Exploring Frameworks for Understanding Mental Health and Distress by Rapid Assignment Help
The purpose of this essay is to carry out a critical discussion on how and in what ways personal recovery and resilience can contribute to a holistic understanding of mental distress. In this essay, to discuss the purpose, the focus will be given to a holistic approach and evaluation of the biomedical model to understand mental distress.
Understanding mental health and distress requires a holistic approach that transcends the traditional biomedical model in social work. This essay considers two significant frameworks, personal recovery and resilience, to develop insights into the complexities of mental distress and identify the importance of individual experiences and broader life contexts. Additionally, such academic exploration is often supported through resources like Online Assignment Help in UK, which assist students in analysing these models effectively.
In social work, a holistic approach is a comprehensive method that considers every aspect of a person’s livelihood, which includes physical, social, spiritual, and emotional well-being. This perspective recognizes that individuals are not merely defined by their problems or health issues, rather their difficulties and challenges are also interconnected to the different domains of their lives. In simpler terms, a holistic approach in social work can be defined as the whole person by recognising the interconnectedness of his emotional, social, physical, and environmental aspects (Fook, 2022). Therefore, in a social context, the holistic approach to mental distress- this notion moves beyond focusing on mere symptoms or specific challenges to understand how the different domains of life contribute to the overall well-being of an individual. In the mental health context, the holistic approach refers to both psychosocial distress as well as social and environmental factors which may impact on mental health and well-being of any individual.
The importance of considering social, psychological and environmental factors in a mental health context is, according to Canda et al. (2019), mental health and well-being of any individual can influenced by both social, psychological, and environmental aspects. For example, social determinants including poverty, unemployment, lack of money resources, social discrimination, social abuse, and lack of access to health care can trigger the onset of mental health issues. On the other hand, psychological factors like past trauma, personality traits, and coping mechanisms play important roles in exacerbating the mental distress within an individual. Lastly, environmental factors like housing, safety from neighbours, the surrounding environment, and access to social support and networks can also significantly impact on mental health and well-being of any individual (Kemp et al., 2024). Therefore, determining those factors can allow any social worker to understand the actual reason for the mental distress of an individual and can provide person-centric intervention that addresses the root cause of distress rather than merely treating the symptoms.
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To promote person-centred and strength-based intervention to treat mental distress, the role of social workers cannot be ignored. In the healthcare setup, the person-centred care approach refers to social workers' professionalism and code of practice where they are bound to respect the patient’s autonomy, rights, and individuality (Liang et al., 2022). On the other hand, the strength-used approach in intervention for mental distress focuses on empowering the patient with coping strategies and resources. By integrating both approaches, social workers may help individuals to regain control of their lives, and mental health status, and foster resilience. Therefore, in the treatment of mental distress, and social care work, the holistic approach refers to the professionals’ commitment to promoting equity, self-determination, and dignity, through which it can be ensured that the intervention is effective in addressing the overall health context of an individual who is going through mental distressful condition (Shafran, 2017).
In the social care context, personal recovery is considered to be an important process or framework through which an individual with mental health challenges reclaim their identities beyond their diagnosis. According to Thomas, Zisman-Ilani and Salzer (2019), personal recovery emphasises the patient’s capacity for self-determination. By adopting this approach, a social care worker can encourage a patient with mental distress to set up a goal and move towards the aspiration rather than merely focusing on symptom management (Jacob, 2015). With this approach, an individual can develop self-confidence and coping skills with which he or she can play an active role in their recovery journey.
The personal recovery model for mental distress is a person-centred approach to mental health that can help and motivate people to take control of their lives. This model is based on the concept that an individual with mental distress or health challenges can live a satisfying life, and that recovery is a unique process that involves developing new skills and values. The key elements of this model are hope or belief in the possibility of recovery is fundamental, self-direction, empowerment, respect, and responsibility. According to the personal recovery model, recovery from mental distress is not a step-by-step process rather it is a journey with ups and downs (Coffey et al., 2019). Jacob (2015) has stated that personal recovery shifts the focus from merely managing the symptoms to enabling individuals to live a meaningful livelihood. It emphasises strengths, aspiration and the ability to thrive despite ongoing challenges. This approach fosters resilience, encourages others to self-discovery, and validates the diverse experiences of individuals with mental distress. A social worker can implement this approach in an intervention plan to strengthen the client's autonomy and empower them with self-determination skills. With the personal recovery model, social workers can support individuals with mental illness in making their own decisions that can align their goals and values and promote a sense of control over their livelihood. By using this model, social care workers can also work alongside clients and create a personalised care plan that can reflect the client’s priorities and preferences. According to Nagpaul & Chen (2019), unlike the biomedical model, which considers biological and physiological factors as the primary cause of mental distress, this model emphasises personal growth, autonomy, and restoration of meaningful life despite the challenges. This model also highlights the importance of relationship and community support in recovery, reducing stigma, and fostering inclusion. It shifts the focus from a purely medical perspective to one that acknowledges the interconnectedness of emotional, social, and spiritual well-being, which can provide a more comprehensive understanding of mental health and support recovery as a personal journey (Kemp et al., 2024). The personal recovery model also incorporates cultural and spiritual dimensions that state that mental distress and recovery are deeply influenced by an individual’s cultural background, beliefs, and values. This inclusivity ensures that intervention plans for mental distress should be tailored to the unique preferences and needs of a diverse population, and must address the barriers to recovery that may arise from cultural stigma, misunderstandings, and systematic inequalities. By integrating the key elements of the personal recovery model, social care workers can get the scope of developing a more holistic understanding of mental distress which goes beyond the clinical symptomatology (Frost et al., 2017). This model also challenges the reductionist approach of the biomedical model and embraces the complexity of human experiences. As a whole, the personal recovery model provides a multidimensional view of recovery that incorporates biological, psychological, spiritual, and cultural aspects that ultimately support the compassionate and person-centric care approach for mental health care of individuals.
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On the other hand, the Resilience model offers a powerful and holistic framework for understanding mental distress, specifically within the context of professional social work. According to Winsper et al., (2020), this model helps people to know how to adapt skills and approaches to recover from traumatic and stressful events. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity, frustration, and misfortune. It includes regaining or maintaining mental health and well-being despite experiencing significant trauma. The components of resilience are: personal factors, social support, and coping strategies. This model identifies three emotional reactions to adversity that hinder resilience, which are: personalization, pervasiveness, and permanence. As per these three elements, resilience always states that a person with mental distress always believes that the individual is at fault for the negative event (personalization), is used to feeling negative events that might affect every aspect of life (pervasiveness), and thinking that the impact of the negative event will last forever (permanence) ((Maj et al., 2020). Therefore the resilience model is used to focus on an individual’s ability to adapt, recover and thrice in the face of adversity, and stresses the strength-based approach which therefore highlights the personal resources and coping strategies to develop mental health. According to Rocca and Anjum (2020), this model provides a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of mental distress than any orthodox or traditional models like a biomedical model of health, which only focuses on symptomatology and biological causes.
The core concept of the ‘resilience model’ focuses on ‘what is wrong’ within an individual, suffering from mental trauma or distressful condition (Shrivastava and Desousa, 2016). By the model, mental distress is viewed as an inevitable or permanent state of illness as well as a manageable condition by the application of personal strengths, environmental support and coping mechanisms. This perception recognizes that while mental distress can deeply distressing, it is also a part of the broader human experience and can be navigated with appropriate tools, resources, and support systems.
One of the key elements of the resilience model is the protective factor- the internal as well as external resources which can help an individual with skills and resources for dealing with stress, trauma, and mental health issues (Liu, Reed and Fung, 2020). These factors can include individual characteristics like optimism, self-efficacy, emotional regulation and external resources like social and environmental support, community connection, and access to health services. In the context of social care work, this model encourages the practitioner to identify and develop strengths rather than focusing on deficits or pathology. According to Tuck and Berger (2024), the resilience model is a strength-based model which contrasts with the biomedical model. According to Smith, (2019), rather than focusing on the pathology or diagnosis of any disorder, this model fosters the social workers to use different frameworks for identifying the individual’s capacity to understand the degree of adversity of the disorder. This perspective in turn can empower the workers as it helps them to determine the individual’s capacity to deal with difficult circumstances, and facilitate in developing tailored intervention plan (Cromby et al., 2017). On the other hand, the biomedical model shows mental distress as a medical issue that needs intervention, through medication and clinical treatment (Fox, 2024). While these treatments can be effective in managing the symptoms, they can also create a sense of helplessness and dependency on external solutions. This resilience model in turn can foster autonomy, and self-determination and help an individual to develop personal responsibility which are considered to be essential when it comes to treating people with mental distress (Jaiswal et al., 2020). The vital component of the resilience model is the recognition that external support systems including family, friends, and community networks play an important role in mitigating mental distress. Social work practice is used to focus on these social networks to promote health well-being and recovery of individuals from mental instability or discomforts.
Considering the overall concept of the Resilience model, it can be stated that this model offers a holistic understanding of mental distress by stressing on interplay between social context, environmental factors and individual strengths (Jaiswal et al., 2020). This approach contrasts any orthodox or traditional model of health like a biomedical model, which primarily focuses on biological causes and symptoms of mental health conditions. As per the biomedical model of health mental distress is a condition that needs to be managed through medical intervention and therapies (Smith, 2019). In contrast, the resilience model states that mental distress is a process or experience that can be mitigated through adaptive coping strategies, support from the environment, and personal growth (Bryant-Davis, 2019). This concept can help social workers develop a more holistic and personalised approach to care, which is essential in social care work and practices. Like the Recovery Model, the Resilience Model also prioritise culture and spirituality and states that cultural background and spiritual circumstances may play an important role in recovery from mental distress for many individuals (Jones et al., 2016). Therefore, the Resilience Model offers a comprehensive, and holistic understanding of mental distress, and an inclusive approach in contrast to any traditional biomedical model, the resilience model emphasises strengths, social support and personal agency and fosters an individual’s capacity to overcome adversity related to mental health challenges.
In this essay, the Personal Recovery and Resilience Model have been used to develop a comprehensive and holistic understanding of mental distress and the role of social workers in this scenario. Upon analysing the entire discussion, it can be concluded that social, psychological, and environmental factors are important to aggravate mental distress within any individual. These two models shift the focus from any traditional model of health, from symptom centric and reductionist approach of the biomedical model to the values of an individual, autonomy, empowerment, and personal growth, when it comes to suppressing the challenges related to mental distress. The recovery model fosters self-determination and meaning of life persuasion, whereas the resilience model stresses coping strategies and interplay between protective factors namely autonomy, community support and optimism to help an individual overcome adversity related to mental distress. Both models align with the principles of social work by promoting person-centric and strength-based interventions that respect individuality and address broader determinants of mental health. Therefore, in the social care context, these two models offer scope to the care workers by which they can offer compassionate care through interventions that can address complexities of mental distress while fostering hope, resilience and self-efficacy.
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