Article 1

Changing Our Understanding of Health

A. The concept of health holds different meanings for different people and
groups. These meanings of health have also changed over time. This change is
no more evident than in Western society today, when notions of health and
health promotion are being challenged and expanded in new ways.

B. For much of recent Western history, health has been viewed in the physical
sense only. That is, good health has been connected to the smooth mechanical
operation of the body, while ill health has been attributed to a breakdown in this
machine. Health in this sense has been defined as the absence of disease or
illness and is seen in medical terms. According to this view, creating health for
people means providing medical care to treat or prevent disease and illness.
During this period, there was an emphasis on providing clean water, improved
sanitation and housing.

C. In the late 1940s the World Health Organisation challenged this physically
and medically oriented view of health. They stated that 'health is a complete
state of physical, mental and social well-being and is not merely the absence of
disease' (WHO, 1946). Health and the person were seen more holistically
(mind/body/spirit) and not just in physical terms.

D. The 1970s was a time of focusing on the prevention of disease and illness by
emphasising the importance of the lifestyle and behaviour of the individual.
Specific behaviours which were seen to increase the risk of diseases, such as
smoking, lack of fitness and unhealthy eating habits, were targeted. Creating
health meant providing not only medical health care, but health promotion
programs and policies which would help people maintain healthy behaviours
and lifestyles. While this individualistic healthy lifestyle approach to health
worked for some (the wealthy members of society), people experiencing
poverty, unemployment, underemployment or little control over the conditions
of their daily lives benefited little from this approach. This was largely because
both the healthy lifestyles approach and the medical approach to health largely
ignored the social and environmental conditions affecting the health of people.
E. During 1980s and 1990s there has been a growing swing away from seeing
lifestyle risks as the root cause of poor health. While lifestyle factors still remain
important, health is being viewed also in terms of the social, economic and
environmental contexts in which people live. This broad approach to health is
called the socio-ecological view of health. The broad socio-ecological view of
health was endorsed at the first International Conference of Health Promotion
held in 1986, Ottawa, Canada, where people from 38 countries agreed and
declared that:
The fundamental conditions and resources for health are peace, shelter,
education, food, a viable income, a stable eco-system, sustainable resources,
social justice and equity. Improvement in health requires a secure foundation
in these basic requirements. (WHO, 1986) .

It is clear from this statement that the creation of health is about much more
than encouraging healthy individual behaviours and lifestyles and providing
appropriate medical care. Therefore, the creation of health must include
addressing issues such as poverty, pollution, urbanisation, natural resource
depletion, social alienation and poor working conditions. The social, economic
and environmental contexts which contribute to the creation of health do not
operate separately or independently of each other. Rather, they are interacting
and interdependent, and it is the complex interrelationships between them
which determine the conditions that promote health. A broad socio-ecological
view of health suggests that the promotion of health must include a strong
social, economic and environmental focus.

F. At the Ottawa Conference in 1986, a charter was developed which outlined

new directions for health promotion based on the socio-ecological view of
health. This charter, known as the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion,
remains as the backbone of health action today. In exploring the scope of health
promotion it states that:

Good health is a major resource for social, economic and personal development
and an important dimension of quality of life. Political, economic, social,
cultural, environmental, behavioural and biological factors can all favour
health or be harmful to it. (WHO, 1986) .
Article 2

Mental Health and the Effects of Social Media

Taken from Psychology Today written by Allison Abrams

Is Facebook making you depressed? If so, you’re not alone. According to a

recent study by UK disability charity Scope, of 1500 Facebook and Twitter
users surveyed, 62 percent reported feeling inadequate and 60 percent
reported feelings of jealousy from comparing themselves to other users.

I’ve heard similar complaints from friends and I’ve felt it myself on a bad day.
Most frequently, I hear such statements from those who are struggling with
depression. It makes sense that if you are already in a low mood or not feeling
good about yourself, having pictures of happy couples and smiling babies pop
up on your screen on a consistent basis may make you feel worse. The same is
true if you tend to generally have a negative outlook on life.

If Facebook posts depress you, the solution is simple. Here are four things you
can do today to help you cope:

1. Deactivate your Facebook account (you can always reactivate it later)

2. Unfollow your most (seemingly) happy and successful, friends
3. Remember that Facebook isn’t a representation of reality
4. Turn off the computer and go make your own annoyingly happy moments
Should you really take the four actions above?

In a 2015 study on the effects of Facebook use on mental health, researchers at

the University of Missouri discovered that regular use could lead to symptoms
of depression if the site triggered feelings of envy in the user.
“If it is used as a way to size up one’s own accomplishments against others, it
can have a negative effect,” said Professor Margaret Duffy, one of the professors
who co-authored the research. She explains that if it’s used “to see how well an
acquaintance is doing financially or how happy an old friend is in his
relationship – things that cause envy among users – use of the site can lead to
feelings of depression.”

However, those who use the site primarily to feel connected do not experience
the negative effects. In fact, when not triggering feelings of envy, the study
shows, Facebook could be a good resource and have positive effects on well-
being.

Further studies have shown that the majority of social media users tend to edit
and post only their most attractive pictures, or ‘put a rose-tinted gloss over
their lives’ in an effort to idealise themselves and, researchers believe, to
improve others’ impressions of them.

To avoid Facebook-induced depression, users should be aware of the risks of

using the site as a tool for comparison. Furthermore, users should be aware that
most people are presenting a biased, positive version of reality on social media.
Finally, if you’re still feeling down, angry, or generally disillusioned because of
the positive news shared by your Facebook friends, on or offline, you should
question why you feel that way.

Barring clinical depression or a recent life setback, is it really such a bad thing
to see another human being enjoying life, especially if it’s a friend- or at least
someone you tolerate enough to accept as a Facebook friend?

With all of the suffering and pain in the world, wouldn’t it be a tragedy if people
stopped sharing joyful events for fear of making someone else jealous? Imagine
if people only discussed all of the negative things that surrounded them.
Especially over this past year, don’t we have enough tragic posts appearing in
our newsfeeds 24/7?

Given that there will always be someone who’s taller, richer, better-looking,
who has more friends, a better job, etc., we can either allow ourselves to fall into
the dangerous trap of comparison, or we can choose to remember that
regardless of what others around you appear to have, everyone is grappling
with their own struggles. For every promotion, a book deal and Tony
nomination, chances are, the recipient has experienced equally or more
significant life setbacks.

Also important to remember is that for every person that seems to have more,
there is another with less. For each individual whose qualities you covet, there’s
someone out there who wishes they had what you have. If we can’t change our
outer circumstances, at least we can try to change our perspective and learn to
be grateful for what we have. We can also learn to celebrate other’s successes.
Sharing in other people’s joy can often lift our spirits.

“Be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their
successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another,
everybody wins” – Jim Stovall

These suggestions may be difficult, especially if you’re struggling with low self-
worth or depression. If that is the case, seek help from a friend or a professional.
Whether it’s reaching out for support, practising gratitude or simply
surrounding yourself with more of the positive, you owe it to yourself to make
the best out of this life. Stop torturing yourself by comparing your life with
everyone else’s positively biased representations of theirs. Seek to improve
your own life in a realistic manner. Choose to look at the positives and to
celebrate your wins… as well as theirs.
Article 3

Depression

A. It is often more difficult for outsiders and non-sufferers to understand

mental rather than a physical illness in others. While it may be easy for us to
sympathize with individuals living with the burden of a physical illness or
disability, there is often a stigma attached to being mentally ill or a belief that
such conditions only exist in individuals who lack the strength of character to
cope with the real world. The pressures of modern life seem to have resulted in
an increase in cases of emotional disharmony and government initiatives in
many countries have, of late, focused on increasing the general public’s
awareness and sympathy towards sufferers of mental illness and related
conditions.

B. Clinical depression, or ‘major depressive disorder’, a state of extreme

sadness or despair, is said to affect up to almost 20% of the population at some
point in their lives prior to the age of 40. Studies have shown that this disorder
is the leading cause of disability in North America; in the UK almost 3 million
people are said to be diagnosed with some form of depression at any one time,
and experts believe that as many as a further 9 million other cases may go
undiagnosed. World Health Organisation projections indicate that clinical
depression may become the second most significant cause of disability’ on a
global scale by 2020. However, such figures are not unanimously supported, as
some experts believe that the diagnostic criteria used to identify՛ the condition
are not precise enough, leading to other types of depression being wrongly
classified as ‘clinical’.

C. Many of us may experience periods of low morale or mood and feelings of

dejection, as a natural human response to negative events in our lives such as
bereavement, redundancy or breakdown of a relationship. Some of us may even
experience periods of depression and low levels of motivation which have no
tangible reason or trigger. Clinical depression is classified as an on-going state
of negativity, with no tangible cause, where sufferers enter a spiral of persistent
negative thinking, often experiencing irritability, perpetual tiredness, and
listlessness. Sufferers of clinical depression are said to be at higher risk of
resorting to drug abuse or even suicide attempts than the rest of the population.
D. Clinical depression is generally diagnosed when an individual is observed to
exhibit an excessively depressed mood and/or ‘anhedonia’ – an inability to
experience pleasure from positive experiences such as enjoying a meal or
pleasurable social interaction – for a period of two weeks or more, in
conjunction with five or more additional recognized symptoms. These
additional symptoms may include overwhelming feelings of sadness; inability
to sleep, or conversely, excessive sleeping; feelings of guilt, nervousness,
abandonment or fear; inability to concentrate; interference with memory
capabilities; fixation with death or extreme change in eating habits and
associated weight gain or loss.

E. Clinical depression was originally solely attributed to chemical imbalance in

the brain, and while anti-depressant drugs which work to optimize levels of
‘feel-good’ chemicals – serotonin and norepinephrine – are still commonly
prescribed today, experts now believe that onset of depression may be caused
by a number, and often combination of, physiological and socio-psychological
factors. Treatment approaches vary quite dramatically from place to place and
are often tailored to an individual’s particular situation; however, some
variation of a combination of medication and psychotherapy is most commonly
used. The more controversial electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may also be
used where initial approaches fail. In extreme cases, where an individual
exhibits behaviour which Indicates that they may cause physical harm to
themselves, psychiatric hospitalization may be necessary as a form of intensive
therapy.

F. Some recent studies, such as those published by the Archives of General

Psychiatry, hold that around a quarter of diagnosed clinical depression cases
should actually be considered as significant but none-the-less ordinary sadness
and maladjustment to coping with trials in life, indicating that in such cases,
psychotherapy rather than treatment through medication is required.
Recovery as a result of psychotherapy tends, in most cases, to be a slower
process than improvements related to medication; however, improvements as
a result of psychological treatment, once achieved, have been observed in some
individuals to be more long term and sustainable than those attained through
prescription drugs. Various counselling approaches exist, though all focus on
enhancing the subject’s ability to function on a personal and interpersonal
level. Sessions involve the encouragement of an individual to view themselves
and their relationships in a more positive manner, with the intention of helping
patients to replace negative thoughts with a more positive outlook.
G. It is apparent that susceptibility to depression can run in families. However,
it remains unclear as to whether this is truly an inherited genetic trait or
whether biological and environmental factors common to family members may
be at the root of the problem. In some cases, sufferers of depression may need
to unlearn certain behaviours and attitudes they have established in life and
develop new coping strategies designed to help them deal with problems they
may encounter, undoing patterns of destructive behaviour they may have
observed in their role models and acquired for themselves.