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Paper 3 Mental health refers to a psychological, emotional, and social well-being of the human being. It determines how one relates to others, handles stress, and makes choices in life. Mental health is crucial at every stage of life, from childhood to adulthood. Factors that determine mental disorders include biological factors, family history of mental disorders, and life experience. I employ three current methods in solving mental problems. They include cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic therapy, and pharmacological techniques. Psychodynamic therapy relates to mental problem solving that is based on Freudian systems of psychoanalysis (Barry 17). It makes use of various techniques to discover tension within a person with a mental problem that makes them seek medical help. It is assumed that there is a tension that the patient is not aware of that needs to be identified and corrected. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is my second current mental problem solving method (Barry 19). I use it to treat mental disorders in most situations. The importance of this method is to correct the patient’s mental problems towards life events so that their perception, interactions, and responses towards the real world are applicable and appropriate (Barry 25). It helps the patient to create new ideas and explain their experiences to reflect reality in the real world. The idea is not to give the patient a new story to tell but to help the patient make changes to his or her own new story. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has two distinct parts that are developed separately. These include Pavlov’s and Skinner’s contributions. Behavioral research has clearly shown that certain responses, both emotional and physical, can be conditioned. Aaron Beck, who came up with CBT, argued that it is possible to change one’s thinking about things (Barry 34). Also, behavior that results from emotion responses can be changed by altering the way one thinks about tangible things. Psychopharmacology is the third current mental problem solving method. It makes use of drugs to change mental states. There are six major categories of drugs to correct mental disorders, namely mood stabilizers, antidepressants, stimulants, anxiolytics, antipsychotics, and depressants. I use both psychotherapies and pharmacotherapy processes to solve problems. Psychotherapies relate to processes by which mental problems are solved without using drugs. On the other hand, the Pharmacotherapy process involves the use of drugs to solve mental problems. In Psychotherapies, I seek detailed history of the patient. I ask patient questions that would enable them to discover the unconscious tension within him or her. By analyzing answers to these questions, it is possible to learn the cause of the mental problem (Barry 65). On the other hand, pharmacotherapy involves use of six major categories of drugs to change brain chemical ratio and restore chemical imbalances in the brain. Both pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy have proved effective methods of mental problem solving in different mental situations. For example, CBT is a valid, scientific solution to mental problems since it provides tests that are standard and practiced uniformly. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has an additional benefit in that it seeks to understand a patient’s experience in something rather than pointing to something that a patient cannot see (Barry 47). Additionally, I can easily study pharmacotherapy empirically because of simple standardization. In this method, one needs to write a list of symptoms to get a dispense pill. I also use Identification and Idealization as the current defense mechanisms. Both of them apply when I seek to correct mental problems by emulating other people’s qualities. The methods are appropriate to the situation in which one seeks to solve patients’ mental problems (Barry 72). I also employ the following stress control and reduction techniques: taking a break from the stressor, smile and laugh, exercises, seeking social support, and meditation. Application of these techniques in a stressful situation leads to the reduction or complete control over stress since one feels overwhelmed. For example, exercises bring about mental stimulation and I feel stress free (Barry 45). Mindful prayer and meditation help the body to relax and maintain a focused mind. The following is my ideal problem solving plan: 1. problem evaluation; 2. problem management; 3. decision making; 4. problem resolution; 5. result examination. Below is my stress management program:
|1. Examine the scope of stress. |2. Form a stress management team. |3. Implement a stress management system. |
|3. Create a collaborate working environment. |4. Provide an opportunity for social |
| |interaction. |

Depression is the leading emotional problem that I experience in people with a mental problem. It relates to an emotional disorder that affects how one feels, thinks or acts. The components of depression include gain or loss of weight, feeling restless, being tired all the time, memory problems and choices, thinking a lot about death or suicide, and either sleeping too much or loss of sleep (Barry 20). Depression may end up causing death to depressed patients since a depressed person always thinks of death and may end up committing suicide. As a result, depression cases may affect the economy of the country. Many professionals and experts have died as a result of it. It becomes difficult to receive another profession and fill the vacuum left. Using the problem solving model, one would have to examine the causes and the history of the depressed person, and then identify a team of psychologists to discuss and analyze this emotional problem. The next step would be to treat and counsel accordingly, as well as create for him or her a good working environment. Lastly, it is necessary to provide the depressed patient with an opportunity for social interaction.

Works Cited
Barry, Patricia. Mental Health and Mental Illness. New York: LWW publisher, 2002. Print.