1.2 Perspectives on mental health

One of the challenges in navigating the complex world of mental health relates to the different positions or viewpoints that are held. In this section you are going to consider what a perspective is and how this can change and in some instances cause disagreement.

As you will be able to read later in this course, different perspectives on mental health have not only emerged and evolved throughout history, but they have also co-existed and compete with each other at the same time. These perspectives tend to be held by various groups of people and can lead to different ways of responding when people experience mental distress. They are sometimes competing and sometimes complementary.

Activity 3 Perspectives

Timing: Allow 45 minutes

Task A Duck, rabbit or both?

Figure 1 Duck, rabbit or both?

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Black and white ‘duck or rabbit’ optical illusion. This is a line/pencil drawing that can either be seen as a duck’s head facing left or a rabbit’s head facing right, with the duck’s bill forming the ears of the rabbit.

Figure 1 Duck, rabbit or both?

Look at the image in Figure 1.

Ask yourself the question, can I see a duck or a rabbit – or can I see both?

What does the fact that you may be able to see just one or both make you think about perspective? Again, take the opportunity to develop your study skills and make some notes.

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We may sometimes struggle to agree on what we see because of our different perspectives influenced by our personal worldviews. Indeed, our perspective might change as one moment we may see a duck; one moment a rabbit. Finding a position where we can consider multiple perspectives will provide a more complete picture of a person’s mental health. Both perspectives bring something important to the overall picture.

It is important to clarify that adopting or using a particular perspective is not the same as saying that you have discovered ‘the truth’ about mental health or that other perspectives are necessarily wrong. At the same time, the existence of different perspectives – and the continuing debates in the world of mental health about definitions, possible causes and suitable responses indicate that this remains a strongly contested area. Indeed some people may only see one image and disagree that it can be viewed in any other way.

Task B Common perspectives

You are now going to explore three common mental health perspectives.

There are three common perspectives on mental health that are often quoted. These all take a position or stance on what causal factors are implicated in the development of mental ill-health.

Match the perspective with the description you think is the best fit.

Focuses on adverse experiences, negative life events and childhood adversity, such as exposure to violent behaviour, poverty, abuse, bereavement, parental divorce or separation, parental illnesses and/or non-supportive school or family environments

A social perspective

Emphasises the influence of thought and emotional processes and individual cognitive development on how a person will interpret their negative life events and how this may possibly affect their behaviour

A psychological perspective

Looks at brain structure and function, and is likely to see mental ill-health in relation to how the brain works and is influenced by hormones and an individual’s genes, with other factors merely operating as triggers

A medical perspective

Using the following two lists, match each numbered item with the correct letter.

1. Focuses on adverse experiences, negative life events and childhood adversity, such as exposure to violent behaviour, poverty, abuse, bereavement, parental divorce or separation, parental illnesses and/or non-supportive school or family environments

2. Emphasises the influence of thought and emotional processes and individual cognitive development on how a person will interpret their negative life events and how this may possibly affect their behaviour

3. Looks at brain structure and function, and is likely to see mental ill-health in relation to how the brain works and is influenced by hormones and an individual’s genes, with other factors merely operating as triggers

Match each of the previous list items with an item from the following list:

• a.A psychological perspective

• b.A social perspective

• c.A medical perspective

The correct answers are:

• 1 = b,
• 2 = a,
• 3 = c

In practice, how do we know when a person is experiencing mental ill-health? This is a sensitive and complex question that could generate a number of different responses depending on who is answering.

In the next section of the course you will start to consider the different models that exist.