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What Is Mental Health WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH? While Mental Health can mean different things to different people, self-esteem and the capacity to care about others are universally important components of Mental Health. Mentally healthy people understand that they are not perfect nor can they be all things to all people. They experience a full range of emotions including sadness, anger, and frustration as well as joy, love, and satisfaction. While they typically can handle life’s challenges and changes, they can reach out for help if they are having difficulty dealing with major traumas and transitions-loss of loved ones, marriage difficulties, school work problems and the prospect of retirement. WHAT TO LOOK FOR Even when you try your best, you will experience periods of frustration and unhappiness. Usually with time, you will overcome your distress. However, you must learn to recognize when your problems or those of your loved ones are too much to handle alone. You can help your self, your family and your friends by knowing when to ask for professional help. Some of the warning signs include; Undue prolonged anxiety. This is an anxiety out of proportion to any identifiable reason or cause. Of course, everyone experiences problems that make him or her tense and anxious. However, a deep, continuing anxiety- a state of almost constant tension and fear that may fasten itself to one cause after another- is a signal that help is needed. Unrelated anxiety not only causes mental anguish but also can lead to physical problems. Prolonged or severe depression: Clinical depression, which is quite different from normal depressed feelings or “the blues” strongly, affects thinking, feelings and behaviour. Persistent feelings of inadequacy, sadness, helplessness, undue pessimism, and loss of confidence are some symptoms of depression. A change in behaviour patterns is a key sign that depression may be getting out of hand and help should be sought. Depressed individuals usually withdraw from friends they normally enjoy, from loved ones, and from the usual occupation and hobbies that give pleasure. Their eating and sleeping habits change. Some suffer from insomnia, especially an inability to stay asleep; others seek solace in overeating and excess sleeping. Other symptoms include low energy, chronic fatigue, and decreased effectiveness at school, work or home, loss of sexual interest. Depressed individuals are those most likely to think of suicide. During periods of crisis people should be with others, avoid isolation. Abrupt changes in mood and behaviour. These changes do not include deliberate steps a person adopts for self-improvement. They refer to changes in mood and behaviour that reflect serious alterations in an individual’s normal habits or way of thinking. In addition, frequent or regular mood changes from highs to lows’ whether gradual or abrupt, can signal a mood disorder. Any of these warning signs are severe or long lasting, whether caused by a medical illness or not, professional help may be needed. Physical symptoms that may be related to tension: Some bodily ailments and complaints-headaches, including migraines), nausea, or unexplained pains- may have no identifiable physical cause. These symptoms are very real. Only a physician is qualified to determine whether they are caused by medical illness. Because medical tests may reveal an organic cause, a doctor should check any persistent physical ailment. DARE TO CARE Do not fear those experiencing mental illness. It can happen to any one. Do not ignore warning signs. We should be willing to challenge the myths and misconceptions about mental illness. We should be willing to provide better care; ensure access to care and insist on equity (fairness) in care. All this is possible if we dare to believe that mental health care is a basic health concern for all. I must commend you all for taking such a step as this to be informed about mental illness and by so doing will be on the path to influence change and I congratulate you all. MYTHS HURT MYTHS: Mental and brain disorders only affect adults. REALITY: All are affected-children and adults, rich and poor. Mental and brain disorders affects adults, the elderly, children and adolescents. W.H.O estimates that approximately one in five of the world’s youth (15 years and younger) suffer from mental and brain disorders. MYTH: Mental and brain disorders are just a fragment of one’s imagination. REALITY: They are real illnesses that cause suffering and disability. How often do we hear “Pull your self up- its all in your mind, your imagination; It is not only friends and family that fail to grasp the existence of a mental disorder. Even Governments choose ignorance, as demonstrated by the fact that mental health is often excluded from health priorities and planning. Mental disorders are real; they provoke suffering, cause’s disability, and can even shorten life. (Episodes of depression can result in suicide, liver disease resulting from alcoholism. MYTH: It is impossible to help someone with a mental or brain disorder. REALITY: Treatments exist and caregivers can assist. Some people recover completely from mental and neurological disorders, others have a more difficult time, however in all cases there can be an alleviation of suffering through different methods. TYPES OF MENTAL ILLNESSES SCHISOPHRENIA What is it? This is a complex and extremely puzzling type of mental illness and is particularly disabling, generally interfering with the ability to work, relate to others, and take care of oneself. Generally, symptoms become apparent during adolescence or early adulthood, but can begin later in life Schizophrenia is characterized by profound (intense) disruption in thinking and feelings, affecting language, thought, perception and sense of self. It often includes psychotic experiences such as hearing voices or holding fixed abnormal beliefs, can be paranoid in nature, whereby the individual wrongly feels persecuted or endangered, known as delusions. MOOD DISORDERS: Depression, mania and bipolar disorders (manic-Depressive disorder) is characterized by cycles of depression and mania. This disorder change the way people think, feel, and behave. Unlike the down feel we sometimes experience, major depression lingers on and become more pronounced than warranted by the events of daily living. Depression interferes with the ability to think, to concentrate and to enjoy the normal pleasures of life. Depressed people may brood about death and dying, and may exhibit suicidal behaviour. Some people experience depressive episodes –onset of illness can be severe and debilitating. Others continue to function, but feel depressed and “under the weather” all the time. MANIC-Episodes; are marked initially by elation, hyperactivity, and irritability, decreased need for sleep, inflated self-esteem, and increased loud speech, with abrupt change in topic. As the episode continues and progress, the mania can, like those with Schizophrenia, become overly psychotic, experiencing delusions, hallucination, and bizarre behaviour. ANXIETY DISORDERS 1. Panic Disorder 2. Phobic Disorder-the most common form of anxiety disorders eg. Acrophobia; the fear of height Claustrophobia; the fear of enclosed places Hydrophobia; the fear of water. 3. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder 4. Post –Traumatic Stress Disorder 5. Anxiety Disorder Due To Medical Condition 6. Substance –Induced Anxiety Disorder PERSONALITY DISORDERS Cluster A (Odd, Eccentric Behaviour) Paranoid Personality Disorder- this individual is suspicious and mistrust people Schizoid Personality Disorder-this individual is an “introvert” and a “loner” and has no desire for social involvement Schizotypal Personality Disorder- this individual generally exhibit disturbance in thoughts processes Cluster B (Emotional, Erratic Behaviour) Antisocial Personality Disorder-this include lack of remorse or indifference to person whom one has hurt Borderline Personality Disorder-symptoms may include impulsive unpredictable behaviour eg. Shoplifting, sex and drug abuse Histrionic Personality Disorder-self-dramatization and exaggeration of emotion to draw attention to self Narcissistic Personality Disorder-exaggerated or grandiose sense of self-importance Cluster C (Anxious, Fearful Behaviour) Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder-symptoms include preoccupation with details, lists, and rules to the extent that the major point of the activity is lost Dependent Personality Disorder-lack self confidence and are unable to function in an independent role Avoidant Personality Disorder-is so sensitive to rejection, criticism, disapproval or shame that he or she appears devastated by the slightest amount of disapproval. TREATMENT MODALITIES FOR MENTAL ILLNESSES There are many effective treatments available for mental illnesses because of research studies being done. Medications and different types of psychosocial therapies can be used alone or in combination. The treatment chosen for an individual is dependent on the diagnosis and severity of the illness. For severe disorders, such as Schizophrenia, Depression, Bi-polar Affective Disorders, as well as some Anxiety Disorders, a Doctor usually prescribes a combination of treatment therapies. These include: Individual psychotherapy Group therapy Family therapy Behavioural therapy Psychopharmacology Occupational therapy Behaviour modification Art therapy Psychodrama, and at times Electroconvulsive therapy, often referred to as ECT or “shock” therapy, this can be very effective for persons suffering from severe depression
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