What is Mental Health?

Week 1

Context

"People who need care and support who have longstanding mental illness or mental health problems may experience periods of crisis or distress caused by this. They may also develop a mental illness or mental health problems during the time they are receiving care required because of other disabilities, conditions or problems that they have. The signs of mental illness and distress can include significant changes in people’s thoughts, feelings, mood, and behaviour. It is important that people working in all care settings have some understanding of these signs so they can identify if people they are caring for may have a mental illness or mental health problem and need adjustments to their care and support" (Skills for Health, 2014).

"Historically little attention has been paid in the literature and in policy and practice to the training needs of non-professionally qualified and non-specialist health and social care workers who have the most contact with older people in all care settings. However, this group of staff provide the majority of care, with the least training and, at times, without direct supervision. This lack of attention probably reflects the low policy profile, until very recently, of mental health services for older people and the low status of care staff" (Levenson & Joule, 2007).

Introduction

This week runs from 22nd-28th September 2014. You will need to:

Complete the 'Getting Started' components if you have not done so already
Work your way through this page of learning materials
Complete the exercise on 'What is mental health?'
Complete the MICA-4 Scale
Join Discussion: Week 1 - What is Mental Health?

Content

What is mental health?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines Mental Health as:"Mental health refers to a broad array of activities directly or indirectly related to the mental well-being component included in the WHO's definition of health: "A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease". It is related to the promotion of well-being, the prevention of mental disorders, and the treatment and rehabilitation of people affected by mental disorders." (WHO Website Links to an external site.)This website provides a global perspective of the impact and implications of the mental wellbeing of populations, and is worth a visit to explore their wide range of resources.

There are many definitions of mental health depending on the person's perspective in constructing the definition:

"Mental health means having the ability to think about ourselves and interpret the world around us in a way that is deemed acceptable and functional by society. It means being able to cope with change and manage a balance between having healthy relationships and independence. Mental health is the ability to be in control of your actions, thoughts and relationships" (Mental Healthy Links to an external site.).

"The definition of ‘mental ill health’ or ‘mental health problems’ covers a very wide spectrum, from the worries and grief we all experience as part of everyday life to the most bleak, suicidal depression or complete loss of touch with everyday reality. Everybody responds differently to the stresses and strains of modern life and it is common to describe ourselves as ‘depressed’, ‘stressed’ or ‘anxious’ at times. For some, these feelings can become serious enough to make it difficult to carry on with everyday life" (Mindful Employer Links to an external site.).

"Generally speaking, our mental health refers to our state of mind and our ability to cope with the everyday things that are going on around us. Someone with ‘good’ mental health usually feels capable of dealing with the different everyday situations that they find themselves in. When we have a mental illness, this process is often a lot more difficult" (Reach Out Links to an external site.).

My own understanding of mental health

Each week you will watch an episode of one person's journey, Carol Price. In order to fully understand and consider how you might help someone experiencing such distress, it is important to think about, and recognise your reactions to Carol's experiences. You can then begin to think through how you might help a person in distress, through understanding more of what matters to them, and to you.

The Mental Illness: Clinician's Attitude (MICA) scale was developed at the Health Services and Population Research Department, Insitute of Psychiatary, Kings College London. The development of the scale was part of Aliya Kassam's PhD at the Institute of Psychiatry. Psychometric validation of the scale was undertaken as part of the SAPHIRE National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Programme on Stigma and Discrimination in Mental Health.You can find more information about the scale on the Institute of Psychiatry Links to an external site.'s website.

Exercise: Please download this PDF and complete the MICA-4 Download MICA-4

Scale now. Please keep this this safe as we will reviewing this and completing the scale again at the end of week 7. This will help you identify of any changes in your understanding of Mental Health.