MENTAL ILLNESSWhat is normal?

What does mental illness mean to you?

O Write down all the things that come into your head when you think of mental illness. Don’t worry if they seem offensive or inappropriate at this stage. In order to challenge stereotypical views we need to first address them.

How normal are you?O Look at the list

opposite. Write down any of the things on it that could be attributed to you.

1. Nonconforming2. Creative3. Strongly curious4. Idealistic5. Happily obsessed with a specific

hobby6. Aware from an early age that

you were different from others

7. Intelligent8. Opinionated and outspoken9. Non-competitive10. Unusual eating or living habits11. Not interested in the company

or opinions of others12. Mischievous sense of humour13. Single14. Eldest or only child15. Bad speller

How normal are you?O If you said yes to two thirds of these (10) then you

are considered eccentric and thus you are different (but not abnormally so) from the social norm.

O Every society or culture has standards of acceptable behaviour/norms. Behaviour that deviates (moves away) from these norms is considered abnormal. Social norms are approved and expected ways of behaving in a particular society or social situation. For example, in all societies there are social norms governing dress for different ages, gender and occasions.

Task: - Think of specific occasions where social norms govern appropriate dress. Which social norms do mentally ill people deviate from?

Depression - an example of mental Illness

O Depression is a mood or affective disorder. It involves a prolonged and fundamental disturbance of mood and emotion. Depressive disorders are the most common of all the psychopathological disorders. In Britain it is estimated that 1 in 20 adults (5%) suffers from depressive illness at any one time.

O There are no laboratory tests to diagnose depression so doctors diagnose from behaviour and what patients tell them. This means that it is difficult for doctors to distinguish between the least severe cases of depression and a bad attack of ‘the blues’.

Symptoms of Depression

In order to be suffering from clinical depression a person should have experienced at least five of the following symptoms and a persistent low mood over at least two weeks.

 1.      Poor appetite or weight loss or increased appetite and

weight gain.2.      Sleep difficulty or sleeping too much.3.      Loss of energy, tiredness.4.      Body slowed down or agitated (speeded up).5.      Loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities e.g. social

contact and sex.6.      Feelings of self-reproach, excessive or inappropriate

guilt.7.      Inability to concentrate or think clearly.8.      Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide or suicidal

behaviour.

Beck’s Depression Inventory

O This questionnaire was devised by Aaron Beck to assist health care professionals in the diagnosis of depression.

O Fill in the questionnaire and score it.

O http://www.ibogaine.desk.nl/graphics/3639b1c_23.pdf

O Don’t worry a high score doesn’t necessarily mean you are depressed.

O This questionnaire has a lot of weaknesses and limitations.

O Why do you think it may not be a reliable instrument for diagnosing depression?

O In reality it would be used as one amongst many other diagnostic tools by health care professionals

Place the following words into as many groups as you feel is enough to accurately characterise them. Really think about it and make as many connections

as you can.

Hammer Tea Brush Bin Radiator

Blanket Lamp Book Paper Pillow

Tree Pick Fork Flower Screw

Crystal Chalk Racket Tie Plank

Shirt Glass Water Leather Tin

Knife Board Stone Fluff Sand

White Red Blue Yellow Green

Examine your groups of words

O Give each group a gender and a name

O Give each group an occupation

Multiple Personality Disorder

O These groups came from you and are representative of different aspects of your own personality.

O This activity is designed to give you an insight into multiple personality disorder. All of us have multiple aspects to our personalities, however this does not mean we have multiple personality disorder. This is a serious psychological disorder often linked to traumatic childhood experiences e.g. sexual abuse.

Suggestions for further reading

O You might like to watch one of the following films: - A Beautiful Mind, Girl Interrupted, One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

O Downloadable leaflets on mental health http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/

O www.mind.org.uk