses on human rights and social justice
• Recognizes that experiences are embedded in social structures
• Contemplates the social construction of reality, including how values and ideologies shape social problems and responses to these
• Understanding how contemporary understanding has developed is vital, as is the impact of social location
• Critical social workers aim to make societal change

Importance of Critical Examination

• Everyone has mental health, which influences how we experience the world
• Mental health helps explain our actions and behaviors
• "Mental illness" has social meaning and can be part of people’s identities
• A diagnosis can lead to intervention and stigmatization/mistreatment
• Critical social work goes beyond the mainstream understanding and offers insights into how change can happen

Recommended Viewing

• Watch the film "Crazywise" (82 minutes), directed by Kevin Tomlinson and Phil Borges, accessible through Kanopy via York University