Does Parents affect their Child's Personality??

                    

Brief description of Mental Health

 

History about Mental Health

Primitive beliefs regarding mental disturbances took several views. Some thought that an individual with mental illness had been disposessed of his or her soul and the only way to wellness could be achieved if the original soul return to his own body.  Because of this Superstition people went through ritualistic exorcism which were often Inhumane and includes Brutal beatings, Starvation, and other torturous means. 

A change in Society regarding Mental Health

The position of ancient believes on Mental Health changed over time with expanding Knowledge about Mental illness.

Hippocrates (about 400 B.C) began the movement away from belief in supernatural power. Hippocrates associated Insanity and mental illness with an irregularity in the interaction of the four body fluids (also called Humor) :

> Blood also called Sanguine

> Black bile also called Melancholic 

> Yellow Bile also called Choleric

> Phlegm also called Phlegmatic

Disequilibrium among these four Humors was thought to cause Mental Illness, and it was often treated by inducing Vomiting and Diarrhea with potent Cathartic Drugs. 

The First Hospital in America to admit clients with Mental Illness was established in Philadelphia in the middle of 18th century. Benjamin Rush often called Father of American Psychiatry, was a phsician at the hospital. Although he included Kindness, Exercise and Socialization,  he also employed harsher methods soch as Bloodletting, Purging, various types of Physical Restraints,and Extremes of temperature, reflecting the medical therapies of that era.

The emergence of Psychiatric Nursing began in 1873 with the graduation of Linda Richards from the nursing program of the New England Hospital for Women and Children in Boston. She has come to be known as the First American Psychiatric Nurse. Significant change didnot occur until 1955, when incorporation of psychiatric nursing into their curricula became a requirement for all undergraduate school of nursing. Nursing Curricula emphasized the importance of  Nurse- Patient relationship and Therapeutic Communication Techniques. Nursing interventions in the somatic therapies (e.g Insulin and electroconvulsive Therapy)  provided impetus for the incorporation of these concepts into nursing's body knowledge.

      

  Relation between Maslow         Hierarchy and Mental Health 

According to Maslow Hierarchy: "Every individual strive to attain it's highest level  of  Self-Actualization through it's inner and outer motives. He identified a "Hierarchy of Needs" the lower ones requiring fulfillment before those at higher levels can be achieved,with Self-Actualization being fulfillment of one's highest potential." 

Maslow described self-actualization as being "Psychological healthy fully human, highly evolved and fully mature. " He believed that "Healthy" or "Self-actualized" individuals possessed the following characteristics:

• An appropriate perception of reality.
• The ability to accept oneself, others,and human nature. 
• The ability to manifest spontaneity. 
• The problem solving capacity. 
• A need for detachement and desire for privacy. 
• Identification of Humankind. 
• Ability to achieve satisfactory interpersonal relationships. 
• A democratic character structure and strong desire for eithics. 
• Creativeness.
• A degree of nonconformance. 

                     Mental Illness 

A universal concept of Mental illness is difficult, because of the cultural factors that influence it. Horwitz (2002) identifies elements that can define mental illness to some extent:

1. Incomprehensibility: When observers are unable to find meaning or motive behind the action or behavior it is termed as Mental Illness. Horwitz states, "Observer attributes labels of mental illness when the Rules, Conventions, and Understanding they use to interpret behavior fail to find any intelligible motivation behind an action. "
2. Cultural relativity: The element of cultural relativity considers that these rules, conventions,and understanding are conceived within an individual's own particular culture.

 " A Behavior that is recognized as mentally ill in one society may be viewed as "normal" in another society, and Vice-Versa."

Horwitz Cultural Aspects of Mental Illness:

• Usually members of the lay community, rather than a psychiatric professional,intially recognize that an individual's behavior deviates from the societal norms. 
• People who are related to individual or who are of same cultural or social groups are less likely to label an individual's behavior as mentally ill than someone who is rationally or culturally distant. 
• Psychiatrist see a person with mental illness most often when the family members can no longer deny the illness and often when the members are at its worst. 
• Individual is the lowest social class usually display the highest amount of mental illness symotoms. However, they tend to tolerate a wider range of behaviors that deviate from societal norms and are less likely to consider these behaviors as indicative of mental illness. 
• Members of the higher social classes are likely to be self-labled by family members or friends. 
• The more highly educated the person, the greater recognition of mental illness behaviors.
• Women are more likely than Men to recognize the symptoms of mental illness and seek assistance.
• The Greater the Cultural distance from the mainstream of society,the Greater the likelihood of negative response by society to mental illness.

           

                   Conclusion 

1. Psychiatric care has its roots in ancient times, when etiology was based in superstition and ideas related to the supernatural.
2. Treatments were often inhumane and included brutal beatings, starvation and other torturous means. 
3. Hippocrates associated insanity and mental illness with an irregularity in the interaction of the four body fluids (Humors) - Blood, black bile, yellow bile and phlegm. 
4. Conditions for care of the mentally ill have improved largely because of leaders such as Benjamin Rush, linda Richards.
5. Relationship between Maslow and Mental Health. 
6. In determining mental illness according to Horwitz individuals are influenced by Incomprehensibility and Cultural relativity.

    

Introduction to Mental Health

 

               

Mental Health

 Before getting into the topic it's important to firstly know about Health. 

According to WHO, "Health is a state of complete Physical, Mental and Social Well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity".

              

                      Dynamics Of Health

 

Health comprises of 6 sectors, in which Mental Health  is one of them. 

            Definition of Mental Health

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”

            

            Is Mental Health a          Taboo???

No it's NOT.  As discussed in above definition Mental Health is an important aspects of health. A person is called Healthy only if He has attained all dynamics of Health i.e He should be :

> Physically Healthy 

> Mentally Healthy 

> Socially Healthy

> Emotionally Healthy

> Spiritually Healthy

> Environmentally Healthy 

Disturbance is any of the dynamic will dsturb the rest and person will be Ill or Diseased. 

Characteristics of Mentally Healthy Individual :

1) Acceptance to Self. 

2) Can control their response to stimuli. 

3) Have satisfying and Harmonious Behavior. 

4) Easily comfortable with other People. 

5) Uses sound judgement to make Decisions. 

6) Accepts Responsibility. 

7) Can adjust to changes in the Environment. 

8) Has an Optimistic Attitude.

9) Function Effectively and Independently.

10) Have high Self Awareness. 

11) Should be Emotionally Mature. 

12) Is able to handle the stressors in day-to-          day life. 

When to know if a person is mentally ill?? 

Until and Unless a person personal, social and environmental environment is not disturbed a psychiatrist cannot determine a person is Mentally ill. 

Let me elaborate it for you. In terms of 1) Personal Norm  if a person is having difficulty in doing his Activity daily Living that means He's maintaining his:        # Personal hygiene (brushing, bathing etc),                                       Grooming, no presence of lice in hair etc. 

# Sleep Hygiene- Proper 6-7 hrs sleep, no                                     sleep disturbance, not feeling tired after waking up in the morning.  

# Eating Pattern- Proper eating habits                                             irrespective of types of food consumed (vegetarian or non-vegetarian). 3 times meal in a day. Not having binge eating habits and inducing vomit after meal. 

2) Social Norm- A person is able to handle                                  stressors in day-to-day life, 

# Is able to maintain Close relationship  with family, friends, spouse and childrean. 

# Participates in social activities (irrespective of their Personalities i.e Introvert, Extrovert and Ambivert) 

# Is able to work efficiently in work place. 

# Is able to maintain Interpersonal Relationships with Superior Authorities Co-workers, and Clients. 

3) Environmental Norms- Is a Good Civilian

# Follow rational norms set by society. 

# Doesnot violate any Judicial Law (like robbery, murder etc.)

** If above criteria is followed and the person follows every norm a Psychiatrist cannot diagnose a person as Mentally ill.