Abstract
Mental health and addiction are broad concepts that encompass a wide range of symptoms and experiences, varying in severity and duration, with multiple risk and protective factors and potentially significant consequences across various aspects of people’s lives—such as education, work, and family life. Each situation is unique and subjective, as is also the case in the field of physical health; the distinctive feature of mental health may be the lack of biological measures that can objectively identify variations in mood, levels of dependence on a substance or behavior, or the degree of psychological distress. Research, which necessarily relies on the subject’s account, is therefore faced with the challenge of harmonizing and standardizing intimate feelings. What are the challenges of mental health research in a population? Defining the subject of study is, of course, an essential preliminary step before examining the factors associated with it, and the first question addressed will be that of the classifications of mental disorders and addictions used today. What do they implicitly tell us about what is considered “normal” behavior? Next, the course will address various types of factors that, at the population level, predict the onset, severity, and persistence of mental health problems and addictions throughout life: family history of mental disorders and addiction, experiences of violence—whether intimate or collective—as well as breakups and exile—whether voluntary or not—living conditions, and relationships with others. The course as a whole will address social inequalities in mental health, as well as the issue of preventing mental health disorders and addictions at the societal level.
