There are many scenarios that have been denied basic needs such as housing on the basis of their mental status. People are denied loans, job opportunities and health insurances on the basis of mental health. The stigmatization cases are so prevalent that many people affected or who suspect they have the condition fear to seek professional assistance. Stigmatization causes the person to have low self-esteem the strong social, religious and cultural beliefs have greatly distorted views of people on mental illness. Media portrays most of the characters with aggressive behavior and other negative traits as suffering from mental illness. This has created the impression that mental sickness is a sign of inferior character.

The basics of mental health include examination of theories of psychology, sociology, health psychology and transitions of life in relation to mental health (Booker & Waugh 2007). It covers the concepts of adapting and adaptation to stress. The field introduces studies on the influence of attitudes, beliefs, attributions and values to perception of mental health. Presentation of methods to bring change is also studied. Nursing and care issues related with mental health are examined. The significance of community-based services; skills and knowledge required in the field of mental health are taught. The fundamentals focus on the consumer as the central recipient of the services of mental health.

Various diagnostic tools have been developed to help detect and determine mental disorders. Such taxonomic tools include the DSM-IV-TR which shows the axis to personality disorder (Jensen-doss & Hawley 2011). It is a useful tool in detecting problems of conduct and attention regulations, difficulties in regulating self-esteem and managing social relations and symptoms of psychological distress. The model however has been widely criticized, with critics citing that it is polythetic. It satisfies only some criteria hence patients may be diagnosed with the same disorder just because they share a certain symptom. It also suffers from the fact many professionals do not agree on what is normal and abnormal. Moreover, it does not distinguish the individual personality traits from the disorder traits (Schwartz & Wiggins, 2005).

Mental health is a continuum that requires intelligence and a lot of skill to handle, hence the need for psychology to fully define the scope of the fundamentals. The normal and abnormal behavior...

Nevertheless, the field is adequately covered by the professionals with new technology evolving everyday to advance the continuum.
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