An Introduction to Mental Health (AQA GCSE Psychology): Revision Note

What are the characteristics of mental health?

• Mental health refers to an individual's:

  • psychological and emotional wellbeing

  • ability to function and cope with everyday life

  • feelings about themselves

• Common disorders include:

  • anxiety

  • depression 

  • OCD

  • ADHD

  • schizophrenia 

• Mental disorders were commonly treated in the UK (and most Western, individualistic cultures) using the biomedical model

  • This model uses drugs such as antidepressants, which are likely to be prescribed for someone presenting with depressive symptoms

• Marie Jahoda (1958) suggested a model of mental health in which there are six characteristics an individual should display if they have ideal mental health:  

  • Positive attitudes towards the self: high self-esteem and a strong sense of identity

  • Self-actualisation: personal growth and achieving the goals you set for yourself

  • Autonomy: the ability to act independently and self-regulate

  • Resistance to stress: being able to cope with and withstand stressful situations

  • Accurate perception of reality: having a realistic, undistorted view of the world

  • Environmental mastery: being able to adapt to and meet the demands of different situations

• One of the key issues surrounding mental health problems is that they may lead to social stigma

  • This is the negative stereotyping/expectations that others have of those who have a mental illness e.g. depression, schizophrenia

  • A stigma is rather like a sign or a label that marks someone out as being 'different' in socially undesirable ways e.g. dangerous, unpredictable

  • It is very difficult for someone who has been stigmatised to lead a normal life as their label of 'mental illness' may impede their job prospects and relationships

  • The term 'mental health problem' does not impose the same negative stigma in the way that out-dated terms such as 'lunatic' or 'mentally ill' do