Mental and Physical Health: Understanding the Relationship and Personal Recovery

Running Head: MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH
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Mental and physical health
10/29/2018

MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH
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Contents
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................2
Understanding the mental health and mental illness..............................................................................2
The relationship between mental health and physical health.................................................................3
An inclusive understanding of the personal recovery............................................................................4
Recognizing and reacting to the mental health needs............................................................................5
Consequences for the practices of health professionals.........................................................................6
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................7
References.............................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
The paper brings about the discussion and analysis of the aspects of physical and
mental health and the illness associated with respect to the patient ‘Georgia’ mentioned in the
given case study. The case study states that Georgia a 22-year old girl, who studies in a
university, is unable to cope with the normal stresses of her life. Discussing her studies, she is
a third-year student studying psychology, but changed her full-time semester to part-time
because of the overload, making her feel anxious, and stressed. Describing mental health and
illness, in context to the patient it has been analyzed that Georgia encountered the problems,
thinking, understanding, and concentrating on her studies, which defined her mental health
issues. The case study has to be linked to gain an understanding of the illness, and the
relationship between the physical and mental health of Georgia, which leads to developing a
personal recovery plan for improving the status of her health. It will further result into an
assessment of implications for the practice of health professionals in the healthcare. Thus, the
readers will develop a perception towards the concept of mental health and the illness and
their improvement in the long-term.
Understanding the mental health and mental illness
Mental health has described as the common and dynamic concept in relation to an
individual’s physical, social, emotional, and psychological well-being. Mental health is
considered important at every stage of life. Mental health difficulties affect an individual’s
functional and working capacity in a number of ways (Thornicroft et al., 2016). Moreover, it
is a known fact that the mental health problems affect the physical health of the individual
leading to the increased risk of health issues and the diseases in a prolonged time-period
(Clement et al., 2015). A person with a stable mental health or condition is able to think, act,
and behave appropriately, and enhances the ability to achieve personal goals in their life. As
in the case, the patient found difficulties in thinking and responding to the changes in her
behavior, which stated about her mental health illness. This can be further described in detail
with the issues of mental health found in the case of Georgia (Humphreys, McLeod &
Ruseski, 2014).
The range of health illness, in relation to the mental health of the patient, Georgia in
the case study, characterizes anxiety/Panic disorder. Georgia represented problems while
completing her assignments, and concentrating on the studies especially, during the exams.

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This depicts her mental health problems, due to which she felt worried and panicky almost
every time. There are some of the instances found in the case study, which highlights the
patient’s anxious behavior as when she tried driving and met with an accident during her
second test, which led to a stressful situation. She described the feeling of being tensed and
anxious all the time, which caused her trouble sleeping at night. In addition, Georgia
described the feeling that in her future years she will become stressed and anxious just like
her mother. Mental health issues are common in adults, which affects their work life or
studies influencing their health in the longer period. The time and methodology to cure or
treat the patients with such mental health issues depend upon the nature of the problem and
the impact on the individual’s health (McDougall & Vaillancourt, 2015). Similarly, the case
of Georgia showcased the problems of mental health as she felt worried, panicky and stressed
during her exams, found difficulties in learning and focusing on things almost every time.
The relationship between mental health and physical health
Georgia represented the mental illness of anxiety or panic disorder, which is
exemplified her over-stressing and becoming anxious and fearful about the experiences of her
life, during a past that might affect her present and future. Anxiety disorders are categorized
under different mental health conditions listed in the DSM-5, which included cognitive
disorders, as relevant with the case of Georgia. Georgia defined about the problem of anxiety
disorders, such as living away from parents, lack of concentration, impaired sleep, and
feeling of doom, displayed her health condition characterizing excessive fear and anxiety, and
the related behavioral disturbances (Rebar et al., 2015). The description of Georgia’s
disturbed health condition is stated well according to the diagnostic features of anxiety as per
the criteria of DSM5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). The features
identified with the case of Georgia, in relation to the criteria of DSM 5, included the feelings
of restlessness, fatigue or tiredness, difficulty in concentrating, irritability, and the sleep
disturbance. The diagnostic criteria, with respect to the condition of Georgia’s health as per
DSM, mentioned that she felt chest pain or discomfort. The most noticeable factor was the
excessive anxiety & worry, observed for almost 6 months, described a number of events or
activities, such as poor performance in her university exams. Moreover, the significant
changes in the behavior of daily routine, as Georgia started avoiding her regular morning
walk leading to her poor physical health (Fisher et al., 2014).