Abnormality In Mental Health Essay

This assignment is to discuss abnormality in mental health and the medical models used to diagnose mental disorders namely depression and eating disorders, why these models can be unreliable and theories behind what causes these disorders, whether it be environmental (nurture) or hereditary (nature) and how different cultures and societies can have an impact on diagnosing these disorders.
There are several definitions of abnormality in mental health, any deviation from what's classed as ideal mental health is abnormal, ideal mental health is: holding a positive view of oneself, freedom/independence, positive friendships/relationships, able to grow/develop, an accurate perception of reality and being able to meet day to day tasks. (Jahoda 1958)

His theory was that "mental health was a myth", he argued that its defined by social criteria and not medical, he said problems of living are a more accurate concept than mental illness, Szasz argued that if an alleged mental illness came from neurological defects then its not a mental illness but a physical one.He also said that the medical model such as the DSM are unreliable as they falsely label diseases. (Banyard, 2013)
Cultural differences can conflict with diagnosing in different countries mental health disorders aren’t even recognised and there is also a stigma attached to mental health problems making people resistant to seek help or treatment. Diagnosing can also be difficult due to problems such as in one culture hearing voices can be totally normal yet in others this could mean your schizophrenic. (Hayes,2000)
The first disorder to be discussed is Depression there are many different types, all are classed as a mood disorder and depending on the type of depression depends on the treatment. At some point in our lives we will all have feelings of being down but depression is when these feelings intensify and interfere in our day to day

Following many researches, in 1971 at McGill University failed to find a statistical difference to confirm his theory. Many came to the conclusion that the theory is not true.(Cepuk, 2014)
Studies of close nit families like Amish communities who are isolated from the modern world, have shown in studies that manic depression is passed down through families and genetic in origin. Their records go generations but how reliable are these as the people studied are now deceased and over a time records can be exaggerated or over dramatised.(Hayes,2000)
Seligman (1975) had a theory that depression is “learned helplessness” this is that people who fall into a depressive state then fall into that rut of can’t be bothered meaning that they cannot help themselves, children can copy adult behaviour so this then becomes learned behaviour. (Hayes,2000)
Eating disorders are persistent disturbances in eating behaviour and habits that ends in a change in consumption or absorption of food that damages health or mental health (DSM V ed American psychiatric