a01 an investigation into mental health

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A01 An Investigation into the types and causes of Mental Health

I will be investigating into 3 different types of mental health illnesses and their causes.

An overview of the types and causes of Mental Health Illnesses

The awareness of mental health issues have raised over the years, previously majority of people did not understand all mental health issues. Mental health issues can be minor as well as serious either way each mental health problem will affect an individual negatively. Some of the disorders include; Alzheimer’s, depressive illnesses, generalised anxiety disorders, Schizophrenia, eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders and also phobias.

There can be many causes for the mental health problem some causes are unknown or not clear. There are different influences for each individual, which can trigger a mental health problem. Physical influences such as giving birth can impact and trigger postnatal depression. The societal influences depend on the society the individual is part of this could mean drug-related disorders, unemployment or social deprivation to be a possible causation of a particular mental health problem. Genetic influences are when a genetic disorder has been passed down from parent to child; they tend to cause mental health problems with personality/perception disorders.

Environmental influences such as stress from looking after a child with challenging behaviour in a high-rise flat could be the causation of depression, as being in this situation can mean that it would be difficult to go outside to have fresh air and relax.

There can be many reasons and a cause for an individual gaining a mental health issue this usually depends on all these influences as well as the individual themselves. Some individuals may be able to control stress issues a lot better than others and therefore, would not reach the stage of having a mental health issue.

Multitude causes

There does not have to be one particular cause of a mental health problem it is also common to have multiple causes. For example an individual who has been passed down a genetic mental health disorder may not show signs of the disorder until another cause such as sadness from the death of a loved one actually triggers the mental health disorder.

The effects of a mental health problem can vary in severity depending on the mental health issue and symptoms involved. Either way the individuals with the mental health problem themselves will find that their life may change; they may need to be dependent on others more and find they are incapable of carrying out specific tasks. The effects of the mental health problem can affect the family and friends of the individual with the disorder. It could mean that the family/friends will start to work together more in order to act the role of mental health practitioners. Depending on the mental illness an individual can be affected physically, psychology, socially and emotionally- where both the individual with the illness and family/friends can be affected with.

The three types of mental health illnesses I have decided to research on are Autism, Eating disorders (anorexia) and postnatal depression.

Autism:

Concept

According to the medical news today autism is known as a complex developmental disability. It is a neurological disorder, which affects the normal brain functioning. This leads it to affect the development of an individual’s communication and social skills. As it is a disability that causes problems in the brain means it is labelled under a mental health issue.

In order to understand some of the views the public may have on autistic individuals, an article has been included to express a point of view of Autism.

The article is below:

Autism seen as asset, not liability, in some jobs

A new movement helps hone unique traits of disorder into valuable skills

By Chris Tachibana

msnbc.com contributor

updated 12/8/2009 8:27:31 AM ET

Ron Brix’s longtime job as a computer systems developer for Wrigley, the gum and candy maker, required intense attention to detail, single-minded focus and a willingness to work on something repetitively until perfect. The secret he credits to his success? Autism.

Brix, age 54, was diagnosed in 2001 with Asperger Syndrome, a form of autism often marked by the exact traits that help make him an ideal employee.

"My career would not have existed at all without the autism," says Brix.

The developmental condition, which strikes about 1 in 150 U.S. children, is considered a "spectrum disorder" because it affects people in many different ways to varying degrees, from mild social troubles to a severe inability to communicate.

It's often seen as a heartbreaking diagnosis, but now some revolutionary companies see autism as something else: a resource.

A quiet movement is growing around the globe to help transform the unique attributes of high-functioning autistic adults into sought-after job skills.

In Denmark, the company Specialisterne (the name means "the specialists"), trains people with autism as specially skilled employees who are sent out as hourly consultants to companies to do data entry, assembly work and other jobs that many workers would find tedious and repetitive. Founded in 2004 by businessman Thorkil Sonne, the father of an autistic son, the company has 50 employees, 75 percent of whom are autistic.

In the United States, the non-profit Chicago company recently launched a pilot program to train high-functioning autistics as testers for software development companies. Their first client is mFluent, an iPhone application company near Chicago.

Aspiritech — whose board includes Brix, now retired from Wrigley, and the actor Ed Asner, whose son Charles is autistic — claims those who are autistic have a talent for spotting imperfections, and thrive on predictable, monotonous work.

Brix says his ability to focus on something to the exclusion of everything else gives him an advantage. And Specialisterne says tests show their employees can be up to eight times more accurate at tasks like manual data entry than workers without autism.

"The stuff we do is boring for [others], like going through a program looking at every detail, testing the same function over and over again in different situations, but it doesn't disturb those of us with autism," says Thomas Jacobsen, an autistic employee at Specialisterne. "That's our strength."

Still, software testing isn't simply a repetitive exercise, notes Dan Shiovitz of Marchex, a software company in Seattle that specializes in online search and advertising. While traits of "detail focus, willingness to repeat tasks and technical aptitude are ones we look for in testers, testing has a lot of creative work," he notes. Testers need to be able to figure out possible solutions to problems and be agile enough to change plans at the last minute or deal with sudden new requirements.

These were challenges to Brix in his job programming machines that mix ingredients and wrap gum. A large part of his job involved the human factor, such as designing the interactive screens that operators use to run the machinery. Brix also did on-site set-up, which meant travelling to Wrigley's international locations, meeting new people and functioning in new cultures.

At Wrigley, Brix's longtime colleague Rod Onusaitis helped him navigate his social interactions.

"We got along well," says Onusaitis, an engineer. "I knew what his problems were and I was able to guide him in the right direction to complete his tasks. He was very detailed oriented and a good programmer, but sometimes overlooked the big picture."

Next generation of autistic adults 
Each year, over 26,000 children born in the U.S. will eventually be diagnosed with autism, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An estimated half-million people under the age of 21 are autistic, and Specialisterne estimates that 85 percent of them can expect to be unemployed or underemployed.

Join now!

Aspiritech founder Brenda Weitzberg has a 30-year-old autistic son who, in spite of having a college degree, has been limited by his social skills to jobs like collecting carts for a grocery store.

"I am a friendly guy, and my co-workers like me," says Oran Weitzberg, "however, I have limited social skills and autism does make finding and keeping a job difficult. I have trouble interpreting nonverbal signals from others, and I had to learn to converse in order to be a good co-worker."

He says his retail work at Target, Trader Joe's and AMC Theatres has helped him learn ...

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