Assignment on Health Studies

Running head: HEALTH STUDIES
Health studies
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1HEALTH STUDIES
According to World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is defined as state of
health and well-being where every individual has the potential to cope with mental stress of life
and work fruitfully and productively in contributing to the community or society (Rosenfield and
Mouzon, 2013). It includes all the aspects of health like psychological, social and emotional
well-being. Mental health affects the way people feel, think and act and how an individual
handle stress ad make healthy choices. When an individual is affected by mental health
problems, one’s mood, behaviour and thinking is affected depending on mental health
conditions. Any kind of biological factors like genes, life experiences like abuse, trauma, or
family history of mental health can contribute to mental health issues. Mental health is an
essential and integral component off health and an important implication of health is that it is
more than just mental disabilities or disorders (Braveman and Gottlieb, 2014).
On the other hand, according to WHO, a state of presence of infirmity or disease in terms
of mental health is ill health and considers social, mental and cultural dimensions of health.
There is presence of impairment or disease in functioning that contributes to ill health affecting
mental, physical and social well-being of an individual (Jorm, 2012). Various determinants of
health like psychological, social and biological factors affect mental health status of an
individual that contribute to poor health conditions. There are different perspectives associated
with mental health and illness among individuals and society and require thorough understanding
of these perspectives to mental health and well-being. Therefore, the following essay involves
the evaluation of various perspectives of mental health, understanding of multidisciplinary
approaches to mental health needs, determinants of mental health and policy frameworks.

2HEALTH STUDIES
Dementia
For example, dementia is a mental health disorder where cognition is affected: knowing,
thinking, judgment and problem solving of individuals. People with dementia experience
psychiatric conditions like depression. Various factors contribute to mental illness condition in
dementia like genetic, biological, psychological and societal factors. The physical changes in
brain, psychological factors like ineffective coping mechanism and social factors like isolation
contribute to onset and progression of dementia. The condition of dementia greatly explains that
the mental illness is a combination of various factors like biological, societal and psychological
factors. This explains that mental illness is caused due to the factors and dimensions that have
different perspectives on mental illness. Various perceptions prevail regarding mental health
where it has severe consequences for the individuals, their families and society. Social, cultural
and psychological perspectives govern the concept of mental health (Tew et al., 2012).
Models/perspectives of mental health
Various models are studied to understand the concept of mental health. Biomedical
model defines mental health as brain disorders that require pharmacological treatment to the
targeted biological abnormalities (Deacon, 2013). The primary aim of this model is to uncover
the biological determinants underlying disease and its dysfunction. The model suggests that
treatment is required for targeting the physical aspects of specific disease by using science
discipline. The model assumes that mental illness is due to deviations from normal biological
phenomenon (somatic variables) that requires therapeutic treatment (Engel, 2012). The model
demands that behavioural aberrations need to be explained on the basis on neurophysiological or
biochemical processes. The model actually measures the mental disease or illness from the

3HEALTH STUDIES
perspective of human body and breakdown due to biological factors. Therefore, the treatment for
mental health disorders is to be undertaken by mental healthcare professionals having
appropriate knowledge and use of medical technology. This mode has certain advantages being
dominant in western societies explaining only biological factors for the onset and progression of
mental health issues. This model is helpful for healthcare professionals in explaining that there is
a strong association between health and disease and disturbance in this equilibrium greatly affect
mental health leading to brain disorders. A specific advantage of this model is that it guides best
possible treatment and recovery in mental health for patients and furthermore, it is supported by
scientific approach (Kazdin and Rabbitt, 2013). However, this model has certain disadvantages.
Firstly, this model clearly rejects the psychological, social and behavioural dimensions of
mental health. However, it is not only important to treat the mental illness from the biological
perspective, rather require consideration of independent entity of social behaviour. Biomedical
model lacks holistic care to improved mental health conditions and ignores the concept of social
construction like how one experiences illness without disease presence and disease without
feeling sick. Criticism for this model explains that mental illness is greatly linked with social and
environmental changes rather than medical factors. Although, medications are helpful for
treatment, but it is ineffective for the patient in recovery from mental health illness as the
underlying problems still exist providing partial treatment (Bracken et al., 2012). To eliminate
these limitations, social model of mental health is applied that is explained in the subsequent
section.
Social model explains that the causal factors of mental health are determined by societal
organization rather than psychological and biological characteristics of individuals. It is well
argued that individuals are not blamed for their mental illness and behaviour. They are the