Essay Question

Thisquestioncontains threesub-partsbased onthescenariobelow:

Youarehavinglunchwiththreeofyourfriends,Alan,ZhiwenandDanial.Zhiwen,auniversity student in her mid-twenties, is the eldest child with two younger brothers who are still in secondary school. Her parents have just finalised a hostile divorce a few months ago and Zhiwen's mother received joint custody with her ex-husband of the two under-aged children. Her mother was diagnosed with depression during the divorce proceedings. She now works fromhomeasacontentwriterforalocalwebsitethatdoesnotprovidestablemonthlyincome. Zhiwenworkspart-timeasatutortosupplementtheirfamily'sincome.Theystayina2-room flat where Zhiwen shares a room with her mother, and the two boys sleep in the living room whenevertheystayatherplace.ZhiwenhasbeenlessactiveonyourWhatsAppgroupchatfor the past few weeks. Prior to the lunch outing, she mentioned in your group chat that she has been facing problems at home.

Thefollowingconversationtranspired:

Danial:Zhiwen,howiseverythingathome?

Zhiwen: It's my mother. She has been acting a little strange recently. The other day, she said thattheneighboursweredrillingaholeintoourwall.Sheinsistedthattheyweredoingthatto listen into our conversations - specifically my brothers' conversations. She thinks the court will use it against her. I am not sure what to make of it.

Alan:Maybeit'sjuststress?

Zhiwen:Iknow sheis underalot ofstress andthat moneyisa problem,butisthis normal?

a. Selecthowyou wouldrespond totheconversationwith oneofthefollowing options:

1. Soundslikeshemighthaveschizophrenia.
2. Haveyouconsideredseekingprofessionalhelp?
3. Shehas been undera lot ofstress so thisis normal-don't worrytoomuch about it.
4. Haveyou spoken withher to sayhow worried youareabout her?

Demonstratebasic competencies of group facilitation by writing an essay explaining your decision.Provideanelaborationofhowyouwouldrespondtobettersupportyourselected option.

Halfanhourlater,Zhiwenhasbarelytouchedher food.Theconversationcontinued:

Alan:Youhavenoteatenatall, Zhiwen.

Zhiwen: I don't have much appetite these days. I have been so exhausted helping my mother care for my siblings that I did not even want to go out. I can't even concentrate on my studies and mywork, and Ifeel so guiltyof addingmoreissues to myfamilyproblems. And hereIam spoiling the mood when I meet you guys - I am sorry for being such a burden to everyone.

b. Selecthowyou wouldrespond totheconversationwith oneofthefollowing options:

1. Haveyoubeen feelinglikethis forsometime?
2. Youmight behaving depression.Wearenot trainedenough tohelp youwith this.
3. Youarenota burden. Tellus moreand let's finda wayto help you.
4. Snapoutofit, Zhiwen.Youcanhandlethis.

Practice the skills needed to interact with people with mental health conditions by writing an essay explaining your decision. Provide an elaboration of how you would respond to better support your selected option.

Note: There is no one correct answer, although some options might be better than others. Marks will be awarded based on your critical reasoning skills.

c. Explain the continuum of sadness and, using a biopsychosocial framework, describe the factors that influence Zhiwen's mental health and well-being.