1. Causes/Effects of Mental Illness

2. Causes of Mental Illnesses
Candidates need to have an overview of the following possible causes of mental illnesses:
 physical influences
e.g. the impact of giving birth (postnatal depression)
 societal influences
e.g. drug-related disorders,
unemployment,
social deprivation;

3. Causes of Mental Illnises
 genetic influences,
e.g. personality/perception disorders
 socio-environmental influences
e.g. the impact on the family of the pressure of caring for a child with challenging
behaviour in a high-rise flat

4. Causes of Mental Illness
Question: Can a mental illness have more the one cause?
Answer:
Any one disorder could have a multitude of related causes, and attempting to isolate these causes is a difficult process. Whilst some may have underlying physical causes, the overall picture is often unclear, e.g. there are a variety of possible neurological explanations of schizophrenia.

5. Effects of Mental Illnesses
Poor mental health has both short- and long-term effects on the individuals themselves, their families/friends, society as a whole and on the role of mental-health practitioners.

6. Effects of Mental Illness
 Physical and Psychological responses
 Social and Emotional health of the individual and others
 Ability to cope with daily life
for example, coping with:
stigma
discrimination
harassment
 Ability to relate to others, to make and maintain relationships
 Labelling of the individual’s self-concept
>Self Esteem (how you feel about yourself)
>Self Image (how you see/perceive yourself)
>Ideal self (who you want to be)
 The cost to society of mental illness

7. Effects of Mental Illness on the Individual & Society
Fear: Such as the fear of violence and the fear of the issues themselves because they affect our mind and behaviour. Some fears may be reinforced in the media
Untrue beliefs: Such as the belief that people can’t recover or the belief that people can’t participate in their communities
Blame and self-blame: People may be blamed for their conditions or problem substance use and viewed as weak. People with mental disorders or substance use problems, and their loved ones, may also deeply blame themselves

8. Effects on the Individual
Discrimination affects all areas of living. It can prevent people from getting or having basic things that most of us take for granted, like:
Getting hired, promoted or keeping a job
Finding or keeping a place to live in a safe, accepting community
Getting proper health care
Feeling loved, needed and accepted by family and friends
Contributing to communities and feeling productive
Getting insurance
Going to school
Immigrating to another country
Feeling positive about ourselves

9. Effects on family and friends of those with a Mental Illness
Discrimination may also affect families and friends. Others may dismiss their concerns. In many cultures, the entire family carries their loved one’s stigma because they strongly identify as a group. As a result, family members may not confide in friends or others in their support network.

10. Cause/Effect Stories Depression Psychosis
riences_of_psychosis/Topic/3931/

11. Pulling out the information from the case studies
Cause
Gereneral Effect
Specific
eg. Depression
eg. crying al the time
eg. low self esteem

12. Task 2- Assignment (the case study)
Due March 25th, 2013
Create a full page case study about a person with a mental illness. Start from infancy/childhood and go up to late adulthood/elderly.
Your case study does not have to demonstrate the mental illness as a child, but you can put in some life experiences and factors that may have effected or caused a mental illness later in life.
You must make up your own case study, however, you can combine 2 or 3 stories together from the health talk online website.

13. Task 2- Assignment (the write up)
Introduction
Paragraph 1 (1st general effect)
Specific effects
How it affects day to day (short-term, long term) ie the challenges they face
Who it affects (individual, family/friends, society, and Health Practitioner)
Give examples
Paragraph 2 (2nd general effect)
How it affects day to day (short-term, long term) ie. The challenges they face
Paragraph 3 (3rd general effect)
give examples
Conclusion
Due March 25th, 2013