Research suggests that mental disorders affect one in four people, yet stigma around mental disorders continues. Mental Health gives an overview of some chronic mental illnesses and looks at the difficulties we have in dealing with them – especially when friends or relatives are affected. This book also covers the common psychological difficulties that can affect any of us how to deal with them and how to get help.
The information comes from a wide range of sources and includes government reports and statistics, newspaper reports, features, magazine articles and surveys, literature from lobby groups and charitable organisations.
Mental Health Problems
Mental illness in the UK, Post-traumatic stress disorder, Schizophrenia, Who doesn’t suffer from paranoia?, Understanding dementia, Understanding addiction and dependency, Understanding disassociative disorders, Bipolar disorders, What are phobias?, What are obsessions?, Blood tests to diagnose mental illness, Eye is key to Alzheimer’s, Fatty acid gene link for ADHD, The disturbed generation, ‘An unhappy childhood left me blighted’, Poverty and mental health, Understanding dual diagnosis, Stress by numbers.
Coping with Mental Health Problems
Parents with mental health problems, Nearly half of students remain silent about mental health, Commons pass Mental Health Bill, Campaign aims to reduce stigma of mental illness, My experience of stigma, Real stories about friendship and mental health.
Maintaining Mental Health
Brian food, Football and mental health, Tips for positive mental health, Four-year-olds face quiz on their mental health, Arts therapies, Fitness for your mind.
Key Facts
Glossary
Index
Additional Resources
Acknowledgements
Key Facts
• It is difficult to find an all-inclusive definition for ‘mental illness’. (page 1)
• A World Health Organisation (WHO) report from 2001 estimated that one in four people in the world will suffer from a mental health problem at some point in their life. (page 1)
• 20 per cent of women in England have some form of mental illness, compared with 14 per cent of men. (page 1)
• Men are three times more likely than women to be dependent on alcohol, and twice as likely to be dependent on drugs. (page 1)
• One in 6 people in the UK will suffer from depression at some point in their life, and it is most prevalent among people aged 25-44. (page 1)
• Social class affects the prevalence of mental health problems. (page 2)
• Between 10-20 per cent of young people involved in criminal activity are thought to have a ‘psychiatric disorder’. (page 2)
• Worldwide about 1 per cent of the population is diagnosed with schizophrenia. (page 4)
• The Alzheimer’s Society estimates that over 700,000 people in the UK have dementia, and that 18,500 of them are under 65. (page 6)
• Dissociation is a defence mechanism helping people to survive traumatic experiences. (page 11)
• About 1% of the population has a bipolar disorder. (page 14)
• A phobia is an intense fear of a particular object or situation. (page 16)
• Phobias are the most common form of anxiety disorder; current estimates are that there are around 10 million people with phobias in the UK. (page 16)
• Obsessions are recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses or images that are produced in the mind and cause distress to the person concerned. (page 17)
• It is estimated that 2.5% of the UK population is affected by obsessive-compulsive behaviour. (page 17)
• Overall, four per cent of youngsters aged from five to 16 had emotional disorders such as anxiety or depression while six per cent had conduct disorders. (page 20)
• There is a link between poverty and mental health problems. (page 22)
• The smaller a proportion of an ethnic minority living in an area the greater their risk of developing a mental illness becomes. (page 23)
• The Carers and Disabled Children Act of 2000 extended the right for people of 16 and 17 to ask their local authority for an assessment of their needs as a carer and of the services and support available to them. (page 25)
• 47% of pupils felt that young people with mental health problems are more likely to be ignored by people their own age. (page 25)
• 6% of boys and 16% of girls aged 16-19 are thought to have some sort of mental health problem. (page 26)
• In the UK, over 91 million working days are lost to mental ill health every year. (page 26)
• The government first tried to reform the 1983 Mental Health Act in 1999. Draft bills published in 2002 and 2004 were categorically rejected by psychiatrists and mental health campaigners.(page 29)
• The costs of mental ill health to the UK economy are now approaching £100 billion a year. (page 32)
• Growing evidence indicates the benefits of dietary interventions to support a person’s recovery from mental health problems. (page 33)
• Physical activity is a proven way to keep mentally well. Exercise makes us feel better immediately through the release of uplifting chemicals into our bodies. (page 36)
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is concerned with how people think and react in certain situations and is seen as the most effective ‘psychological intervention’. (page 37)
• Exposure to the full, broad-spectrum light found outdoors during the daytime helps us sleep better and wards off ‘winter blues’ and Seasonal Affective
Mental Health Study Guide
Each book in the Issues series has a study guide. These four-page guides provide a variety of discussion points and other activities to suit a wide range of ability levels and interests.
Publisher: Independence Educational Publishers
Price: £1.50
ISBN: 978 1 86168 426 4
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