Psychopathology

6.4 Assignment. The Challenge of Preventing Mental Illness

Getting Started

The medical model of Western medicine follows a very predictable pattern: live your life, and when something goes wrong (pain, injury, sickness, etc.), then seek treatment. Treatment usually involves one or more of the following: testing, medication, hospitalization, and/or surgery. We don’t hear much about prevention, which is designed to help us avoid being in a position where we need to be treated.

The mental health field generally follows closely the medical model when it comes to treating illness. We wait until we can no longer function under the heavy stress of daily life, or our relationship with our spouse or teen is near the breaking point, or we are on the cusp of losing our job. It is at these crisis points that most people reach out for help.

And what does positive psychology have to say about how we might reverse some of the negative trends we see in mental health these days? Earlier in the course, you learned about strength-based approaches that focus on the positive aspects of a person’s life instead of what is “wrong” with them. When you help a person use their strengths to navigate around the problem areas, it infuses them with confidence and optimism about the future.

What if we took it one step further and applied positive psychology principles and focused these on a preventive approach to mental health? What would that look like? With an honest assessment our strengths, we could be more deliberate about living by our values and goals before we reach a crisis point. What if we slowed our lives down to decrease the stress we are under, chose to get more sleep, paid more attention to the important relationships in our life, made better choices about self-care, and lived by our stated core values instead of succumbing to the limitless pressures that crush us?

Prevention is a hard concept to practice because it requires us to take inventory of where we are, where we’ve been, and where we want to go. Then comes the hard part: making changes based on this assessment.

As it stands now, the prognosis for the mental health of the world, and of the United States in particular, is not good. Rates of suicide attempts, anxiety, depression, and relationship and family breakups are all on the rise. It doesn’t appear that trend will reverse anytime soon. Does that mean we should give up and stop keep trying to work toward preventive measures?

In this final assignment of the course, you have the opportunity to think through where we are in this present state of mental health and what role you might play in trying to slow the decline of mental health.

Upon successful completion of the course material, you will be able to:

· Assess the potential for preventive measures to improve the societal rates of mental illness.

Resources

· Web Article: Prevention and Early Intervention in Mental Health

Background Information

In this assignment, you will explore how we as a country and you as an individual might change the trajectory of mental illness: how it evolves, manifests, and is treated. First, read the assigned article “Prevention and Early Intervention in Mental Health” and then consider doing additional research to explore the problem in greater depth to get a solid sense of how important this idea of preventive mental health can be to the future of our society.

Instructions

1. Read the article,  Prevention and Early Intervention in Mental Health .

2. In at least five substantial paragraphs, respond to the following prompts:

a. Why do you think prevention of mental illness is such a hard concept for both lawmakers and the general population to get behind and support?

b. What do you see as the biggest societal hurdle that slows or stops our ability to implement more preventive measures toward better mental health?

c. Describe at least one positive psychology principle that you’ve learned in the course that could be applied toward prevention of mental health issues. Explain in detail.

d. The assigned article says, “Studies show that half of those who will develop mental health disorders show symptoms by age 14.” Given what you read earlier in the course about the prevalence of ACEs, what can be done to improve the mental health of our children?

3. If you use additional research in your paper, be sure to include the in-text citations and a reference page at the end of your paper in correct  APA Style  format.

6.2 Discussion: Meaningful Relationships

Getting Started

We live in an era when communication has never been faster. We can send a text or email to the other side of the world in seconds. We are in touch with dozens if not hundreds of “friends” or “followers” on social media on a regular basis. We can reach out by text to family, friends, and coworkers to get instant answers to important questions, such as “When will you be home?” or “Are you okay?” But is there a downside to all this virtual communication? Are we really as “connected” in a meaningful way when we communicate by “likes” or abbreviated sentences?

One thing is certain: we are created to be in meaningful relationships. God created us with this need, first to be in relationship with Him and, second, to be in meaningful relationships with other people. So what, if anything, is lost or sacrificed when we have less actual face-to-face contact and more virtual interaction with people?

You have the opportunity to explore this topic at some depth in the discussion forum. Key questions include whether social media contributes to the growing feeling among people that they are lonely. Most people now actually have far more touchpoints with others in a given day than in any previous generation, but reported rates of loneliness and depression continue to increase. Is there an association between our ubiquitous virtual communication patterns and our feelings of social isolation?

If you take this one large step further, it is logical to ask whether rising suicide rates, especially among young people (the largest users of social media), are in some way fueled by the way relationships are developed, maintained, and negotiated through social media.

Finally, you will do some integrative thinking on how the Church might respond to this whole situation. The Church is supposed to be a community of believers who come together to worship and to love, serve, and support one another. The idea is that a church is a community where you belong, are known, and develop meaningful relationships with others who share your core values. This has been the Church’s mission since Pentecost. So how is the Church doing at building these communities in the age of virtual communication?

The big question being asked in this discussion is: How is the future of mental health affected by the way we are approaching relationships? Can we expect it to improve or worsen as we move forward with even greater technological advances in the future? There are no easy solutions, but these are important issues to think about and discuss.

Upon successful completion of the course material, you will be able to:

· Discuss the need for meaningful relationships and why fulfillment of this need breaks down in a complex society.

Resources

· Textbook:  Modern Psychopathologies:  A Comprehensive Christian Appraisal

· Web Article: 4 Disorders That Thrive on Loneliness

· Website: Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

Background Information

Read Chapter 16 in the textbook and the article “4 Disorders That Thrive on Loneliness” to prepare for the discussion. You might also want to do some of your own research by doing an Internet search on the phrase “loneliness and mental health” to expose yourself to additional viewpoints on how our virtual communication might be affecting our relationships and, in turn, our overall mental health. If you find interesting or relevant articles, you can then share these links with other students in the discussion topic.

Instructions

1. Read Chapter 16, “Problems Stemming from Societal Pathology,” in your textbook.

2. Read the article,  4 Disorders That Thrive on Loneliness .

3. Navigate to the Discussion page and respond to the following prompts:

a. We interact with many people in a given day but few, if any, of those contacts feel truly meaningful and satisfying. Do you agree with this statement? Explain your response.

b. Do you think social media enhances or detracts from the possibility of meaningful connections?

c. According to the  Centers for Disease Control (CDC) , the rates of suicide in the United States, at all ages, continue to climb. What relationship do you think exists between a lack of meaningful relationships and the increase in suicide?

d. What could the local church do to create more meaningful interaction between people in the community?

4. Your initial post:

a. Should be 400 to 500 words.

5. Your postings should also:

a. Be well developed by providing clear answers with evidence of critical thinking.

b. Add greater depth to the discussion by introducing new ideas.

c. If you share outside links to articles, be sure to provide the full reference for each in your post.

Respond to the two discussion posts below:

6.1 Discussion: Me First

Weston

In the world that we live in it's not only easy to put yourself first but it is almost expected to have this mindset. The selfish nature that we have because of our flesh makes it easy for us to put ourselves above others and look out for our own best interest. Many of Jesus’s messages are contrary to this behavior and he calls us to look out for others' needs and interests above our own. One example of this is his teaching in Matthew known as the beatitudes. He calls us to be peacemakers when he says “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9, n.d.). This call to resolve problems and create peace is not something that is easy to live into but it is rewarding when we answer this command and take the steps to build peace.

I think because of my personality I am not someone who gets into fights or arguments with people. Having to bring peace to a situation is not something that I have to do often. One example of being first in taking the steps to make peace happened recently when two of my teammates got in an argument when we were at practice. They were both younger guys on the team so they were both willing to walk away with one of the older guys on the team. I walked away with one of the guys while another teammate took the other guy who was upset. After talking through the problem and hear where they were coming from we were able to help them calm down and make amends with their teammate.

The “me first” that Jesus talks about in the sermon on the mount is not the same “me first” that we hear from society. Instead of seeking out what is best for us, Jesus calls us to take action and be the first to advance the kingdom of heaven. It is not doing what is convenient for us but rather taking the initiative to live out Christ love to others. This is not easy and will not always go as planned, but living into God’s design will always be better than trying to live for ourselves.

References

Matthew 5:9 (NIV). (n.d.). Bible Gateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%205%3A9&version=NIV

6.2 Discussion: Meaningful Relationships

Kathryn

I think the first question is quite interesting. How many of my day-to-day interactions feel meaningful and satisfying? The truth is, probably not many. Interactions that I find meaningful and satisfying are conversations that make me laugh, and instances where I find myself having to engage in intellectual conversations. I like interactions where I feel close to people, like I’m learning more about them. I find a lot of meaning and satisfaction out of conversations that have to do with God and spirituality. However, a lot of these things I described don’t happen every day. I probably have at least one a day, but not an abundance of them.

The second question is yet another interesting and intriguing question, does social media help or hurt creating meaningful connections? I think there are some situations where social media can be very helpful for creating meaningful connections. Just think about the amount of people who find their significant others on dating sites or even social media in general. I can say for certain I have gained some friends through social media over the years. I have created meaningful relationships with them; I find friendship through them.

However, I can see where social media helps avoid meaningful connections. There are things about social media that allow us to become detached to real human emotion. We can mindlessly scroll on social media and see the best of someone's best, we don’t often get to see their worst. We don’t have to engage in conversation, and hang out with people anymore. We can just go to their social media to see what they're up to, and us “liking” their things is enough to let them know we are still “involved” in their life. There is not a whole lot of meaningful and satisfying interactions happening over social media, however that is not to say that they can’t happen.

I think there is a definite connection between suicide and lack of meaningful relationships. Obviously, suicide is a large issue that can stem from a variety of issues. However, lacking meaningful relationships can be a contributing factor. Hubbard (2023) says, “Your body releases endorphins during positive social contact, similar to the physical response after a hard workout, which gives a boost of happiness, while reducing stress. That’s why people who feel more connected to others have lower levels of anxiety and depression.” People that have good and meaningful social interaction, are at less risk to become depressed. Hubbard (2023) also mentions that those who have a sense of connectedness to others, and they feel supported, are more likely to have more self-esteem, as well as feeling as if they have a greater purpose. Being isolated and feeling like there is no one to support you or no one to have meaningful relationships with, it can cause anxiety, depression, and lack of motivation. Which can lead to suicide.

The local church could do more local events. I know at my church we do things like trunk-or-treat, have an outside barbecue after we finish with vacation bible school, and a Super Bowl party. These are events that are open to the whole community. I think we could do a better job at spreading the word for these events. There is usually a big turnout but we could always do better. I think creating events where we serve out in the local community could also create this meaningful connection. I think the church has an opportunity to create real and meaningful relationships and they should take advantage of that more.

References

Hubbard, D. (2023, December 4). Five surprising health benefits to socializing with others. Summa Health. https://www.summahealth.org/flourish/entries/2023/12/five-surprising-health-benefits-to-socializing-with-others#:~:text=Research%20shows%20your%20body%20releases,levels%20of%20anxiety%20and%20depression.