HCS103 | Individual Field of Practice

Running head: HCS103
HCS103: INDIVIDUAL FIELDS OF PRACTICE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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Question 3: Mental health (topic 7).
Throughout the chapter, the authors Briggs and Adamson (2017) highlight a few
specific aspects when it comes to mental health issues and provision of human service.
Through statistical data across Australia and New Zealand’s indigenous and non – indigenous
populations, the authors have been able to provide a crucial overview of what the situation of
the mental health issues in the chosen contexts are like. In doing so, they have also explained
that an overall mental wellbeing is not just the absence of mental health disorders, but also
includes understanding the wide range of detrimental impacts it can have on a person as well
as on the society (Briggs & Adamson, 2017). Two key issues in mental health that can be
identified from the chapter are depression and Substance Use Disorder.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders 5th edition
(DSM 5), depression, also termed as major depressive disorder or clinical depression, is a
common mental health issue that is associated with a generally low state of mood and
emotions. A persistent feeling of sadness, hopelessness and loss of interest in performing
daily activities are the key identifying features of depression, and can often be associated
with symptoms of certain physical issues like chronic pain in various body parts and
problems with digestion. The DSM identifies that the persistence of the symptoms for two
weeks and more is usually the clinical green signal for the diagnosis of depression. Besides
that, there are eight specific criteria that are highlighted by the DSM 5, at least five of which
need to be fulfilled in order for the issue to be appropriately categorised as depression. The
criteria include a depressed mood for most of the day on a regular basis, lack of interest in
everyday activities, abnormal loss or gain in weight, slow thought and physical movement,
constant fatigue or loss of energy, a recurring feeling of worthlessness or guilt, indecisiveness
and lack of concentration, and recurring suicidal thoughts or tendencies (APA, 2013). Apart
from these eight criteria, the DSM 5 also added two more specifiers in the form of comorbid

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issues that can happen alongside depression. It says that depression can be associated with
either manic symptoms in certain cases of patients or can also be associated with anxiety and
distress in others (APA, 2013).
The second issue, Substance Use Disorder (SUD), refers to the condition where the
use of one or more clinically approved or unapproved drug / substance leads to significant
detrimental physical and mental conditions (Martinez & Guadamor, 2017). According to the
DSM 5, substance use disorder is characterised by a wide range of physical, mental and
behavioural issues that renders a person incapable of self - volition and control, leading him /
her towards disastrous overuse of substances, mostly prescription and non – prescription
drugs (APA, 2013). As a result, the person often tends to suffer from physical and
psychological issues, leading to problems with maintaining everyday lifestyle and
interpersonal relationships. The substances that are considered under this issue include
alcohol, caffeine, psychotropic substances like cannabis, hallucinogens like LSD, various
sedatives, inhalants and opioids, tobacco etc. (APA, 2013; Martinez & Guadamor, 2017). The
substances tend to act on the brain’s reward systems and leads the person to a state of relative
relaxation and calm, however that sense can often lead to development of severe stress and
anxiety disorders if the substances are used in larger than an acceptable range. In many cases,
it has also been identified that SUD can give rise to severe associated problems like psychotic
disorders, bipolar and neurocognitive disorders as well (Van Dorn, Volavka & Johnson,
2012).
Considering human service and social work practice, mental health becomes an
important domain to provide significant attention to. According to Briggs and Adamson
(2017), there are a large number of people in Australia and New Zealand, both indigenous
and non – indigenous, who suffer from a wide range of mental health issues, primarily from
depression and substance use disorder. The statistics also show that the frequency of