Mental Health: Types, Impact, and Support Services

Running head: MENTAL HEALTH
MENTAL HEALTH
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MENTAL HEALTH
What is mental health?
Mental health is mainly seen to refer to the cognitive, behavioural as well as
emotional well-being of individuals that indicates entirely about how the individuals feel,
think and behave. The term of mental health can sometimes be used in meaning the absence
of a mental disorder (Lawrence et al., 2015). Mental health has the ability on affecting the
daily life, relationships as well as physical health of individuals. Mental health is seen to
include the ability of an individual to enjoy life by attaining successfully a balance between
the life activities and efforts in achieving psychological resilience (Lawrence et al., 2016)..
What are the many types and forms of mental health?
There are 300 mental disorders which have been listed in the DSM-5 called the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. These are the mood disorders
including bipolar disorders and depression. Others are the anxiety disorders, personality
disorders, psychotic disorder like schizophrenia. Others are the eating disorders and subsrace
abuse disorders. The others are trauma related disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder.
(Happell, Wilson & McNamara, 2015).
Statistics:
Anxiety disorders are common most with 14.4%, followed by affective disorders
about 6.2% and then substance abuse disorders in 5.1% (Perry et al., 2015).
Why is this social issue in our society?
Mental health issues have always been looked down by the society. There are
prejudices that had been harboured by the society over the decades of years. Society does not
view mental health issues as another form of health conditions just like physical health issues.
Mental health disorders are always associated with the terms like “violent, aggressive,

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MENTAL HEALTH
unfortunate, punishment” and many others. Association of the words with mental health
disorders are mainly because of the stigmatised behaviours shown by society and people
towards the mental health patient and his family members (Brownson, 2017). Different types
of stigma can prevail regarding mental health issues like that of the personal stigma where
certain individuals exhibit stigmatising attitudes towards the mentally ill patients. Another
form is the perceived stigma where the affected individuals feels low about the negative and
stigmatising viewpoints that other people are seen to hold (Boydel et al., 2014). Another is
the self stigma where individuals hold stigmatizing views about their own levels and the
structural stigma where the polices of public and private institutions and cultures restrict the
opportunities , resources and well being of people with mental illness (Ennis et al., 2015).
What are the possible outcomes of mental health?
The personalised experience of the stigma is highly detrimental to the well being of
the quality of life but is not given enough priority in treatment either but community or
mental health professionals as reported in the National Survey of Mental Health and
Wellbeing. Stigma is seen to promote and reinforce social isolation. This is highly
detrimental for the children and their families as they cannot handle the additional stress of
such stigmatisation in addition to the mental health issues that they suffer from (Lawrence et
al., 2016). It is seen to limit equitable opportunities in the employment domain as well as for
the recreational and academic opportunities that children need to participate in. They are seen
to conceal their mental ailments with the fear of such stigmatisation and discrimination
attitude of society which results in additional negative outcomes on their health as their
mental issues remain untreated. It discourages their help-seeking behaviours and the families
are also seen to conceal such conditions of their wards with the fear of exclusion from society
(Brownson, 2017).