Mental Health
State of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, 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
Distinction between Mental Health Disorders and Mental Health Issues
- Mental health issues can present symptoms of disorders and these will commonly be experienced by individuals throughout their life; they may show up in certain contexts and, although potentially uncomfortable or disruptive, they are normal responses
- Mental disorders are more so severe, can be long lasting and often result in diagnosis; although the exact definitions may vary, they tend to be measured based on their abnormality, dysfunction, danger and distress caused
Why is mental health important
- Global impact
- Early onset of mental health disorders
- Suicide statistics
- Connection between physical and mental health
- Barriers to care
- Inequalities in mental health resources
Why become a Clinical Psychologist?
- Desire to be in a helping profession
- Diverse roles (clinic, private, public, hospital, profs, etc.)
- Career development (chance to train others, mentor, participate in/conduct research
- Impactful research (researchers and when working w ppl as they must work together to bridge gap
WHO Data on Psychologists and Psychiatrists in World Bank Income Group Countries
Amount of both professions but notably psychologists lowers with income demonstrating a decreasing access, although those countries are ones that would logically require mental health services the most
Challenges of Clinical Psychologists
- Time management (so many roles which can make it very difficult)
- Maintaining Balance (need to figure out boundaries, like when you are available and how to support and maintain own mental health)
Why should you care about clinical psychology
- Whether as a future clinical psych, a future colleague of one or a future manager of one, you must know enough to provide competent and ethical services, whether yourself as you work with diverse populations with various needs and issues, in a team with diverse degrees to provide a more wholistic service to provide clients with optimal opportunities for getting better to or to YOUR team like health care administration and advocating for or supporting your staff’s well-being. Also as a taxpayer it is good to know what psychological services are worth supporting and as a consumer of psychological services, as you or anyone in your social circle could require such support throughout their life
Definitions of clinical psychology
Application of psychological knowledge to alleviate distress & promote well-being through a range of activities like: assessment, diagnosis, consultation, treatment, program evaluation, administration, research, etc.
Clinical psychology is guided by (CPA) principles of:
- Respect for dignity of persons (ensure individuals are treated with respect & dignity)
- Responsible caring (provide safety)
- Integrity in relationships (build trust & honesty)
- Responsibility to society (doing what you need to do as a psychologist for society)
Evidence-based Practice in Psychology
Things we use in clinical psych in our services and activities are based on empirical research
Three main components of EBP
1) Data from research
2) Data from the patient
3) Drawing from professional’s experience
How EBP is integrated into health and human service systems?
- Three components
- Importance of informing patients about options for assessment, prevention, or intervention services & clear decision between psychologist and client for what is the best course of treatment to achieve optimal outcome
- What is appropriate & practical suggestions moving forward
- Ensures services are grounded in best possible practice with acknowledgment/tailoring to each individual
National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
- Psych treatments are helpful in treatment of disorders like anxiety and depression based on effectiveness and longterm outcomes (sustainable tools provided in sessions to sustain MH post treatment)
- Psychological treatment at least as effective as medication
- Fund access to psychological treatments delivered by trained mental health professionals (everyone can benefit from EBP services)
Why do we need mental health professionals?
- More than 450,000,000 worldwide have mental disorders
- Life style factors associated with risk of mental health and physical health problems
- Cost of mental disorder (In Canada, estimated to be $63B in 2013)
Costs of mental disorder include:
- Absenteeism (lost productivity)
- Unemployment and underemployment (challenges in maintaining or finding work)
- Disability costs
- Health service costs (more demand for physical and mental health services)
- Premature death
Mental Health Professions - Psychology
- Counselling
- School
- Clinical
- Health
- Forensic
- Clinical neuropsychology
- Approx. 17,000 in Canada
Mental Health Professions - Medicine
Psychiatry (approx. 4,770 in Canada)
Mental Health Professions - Nursing
Psychiatric nurse (approx. 5,300 in CA)
Mental Health Professions - Social work
Clinical social work (approx. 44,000 in CA)
Mental Health Professions - Counselling
Numbers unknown as not consistently regulated across jurisdictions
Availability of psychologists
- WHO showed the relative numbers of psychologists and psychiatrists per 100,000 people in income group countries
- Can also depend on location, like when considering disparities in rural versus urban areas (a lot of accessibility barriers and inequalities in rural areas, as there are less psychologists present and/or they are less equipped for rural specific issues)
- Variability and coverage of fees can also have an impact, by having some services covered whereas others are not (which is also dependent on status, location, etc.)
History of Clinical Psychology - Hippocrates
At the origins of the biopsychosocial view and model, where to fully understand someone(‘s situation) you had to consider their upbringing, social life, social circle(s), genes, medical history, their psychology and their mental health
History of Clinical Psychology - Enlightenment
- Pinel who advocated for compassion in confinement as well as humane practice
- Tuke who advocated and pushed for supportive treatment
- Rush who was considered the father of psychiatry
History of Clinical Psychology - European Psychiatry
- Charcot advanced the understanding of neuropsychological disorders & psychological symptoms
- Janet who specialized and advanced knowledge in dissociation and trauma
- Freud who focused on psychoanalysis, with the unconscious and psychodynamics
