3. Introduction
Define Mental Illness
Importance of creating awareness for Mental
Illness
Cause(s) of Mental Illness
Contributing factors to Mental Illness
Signs and Symptoms of Mental Illness
Prevention of Mental Illness
Questions for clarification
Conclusion
4. Good mental health is when an individual can
think clearly, solve problems they face in life,
enjoy happy relationships and feel spiritually at
ease.
5. Mental illness is anything that affects a
person’s thoughts, emotions or
behaviour that results in:
a negative effect on the person or those
around him/her,
an obvious change in their personality,
friends or relatives feel that what is
happening to the person is strange and hard
to understand.
6. Why should we be interested in
mental illness? This is because;
Mental illness affects us all.
Mental illness is a great burden on
every country.
Mental illnesses are the top 4 in 10
disabling conditions in the world.
7. Most mental illnesses can be treated in
simple, cheap ways .
Most people with mental illnesses can be
stabilized.
People who know someone with mental
illness are often frightened or ashamed of
them.
It is very common.
8. Most mental illnesses are caused by
a chemical imbalance in the brain,
But we don’t always know what
causes the chemical imbalance.
9. A Bio-psycho-social model attempts to
consider a number of factors that might contribute to
or affect mental illness, in three main categories:
1.Biological factors (physiology and biochemistry,
and genetic inheritance)
2.Psychological factors (emotional experience,
interpersonal interactions and the person’s
upbringing)
3.Social factors (related to cultural background
and current life situation).
10. These factors may operate separately
or in combination, at different times in a
person’s life.
According to their timing in relation to the
illness, they can be said to;
a)predispose the person to the illness,
b)precipitate it or,
c)perpetuate it:
11. Predisposing factors exist long before onset of
illness.
Precipitating factors are stressors occurring
just before the appearance of symptoms, either
when illness is first experienced, or when it
relapses.
Perpetuating factors prevent or delay
resolution or improvement of symptoms.
Protective factors reduce a person’s
vulnerability to the illness.
12. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGIC
AL
SOCIAL
PREDISPOSIN
G
1. Genes
2.Maternal health
in pregnancy
1.Upbringing
2.Parental strife
3.Personality traits
1.Cultural
demands
2.Poverty
3.Migration
PRECIPITATIN
G
1.Trauma –head injury
2.Infections-
meningitis, cerebral
malaria, typhoid fever
3.Illicit drugs-
cocaine, ‘wee’,
marijuana
1. Bereavement
/loss of loved one
2. Exam failure/
failure in life
3. Being jilted
1. Retirement
2. Being robbed
3. Stock-market
loss
PERPETUATIN
G
1.Malnutrition
2.Poor sanitation
3.Dependency on
drugs
1.Domestic
violence
2.Conflict with
neighbours
3.Worry about
1.Demands at
work
2.Refugee status
3.Financial
13. B In other ways, the contributing factors could
also be grouped into two factors, and these are;
Physical Factors
Psychological Factors
14. The physical factors include the ff.,
Trauma, e.g. head injury,
Drug abuse/drug dependence, e.g. pethidine,
Alcohol use/dependence, e.g. alcoholics,
Acute Infection, e.g. cerebral malaria, typhoid
fever, meningitis,
Chronic Illness, e.g. diabetes, HPT
Poisons & Toxins, e.g. chemicals like
insecticide (DDT), herbicide,
15. Losses such as;
1. Loss of loved one/berevement
2. Loss of job
3. Financial losses
Failure in exam/failure in life
Severe poverty
Rape/Defilement
Unemployment
Demands at home/work
Being robbed
16. Domestic violence esp. spousal and child abuse.
Marital problems such as divorce or separation
Broken Relationship such as being jilted
Parental strife/conflict.
Disaster like natural or artificial, or both.
18. Sharing of problems with trusted personalities like
pastor, well respected opinion leaders in the
family/community, clinical psychologists, etc.
Avoid substance abuse.
Adherence and compliance to drug regimen.
Expectant mothers should attend ante-natal clinic
regularly and also deliver in hospital.
Avoidance of bad company.
Seek prompt medical intervention in case of accident
esp. involving head injury.
19. Nursing mothers should avoid leaving the child on
a high bed.
They should also desist from giving the child to
their young ones to carry.
Learn to forgive and forget.
Learn to let go.
Children should desist from climbing high objects,
etc.
21. ⁂ We, so far, discussed contributing factors to mental
illness as head injury, drug/alcohol abuse,
natural/artificial disaster, loss of job, unemployment,
loss of dear one.
⁂ We continued with s/s of mental illness as delusion,
illusion, hallucination as well as preventive measures.
⁂ We said that some preventive measures include,
sharing of problems with trusted personalities,
avoidance of drug abuse, etc.
Editor's Notes
EASE---Lessen pain or discomfort; alleviate
Mental illness: is a clinically diagnosable disorder that significantly interferes with an individual’s cognitive, emotional or social abilities. However, everybody can experience unusual thoughts, emotions or behaviour especially when sleeping, praying or when alone in the dark. For example, dreams can sometimes be more vivid and realistic than usual. Sometimes people experience strong spiritual feelings when praying or meditating. And occasionally people feel frightened when alone in the dark. It is important to remember that these experiences are not a sign of mental illness and are completely normal and are nothing to worry about. However, if these experiences had a negative effect on the person, resulted in a change in their personality and confused others, then this may be a sign of mental illness.
PREDISPOSING FACTORS – e.g., a person may be vulnerable to depressive illness, for example, due to genetics or how they were brought up or the socioeconomic conditions the family lives in. PRECIPITATING FACTORS —e.g., they are said to be responsible not necessarily for the illness but for its timing. STRESSOR-----any agent that causes stress (Difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension)
Trauma- Any physical damage to the body caused by violence, accident or fracture etc.
DDT--DichloroDiphenylTrichloroethane
Natural disasters are floods, earthquake, tsunami, drought, Famine, volcano etc. Artificial disasters are fire-outbreak, war, conflict, bush-fire,
