Mental Health for Communities: Samira's Case Study Analysis Report

This report delves into the multifaceted aspects of mental health within community settings, utilizing a case study approach to analyze the experiences of an individual named Samira. It examines the relevant influences, including environmental, cultural, and support systems, and assesses Samira's adaptive abilities. The report identifies key risk factors in Samira's life, such as exposure to violence, loss, and family challenges, while also exploring protective factors that could assist in regaining mental health. These factors include building social connections, providing concrete support, offering parenting knowledge, and fostering parental resilience. The analysis incorporates various perspectives, including the impact of religious involvement and the role of different support services available to improve mental well-being, drawing from research and expert opinions to provide a comprehensive understanding of mental health challenges and potential solutions within a community context.

Running Head: MENTAL HEALTH FOR COMMUNITIES 1
MENTAL HEALTH FOR COMMUNITIES
Name
Institutional Affiliation

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1. Positive mental health
WHO defines positive mental health as “a stable state of well-being in which an
individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work
productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community” WHO
however adds that, this does not mean there is complete lack of disease or ailment in the
individual.There are over 800 studies that were conducted and reveal thatreligious involvement
is linked to positive mental health. These studies found that high involvement to religion
increases psychological wellbeing i.e. happiness, positive effects, life satisfaction, and also high
self-esteem (Vaillant, 2012). Religious involvement has also been linked to low depression, use
of alcohol and/ or drug abuse and reduced feelings of committing suicide and such related
behaviors(Lamers 2012). The disabled, elderly and those with the medical illness have been
found to benefit more in religious involvement. Due to the positivity effect of religious
involvement, several medical schools have incorporated spirituality into their curriculum. For
instance, in the US, there are 126 accredited medical institutions out of which 84 have
incorporated spirituality courses in medicine to help with the knowledge of the role of spirituality
in managing mental disorders(Lamers 2012).
2. Examine the relevant influences. Including environment, culture, support systems and
adaptive ability within Samira’s life?
A few factors related to people suffering from mental illness leading to stigmatization
and loneliness may include demographic factors (age, cultural background, status,and gender),
socio-economic and cultural factors. A number of environmental factors such as relationship
fallout, falling victim of a crime, and sexual abuse are associated with the production of
psychological distress(Moreira et al., 2015). In Samira’s case there seem to have these
experiences. The loss of her relationship with her husband through an accident that leads to the

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death of her husband maybe related to the current mental distress she is experiencing. While in
Syria where wars are constantly experienced, Samira and her family may have experienced
victimization in crime or even sexual abuse(Herrman&Jané-Llopis 2012). Experts saythat such
experiences could be responsible for triggering more key reactionsincluding feelings of danger
and/ or loss. These reactions are responsible for pushing an individual to certain mental
conditions.
Ronald Kessler, Health Care Policy professor of Harvard School of Medicine state that,
“Feelings of pure loss might lead to depressivedisorders, while feelings of pure danger might
lead to anxiety disorders.” Samira has pure feelings of loss of her husband who died on accident
leaving her with three children. She fees grieved, lonely, and has more worriesaboutthe
likelihood of danger in Sydney(Reeves, Parker &Konkle-Parker 2016). He continues to say that,
“Feelings of loss and danger might lead to both (depressive disorders and anxiety disorders)
simultaneously.” The worse of all, stressors of psychosocial and physiological either singly or
combined can interact with the vulnerability of genes hence leading to alteration of brain
chemistry which in turn affect the individual brain normal functioning(Herrman&Jané-Llopis
2012).There have however been difficulties facing scientists in their efforts to linking mental
illness with primary causes. In some part reasons being that these diseases are so vague because
when compared to heart disease or cancer, which is clear when determining their end-point,
mental illnesses have different behaviors in relation to each individual. Mental illness is defined
by behaviors, feelings,and thoughts. Ezra Sussera psychiatrist atthe University of Colombia
statesthat there are no biological measures where a diagnosis can be rested.
The primary function of a brain is to help an organism to adapt to a new environment.
The brain helps to achieve this by helping the individual to learn a new environment, by

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inflicting fear, memory of bad and good experiences, and attachment. For instance, if one
touched some flames in the childhood and felt it burn, the brain will store the memory for the
future protection or reminder(Thornicroft& Slade 2014). This is the learning process that helps
individuals to cope with new experiences and warn them of such incidences in future. Samira
might have experienced wars in Syria and even become a victim of circumstances where even
her own family continues to live together with her siblings(Lindert&Levav 2016). These
incidences may make her feel that she has a responsibility to fight together with her family.
Staying away from her family makes her very uncomfortable in her new environment and may
be tied to between thoughts of staying and leaving. She might also be in fear of similar
occurrences taking place in Sydney and this keeps her detached to the place hence the feeling of
loneliness(Haigh 2013). Samira is facing breathlessness and tiredness which could be associated
with the mental health particularly anxiety disorders. Studies showthat there is a close
association of tiredness and breathlessness in individuals with anxiety disorders. People who are
anxious are surrounded by thoughts which make them feel like they areworked the whole day.
3. Discuss the main risks factors in Samira’s life
a) Environmental factors
Environmental factors such as Samira’s exposure to violence and war in Syria may
havecontributed in some way to her mental condition. She may have been involved in drugs,
abuse, or some form of addiction (Haigh 2013). Having seen her husband die ina road accident is
also a bad exposure which could mean confusion, desperation, stress, and anger which would
cause mental problems in her.
a) Family care

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Little care or no care from family members after husband dies also has been a risk factor
not only to her but to her children too. Samira lives in a country where her parent and siblings
would not access and this increases the risk of developing mental illness(Nickerson et al., 2013).
Samira feels loneliness, grieved, and worried that she might be having breast cancer while in
Sydney(Parkes&Prigerson 2013).
b) Addiction to family
Addiction to the family; Samira is missing her family so much that she expected would
join her in Australia. She states that she missingher parents and siblings who are still in Syria.
This seems that her mind remains attached to her family and she is addicted to being with them.
Her thinking about her family all the time means this is going to affect her normal activities and
continue to feel lonelier(Bockting et al., 2013).
c) Poor family functioning
The other risk factor with Samira is poor family functioning. Her family has no father and she is
a single mother. This means Samira feels lonely due to the absence of her love(Jorm 2012). Her
children are also likely to keep asking her of their fathers’ where-bouts. This would affect her
family functions if she does not manage the situation well.
a) Not ready to reveal challenges in life
From the case study, it seems that Samira has a tendency of not wanting to reveal
everything about her life. This means she can deny or reject needs for help according to
her(Nolen-Hoeksema&Rector 2015). This is a risk factor which is likely to increase her mental
problems hence putting even her bigger family in danger.There is a need for parent to talk out of
their problem to the people who may be of good help and with the right intention. Many

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problems that affect many parent is the lack of someone they trust so that they reveal they fears,
needs, ask for support and also material support.
Different types of support services and help are also available for Samira to improve her
condition. Samira can continue with visiting her GP who may refer her to different specialists
support such as psychiatrists, psychologist, community health services, family therapists, or
rehabilitation services. Australia has many organizations that offer great resources which would
help Samira to get in touch with the required services. These organizations include Beyond Blue,
and it deals with the provision of information and support for depression, anxiety,and related
illness. The next organization is COPMI-Parents that provides with resources for parents and
families with mental disorders. The third organizational Samira would gain from is Head to
Headwhich is Australia’s central digital mental health resources(Cloninger, Salloum&Mezzich
2012). The other important organization in Australia that Samira would be referred is saneand
she will be provided with information on living with mental disorders.
4. Explore the protective factors for Samira that may assist her in regaining mental health
a) Building social connection
In broad ways, there are protective factors that can help Samira to regain her positive
mental health. There is need to help Samira build a social connection. Every person needs people
surrounding them with help to themselves and even their children or families(Layous, Chancellor
&Lyubomirsky 2014). They need people they can turn to and listen to them, offer informed
advice and who they can call when they need to solve a problem(Cloninger, Salloum&Mezzich
2012). Thus if there is the availability of quality social connection for Samira she will be able to
get in touch with neighbors, family, friends, co-workers, and service providers and community
members.

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Social connections provide an opportunity for valuable resources such asone emotional
support e.g. encouraging parenting skills, and being nonjudgmental or showing empathy.
Two,social connections will provide with Instrumental supports such as linking to jobs, financial
support and providing with transportation. By doing so also Samira will regain her positive
mental health by getting spiritual support like we discussed at the beginning of this paper, such
as getting encouraged and being provided with hope(Jorm 2012). Social connections also
provide with informative supportsuch as parentalguidance or referring to a psychologist or
psychiatrist(Rietveld et al., 2013). Social connectedness has been viewed as one of the best ways
to encourage parenthood as there are people who care and makea parent feel confident to ask any
concern they have.
b) Samira needs concrete support
Samira would need concrete support when she is in need to help her assist her care for
her children and manager her own tempers when she feels fatigued. Concrete support to Samira
is needed as she lost both her husband and her job he was doing(Cloninger, Salloum&Mezzich
2012). Concrete support such as helping Samira to identify, find and get needed support will
ensure herself and her children get not only mental health services but also health food, legal
services etc. that would make her feel less lonely.
c) Samira would need provision with parenting knowledge
Providing with parenting knowledge and development of the child will also enable to increase
her knowledge on how her children develop in each stage. Samira has 3 children who might be
the contributing factor to her stress as she is a single mother(Bögels et al., 2014). Making her

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understand her children emotional development, growth,and development, the health of children
and discipline-related issues involved in raising children will help her reduce stress and she will
become less depressed or anxious.
a) Samira would need to develop parental resilient
Parental resilientcan help regains and avid mental disorders. In most cases, parents are
faced with challenges or stressors that are placed onthem and those related to their children. Most
common stressors to parent may include; individual factors like substance abuse or painful
experiences, unexpected events such as losing a job or discovering child’s negative medical
challenges, social factors such as such as problematic relationship and feeling of being isolated
or lonely, environmental community/societal conditions such like racism, persistence lack of
basic needs, or natural disaster and also typical events and life changes such like relocating to a
new city or even soothing a baby when crying are some of stressors parent face(Bögels et al.,
2014). Parent (Samira) should be made aware that developing resilient to stressors is the most
important thing when dealing with stressors of life which are not avoidable but manageable.

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