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Module 3 of the Mental Health Literacy programme

Mental Distress and Disorders

The difference between everyday stress, mental distress and a mental health disorder, the impact of mental ill-health, and how to recognise common conditions.

About 45 minutes, 4 lessons, 11 activities

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Mental Distress Anatural, human emotional response to challenging or traumatic life events. Temporary feelings of intense anxiety, sorrow, or frustration. Directly linked to a specific stressor like loss, financial crisis, or relationship breakdown. Itis an experience, not a medical diagnosis.

About this module

Sometimes, however hard we try, our usual ways of coping stop working. This module maps the psychological spectrum from healthy stress, through mental distress, to diagnosable mental health disorders, and explains what changes along the way. You will look at the real impact of mental ill-health on individuals, families and the economy in India, the rights protected by the Mental Healthcare Act 2017, and the most common conditions: depression, psychotic disorders and, in depth, anxiety. A real-life story of post-traumatic stress shows how recognition and treatment lead to recovery.

What you will learn

  • Distinguish healthy stress, mental distress and a mental health disorder using the green–orange–red spectrum
  • Explain how duration, intensity and impairment mark the shift from distress to disorder
  • Describe the individual, family and economic impact of mental ill-health in India
  • Outline key rights protected by the Mental Healthcare Act 2017
  • Recognise the main features of depression, psychotic disorders and the common anxiety disorders

Syllabus

  1. 1

    From Stress to Distress

    The psychological spectrum and when distress becomes a disorder.

    • Mental Distress and DisordersVideo, 3 min
    • The Psychological SpectrumReading, 4 min
    • What Is a Mental Health Disorder?Reading, 3 min
  2. 2

    Impact and Rights

    What mental ill-health costs people, families and society, and the rights that protect them.

    • The Impact of Mental Ill-HealthReading, 3 min
    • Rights, Dignity and the Mental Healthcare ActReading, 3 min
    • Practice Quiz: Distress, Disorder and RightsPractice quiz, 5 min
  3. 3

    Common Mental Health Conditions

    Depression, psychotic disorders and anxiety, and a story of recovery.

    • Recognising Common ConditionsReading, 3 min
    • Understanding AnxietyReading, 3 min
    • Case Story: RupaReading, 3 min
  4. 4

    Module Wrap-up

    • Module SummaryReading, 1 min
    • Graded Quiz: Mental Distress and DisordersGraded quiz, 12 min

Earn your certificate

Pass the graded quiz in each of the twelve modules and the final assessment to receive a verifiable Certificate in Mental Health Literacy.

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