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Deviation from Ideal Mental Health (Comprehensive definition (Definition…
Deviation from Ideal Mental Health
Comprehensive definition
Definition covers a broad range of criteria for mental health
Covers most of the reasons people seek help from mental health services or be referred for help.
Range of factors discussed in relation to Jahoda's criteria.
Makes it a good tool for thinking about mental health
May be culturally relative
Some ideas in Jahoda's criteria of ideal mental health are specific to Western European and North American Cultures.
e.g. self-actualisation would be considered self-indulgent in collectivist cultures where the focus is on community rather than individuals.
Some traits are typical of individualist cultures and are culturally bound.
Criteria suggests an unrealistically high standard of mental health
Very few people will attain all Jahoda's criteria for mental health.
This approach would see many of us as abnormal.
Makes it clear to people the ways in which they could benefit from seeking help to improve their mental health.
No value in thinking about who might benefit from treatment against their will.
Failure to Function Adequately
Recognises patients perspective
Definition acknowledges that the experience of patient is important
Captures experience of many people who need help
Useful for assessing abnormality
May not be entirely satisfactory approach
Difficult to assess distress.
Same as deviation from social norms
Can be hard to say when someone is failing to function adequately or just deviating from social norms
People who live alternative lives or do extreme sports could be seen as behaving maladaptively
If we treat these behaviours as failures of functioning adequately we may limit freedom.
Subjective judgement
Someone has to judge whether a patient is distressed.
Some patients may say they are distressed but may be judged as not suffering.
There are methods for making judgements as objective as possible e.g. WHODAS scale
Principle remains whether someone has the right to make this judgement.