Labelling Theory
One problem is that no one is quite sure what causes depression. Everyone knows, or will likely know one day, what it feels like to be depressed. This is why depression is often referred to as "the common cold of mental illness."
This essay examines the main features of the labelling theory and how this has contributed to the study of anxiety and depression. It aims to summaries modern perceptions of mental health as depicted in two recent newspaper articles. It will also discuss contributing factors for these perceptions such as: the diagnostic system in place for mental disorders, reduced stigma by means of medicalisation, and finally recent psychotherapeutical methods employed to treat depression and anxiety holistically.
It is a …show more content…
Unlike psychoanalytical approaches, CBT concentrates on the present instead of reflecting on past experiences. This led the way for the Biopsychosocial perspective, which considers the mind and the brain as a ‘unity’. It suggests, psychological distress can be addressed by focussing on biological, psychological or social aspects, where one aspect will ultimately affect the other. (p.49-50 cited by Barker, M., Vossler, A. and Langdridge, D. 2010) Researchers have demonstrated that our psychology, behaviour and social context all interact with our biology and vice versa. Therefore the "nature versus nurture" debate has been rejected in light of a more holistic view, which conceptualises and treats the problem from all three perspectives, rather than focussing on just one. …show more content…
Therefore one should not feel pressured into conforming to another’s vision of ‘normal’. Mental health should be viewed as a spectrum which we are all placed upon. Throughout time a progressive development has been made in psychotherapy leading to a more holistic perspective in the treatment of mental disorders. The early dogmatic views of biological and psychoanalytical psychiatry have been replaced with a happy medium; the biopsychosocial perspective views mental health as a complex interplay of a range of factors. This integrated approach seems to provide the best prospects for improved results in the area of mental health
This essay examines the main features of the labelling theory and how this has contributed to the study of anxiety and depression. It aims to summaries modern perceptions of mental health as depicted in two recent newspaper articles. It will also discuss contributing factors for these perceptions such as: the diagnostic system in place for mental disorders, reduced stigma by means of medicalisation, and finally recent psychotherapeutical methods employed to treat depression and anxiety holistically.
It is a …show more content…
Unlike psychoanalytical approaches, CBT concentrates on the present instead of reflecting on past experiences. This led the way for the Biopsychosocial perspective, which considers the mind and the brain as a ‘unity’. It suggests, psychological distress can be addressed by focussing on biological, psychological or social aspects, where one aspect will ultimately affect the other. (p.49-50 cited by Barker, M., Vossler, A. and Langdridge, D. 2010) Researchers have demonstrated that our psychology, behaviour and social context all interact with our biology and vice versa. Therefore the "nature versus nurture" debate has been rejected in light of a more holistic view, which conceptualises and treats the problem from all three perspectives, rather than focussing on just one. …show more content…
Therefore one should not feel pressured into conforming to another’s vision of ‘normal’. Mental health should be viewed as a spectrum which we are all placed upon. Throughout time a progressive development has been made in psychotherapy leading to a more holistic perspective in the treatment of mental disorders. The early dogmatic views of biological and psychoanalytical psychiatry have been replaced with a happy medium; the biopsychosocial perspective views mental health as a complex interplay of a range of factors. This integrated approach seems to provide the best prospects for improved results in the area of mental health