Mental Health

This essay will demonstrate the relationships between mental health and social problems from both the social and medical point of view. Generally speaking mental illness is defined as, the psychological or mental state of an individual, who is functioning at a stable level in terms of behaviours and emotions. However the definition and ideology of mental health differs depending on which theory, perspective or model we look at it through. The models or influences in this context are of three types, firstly there is the psychological model which focusses on illness which arises in the brain through developing a series of thinking patterns. Secondly the Medical/biological model focuses on chemical imbalances in the brain and structural abnormalities, which result in patterns of abnormal and maladaptive behaviour. Finally there is the sociological model; this model focusses on how society and ones norms and values affect ones mental state and thinking process. Armstrong, E, eds. (2004)
The medical model which has been the dominant view since the twentieth and twenty first century represents the treatment of mental illness by combining aspects of both science and biology. In terms of advantages the medical model is able to treat patients fast and effectively, it is also relatively cheap and simple to administer. Furthermore it is a very subjective ideology as it is solely based on biological science. (Serendip, n.d). In context to social issues the model uses medication as one of its treatment methods. The medication appointed is primarily a type of anti-depressant. Anti-depressants have proved to effectively control serious mental illness such as bipolar and schizophrenia, such drugs allows patients to live at home as oppose to living in a mental health hospital. This could aid social issues as it gives one the opportunity to be free instead of living in a controlled environment. Furthermore anti-depressants can reduce the symptoms of depression, anxiety and