In this Discussion, think about how you might define mental illness. With colleagues, you will consider how certain behaviors, beliefs, or actions may be considered normal in certain cultures.
Post:
- Create a list of:
- Behaviors that demonstrate mental illness
- Beliefs that demonstrate mental illness
- Actions that demonstrate mental illness
- Explain why you think the behaviors, beliefs, and actions you identified are examples of mental illness.
Note: Practice using APA citations and a reference list by supporting your post with evidence from the reading.
Respond to two classmates
- Identify anything on the colleague’s list that might have a cultural component.
- Discuss any behavior, belief, and/or action that people with a different cultural, religious, or economic background might perceive as normal.
LEARNING RESOURCES
- Segal, E. A., Gerdes, K. E., & Steiner, S. (2019). An introduction to the profession of social work: Becoming a change agent(6th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
- Chapter 10, “Mental Health Services”
- Chapter 12, “Substance Abuse”
- Walden University Writing Center. (2015h). Walden templates: PowerPoint presentationLinks to an external site.. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/templates/general#s-lg-box-2774362
Response1
Behaviors that demonstrate mental illness
Mental illness behaviors may include Sleep or appetite changes — Dramatic sleep and appetite changes or decline in personal care. Mood changes — Rapid or dramatic shifts in emotions or depressed feelings. Withdrawal — recent social withdrawal and loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed. Feeling sad or down. Confused thinking or reduced ability to concentrate. Excessive fears or worries, or extreme feelings of guilt. Significant tiredness, low energy or problems sleeping.
Beliefs that demonstrate mental illness
Beliefs that are commonly associated with mental illness are Supernatural theories that attribute mental illness to possession by evil or demonic spirits, displeasure of gods, eclipses, planetary gravitation, curses, and sin. it is also believed that mental illness can be due to misuse of drugs such as excessive use of marijuana, cocaine or heroine. remember it is just a belief..
Actions that demonstrate mental illness
Some of the actions that demonstrate mental illness are Excessive worrying or fear. Feeling excessively sad or low. Confused thinking or problems concentrating and learning. Extreme mood changes, including uncontrollable “highs” or feelings of euphoria.
Explain why you think the behaviors, beliefs, and actions you identified are examples of mental illness
It is true that Examples of mental illness include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors. I believe so because a normal human being is not supposed to portray such characters. Normal is also used to describe individual behaviors that conforms to the most common behaviors in society. Normal behavior can also be defined as any behaviors or conditions which are usual, expected, typical, or conforms to a pre-existing standard. If the behaviors of a particular person all over sudden changes, it means that person has mental problems.
Reference:
Response2
- Behaviors that demonstrate mental illness
Self-harm, lashing out at people, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, swearing, disrespectfulness, neglecting self, lack of motivation, over-sleeping or not sleeping enough, putting others down to make themselves feel better, disobeying authority.
- Beliefs that demonstrate mental illness
A belief that oneself is not worthy of life, not worthy of love, doesn’t deserve good things to happen to them, does not deserve friends, that the world would be better off without them, that they are fat, ugly, not up to society’s standard, that harming others is okay.
- Actions that demonstrate mental illness
Slitting wrists, thighs, or any other part of the body, burning oneself or causing any sort of pain to oneself, seclusion, and isolation, physically fighting others, screaming at others, theft, vandalism.
I believe these are behaviors, beliefs, and actions of mental illness because I believe that a healthy brain would not act, think, or behave in those ways. A mental illness “refers collectively to health conditions characterized by alterations in emotions, thinking, or behavior (Segal et al., 2016). These demonstrate a mental illness because they are not situational thoughts, they are not actions caused by daily living, but they do affect daily living. For example, if a person gets sad over their friend dying, they get sad over the situation, that sadness can heal overtime, it is not a mental illness. Now if a person is feeling as if they are not worthy, simply from existing and they are acting out on that, coping with drugs, alcohol, or other forms of self-harm to make them feel somewhat normal, and that is the only way they can feel better and cope, that is a mental illness.
Segal, E. A., Gerdes, K. E., & Steiner, S. (2016). An introduction to the profession of social work. Cengage Learning.
