Know the Main Forms of Mental Health

The main types of mental ill health according to the psychiatric (DSM/ICD) classification system e.g.: mood disorders, personality disorders, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, substance-related disorders, eating disorders, cognitive disorders, sexual and gender identity disorders. Key strengths and limitations of the psychiatric classification system e.g. Strengths – developed by experts, clarity for practitioners, synthesis of knowledge, consistency, coherence, clarity for patients, carers and families. Limitations-labelling, restrictions, mainly descriptive, restrictive, not easily understood by patients, carers or families

Alternative frameworks for understanding mental distress e.g.: the Chinese Society of Psychiatry’s Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders (currently CCMD-3), the Latin American Guide for Psychiatric Diagnosis (GLDP), published by the World Health Organization (WHO), classification system of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), national service frameworks. How mental ill health may be indicated through an individual’s emotions, thinking and behaviour e.g.: confused thinking, long-lasting sadness or irritability, extreme highs and lows in mood, excessive fear, worry, or anxiety, social withdrawal, dramatic changes in eating or sleeping habits, strong feelings of anger, delusions or hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not really there), increasing inability to cope with daily problems and activities, thoughts of suicide, denial of obvious problems, many unexplained physical problems, abuse of drugs and/or alcohol.