The World Health Organization Describes Mental Disorder

Mental Health SYNOPSIS OF THE TOPIC The World Health Organisation (2014) defines Mental Health “as a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community” (para. 1). Mental health refers to an individual’s psychological, emotional and social wellbeing; it has the ability affect people’s perceptions, thought, feelings, actions and capacity to respond to change, stresses and challenges within their lives (Headspace, 2013, para. 1). It influences how individuals perceive themselves, their resilience, life decisions and the people around them. Maintaining a stable, healthy and positive mental state is crucial for all individuals throughout their lives in order to avoid developing mental health problems and illnesses. The following essay will address Mental Health and why it is considered one of the challenges facing PDHPE teachers in the 21st Century, it has a major aim of exploring how the subject of PDHPE can address the challenges of the wider community and how classroom teachers can address mental health within the schooling environment.

Mental illness is an increasing problem in America. Currently about 26.2% of Americans suffer from a mental disorder. A mental illness/disorder is a medical condition that disrupts a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, and ability to relate to others and daily functions. Mental illness can affect humans of any age, race, gender and socioeconomic status. However the care that is needed to effectively cure and help the people affected by the illness is not equal for everyone here in American, especially for African Americans.

Mental health issues are a challenge faced by many people throughout society as statistics show one out of four people around the world experience mental health challenges. World Health Organization (WHO) states that depression and anxiety are the main conditions that affect people, regardless of their age or ethnicity. Therefore, it is important to know about psychotic disorders and the medication used to treat the symptoms.

Mental illness in America affects a lot more people than many people may think. Around 42.5 million American adults suffer from mental illness, and about 9.3 million of those suffer from serious mental problems. Serious mental illness means that their condition interferes with their day to day activities. Something even as normal as going to work or school can be impossible for these people. A study was done and last year one in five Americans or 45.9 million Americans were labeled as suffering from mental illness. However, this estimate in more than likely too low (Bekiempis).

According to the Mayo Clinic, a mental illness can be defined as a disorder, or multiple disorders that can all be on a spectrum, that can affect mood, cognitive abilities, and the way one acts. Mayo Clinic’s definition also includes the specification that, to be considered a mental illness, the symptoms generally effect a person’s ability to function in common life situations, all while causing quite a bit of stress. It becomes obvious that these types of diseases can be just as damaging as physical illnesses, hence the drastic need for treatment and continuing advancements in the methods of treatment.

Background Mental illnesses are becoming more and more prevalent among the population in the United States. In 2014, 1 in 5 adults were diagnosed with any mental illness (AMI) as evidence by statistics presented by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (SAMHSA, 2015); of those 1 in 5 adults, 18 years and older in the United States, accounts for 18.1% of the population, or 43.6 million people diagnosed with depression and/ or anxiety (Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, Walters EE, 2005). From changes in mood, to changes in thoughts and behaviors, mental illnesses are sought to be higher in adults ages 18-25 (SAMHSA, 2015).

There appears to be a common outlook on mental illness. Not only are mental illnesses one of the most complex and difficult health issues with many unknown elements to the various kinds of mental illnesses to this day, but they are also one of the most stigmatized. Often times, individuals diagnosed with mental illnesses do not understand themselves many of the symptoms they may be experiencing. Doctors and researchers are still uncertain about many treatments, symptoms, side effects, types of disorders, and more. Furthermore, the media portrays the mentally ill in very extreme and hostile ways. It is no surprise that our society has a tendency to avoid or even fear what it does not understand. This is very much the case for mental disorders.

Mental illness is a disorder that is characterized by disturbances in a person’s thought, emotions, or behavior. Mental illness refers to a wide variety of disorders, ranging from those that cause mild distress to those that impair a person’s ability to function in daily life. Many have tried to figure out the reasons for mental illnesses. All of these reasons have been looked at and thought of for thousands of years. The biological perspective views mental illness as a bodily process. Where as the psychological perspectives think the role of a person’s upbringing and environment are causes for mental illnesses.

The U.S. Department of health and human services exclaims that “Mental health includes emotions, psychological and social well-being of the body. These affect how everyone thinks, feels and acts” (Aspa). The U.S department of health and human services also states that “emotions and well-being of the body is an important stage of life from childhood to adolescence through adulthood”. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “43.8 million adults experience mental illness each year and nearly 10 million, or 1 in 25 adults, are living with a serious mental illness.” As a result, The American Psychiatric Association has identified and classified these mental illnesses into four categories; anxiety, mood disorders, bipolar disorders

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about one in four adults and one in five children have diagnosable mental disorders and mental disorders are the leading cause of disability among ages 15 to 44. The cost of lost earnings alone due to major mental disorders in the US is around $193 billion each year. Research on mental health epidemiology shows that mental disorders are common throughout the United States, affecting tens

Mental health is one of the global issues that have a significant impact on the international community. Mental health concerns are eminent globally and in every population. There are about 200 classified forms of mental health disorders, but the common ones include anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, post traumatic stress, dementia, bipolar disorders, and schizophrenia (Ahonen, 2014).

Therefore, preventing the associated risk factors for such illnesses, is one of the health priorities in the world [6]. The World Health Organization (WHO) demonstrated that in different age groups, about 450 million people are suffering from severe and mild mental disorders in the world [1]. Moreover, there are at least 52 million persons with severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, and nearly 150 million people are tolerating unspecified mental disorders, including psychiatric distress [7].

In order to make others understand the gravity of mental illness we must answer, what is mental illness? Mental illness is a medical condition or disorder that disrupts a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning (NAMI). Mental health concerns can become a mental illness when ongoing signs and symptoms cause stress and affect a persons ability to function (Definition). Next, facts about mental illness in America alone. One in four adults, which is about 61.5 million Americans, experience mental illness in a given year. One in seventeen, about 13.6 million, live with a serious mental illness. Serious mental illness cost America $193.2 billion in lost earnings per year. Mood disorders, like depression, are the third most common cause of hospitalization in the U.S. for both youth and adults ages 18 to 44. Last, but not least, suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the U.S. (more common than homicide) and the third leading cause of death of ages 15 to 24 years. More than 90 percent of those who

Many terms and concepts are commonly associated with mental illness. the topic of mental illness has many overlapping and subset definitions. Mental illness, a term that encompasses a wide range of mental disorders, contains subcategories of mental disorders distinguishable by effects on a person's behavior, thinking, and mood. Disorders are the most commonly referred to an aspect of mental illness; types of disorders are schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression. Syndromes, even more, specific than disorders, pertain to particular systems within subcategories of disorders and are identifiable by distinct symptoms, mental or physical markers expressed by a disease; examples of syndromes are an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder

According to Mental Health America, 18% of Americans develop a mental illness of some sort that affects them in their daily lives. A mental illness’ definition is something that affects your mood, thinking, and behavior. Some mental illnesses include depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors. Someone’s mental illness affects them in their everyday life, but how would it affect their learning ability? Someone’s state of mind greatly affects a how they learn and their success as a student in general. Certain mental illnesses can influence how someone functions throughout their daily lives. Certain disorders affect teens greatly throughout their education and lives: depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).