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Mental illness symptoms and evaluation
Physical health is very important in life. But mental health is absolutely essential for your social existence, well-being, happiness, workability and survival spirit. Know the varieties of mental illnesses and their diagnosis so that your life will blossom to the full. It will help your relatives and friends. Enjoy the beauties of life and nature. In order to make your life successful, learn here Mental Health- Diagnosis.
What is mental health?
Mental health is our cognitive, emotional and behavioral wellbeing. In a sense, it is related to how we think, how we feel, and how we behave. The term 'mental health' means an absence of a mental disorder. In short, we may it “sense of proportions”, or “attitude”.
It affects our daily life, our relationships in a wide spectrum of society, and even our physical health. You may be a very good man or woman, but the attitude dictates the ability to enjoy life. It also helps to attain a balance between normal activities and social interaction. In a sense, it ultimately represents our psychological resilience.
Mental Health is defined by the World Health Organization as a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.
Mental health includes one’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It helps determine how we can handle stress, relate to others, and make the right choices. To be honest and frank, mental health is a very important fact at every stage of our life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.
What is a mental health disorder?
What we refer to as mental health disorders are actually linked to a wide range of mental health condition. These are the disorders that affect our mood, thinking and behavior. Normal manifestations of mental illness are generally depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors. Many decades ago, one of the greatest philosophers and mathematicians of the 20th century, Bertrand Russell said, “To be out of harmony with one’s surroundings is, of course, a misfortune, but it is not always a misfortune to be avoided at all costs. Where the environment is stupid or prejudiced or cruel, it is a sign of merit to be out of harmony with it.” In such a selfish and cruel world, any of us may have the potential to develop mental health problems, no matter how old we are, male or female, rich or poor, or whatever ethnic group we belong to, wherever we live. The most common types of mental disorders are related to anxiety, mood, and schizophrenia.
What are the different types of mental disorders?
One of the most common types of mental illness is Anxiety disorders. In this disorder, the individual has a severe fear or anxiety, which is linked to certain objects and situations. In ultimate reality, people who are suffering from an anxiety disorder try to avoid such a social situation; although such fear psychosis may not always be true.
Examples of Anxiety disorders are Panic disorders, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Mood disorders, Major depression, Bipolar disorder, Persistent depressive disorder, SAD (seasonal affective disorder), Schizophrenia disorders.
In Panic disorders, the person experiences sudden paralyzing terror or a sense of imminent disaster. It is a sort of Phobia. Such Phobias many and varied, depending on time, society and types of people you are interacting with. It is exactly not known how many phobias there are, there could be thousands of types. In obsessive-compulsive disorder the person has obsessions and compulsions. Constant stressful thoughts (obsessions) and the urge to perform repetitive acts, such as hand washing (compulsion) happens to be present in them. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur if one has been through a traumatic event or something horrible or frightening thing happened that they experienced or witnessed. The person thinks that their life is in danger. They feel scared or feel that they have no control over what is happening in their life. Mood disorders are another derivative problem of mental disorder; it also gives birth to depressive disorders. Patients with mood disorders have significant chances of abrupt changes in mood. When an individual is in Major depression, the individual is no longer interested in and does not enjoy activities and events that they used to like. They are in extreme or prolonged periods of sadness. Bipolar disorder was previously known as manic-depressive illness or manic depression. In this case, the patient switches from episodes of euphoria (mania) to depression (despair). Persistent depressive disorder was previously known as dysthymia. This is mild chronic (long term) depression. SAD (seasonal affective disorder) is a type of major depression that is triggered by a lack of daylight. This SAD is of the most common disorders in countries far from the equator during late autumn, winter, and early spring. To be honest, as we have seen, most people in the developing world and backward communities suffer from various inferiority and superiority complexes, and persecution mania of the people is very high. As a result, people mentally torture whenever they find chances. In such societies, schizophrenia is highly prevalent. It is a highly complex condition. Schizophrenia can develop even in early adolescence stages. In such situations, the affected individual may suffer from fragmented thoughts, because being essentially good and honest they also find it difficult to process information. The stupid society aggravates the problem thereby pushing such good on the verge of suicide.
Schizophrenia has negative and positive symptoms. Positive symptoms include delusions, thought disorders, and hallucinations. Negative symptoms of Schizophrenia include withdrawal, lack of motivation, and a flat or inappropriate mood.
What are the early signs of mental disorders?
Different factors can contribute to mental health problems, such as Biological factors, including genes or brain chemistry, real Life experiences, including trauma or abuse, history of mental health problems in the family, mental health problems etc. These factors are common but help is also available. People suffering from mental health problems can recover completely if they are treated with the appropriate environment and under the perfect doctor.
It is not possible to tell whether one person is developing a mental health problem or not. But if certain signs appear in a short space of time we can understand that the person may be suffering from mental disorders. We have seen in both rural and urban areas that the symptoms of such people are withdrawing from people or activities or social surroundings; also, sleeping or eating too much or too little; feeling as if nothing matters; they are having low energy; they also suffer confusion; they confine themselves into rooms, do not come out into the Sun, below the sky; They are also reluctant to complete standard tasks, they also suffer from past memories that reappear regularly, refer to the past as a great time; they also suffer from delusions, keep themselves away from people and usual activities. They feel helpless or hopeless. Change topics of discussions too frequently. They suffer from severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships, inability to perform daily tasks. Very unfortunate problems.
When is an evaluation or treatment needed?
Every mental health patient has her or his own signs and symptoms. Sometimes professional help can be needed for some serious cases. Such symptoms may include changes in personality, changes in eating or sleeping patterns, inability to cope with problems or daily activities, withdrawn from normal activities, unusual or "magical" thinking, excessive anxiety, prolonged sadness, depression or apathy, thoughts or statements about suicide or harming others, misuse of a substance, extreme mood swings, excessive anger, hostility or violent behavior.
Many people having mental health disorders consider the signs and symptoms as a normal part of life and avoid treatment for shame or fear. If we're concerned about our mental health, we should not hesitate to seek advice. We must consult our primary care doctor or we can make an appointment with a psychiatrist, psychologist or other mental health professional. It is important for us to find a professional who is familiar with our culture or who demonstrates an understanding of the cultural and social context that's relevant to our experiences and life story. With appropriate support, we can identify mental health conditions and receive proper treatment, such as medications or counseling.
How can we treat these disorders?
There are different ways we can treat mental health patients. It is necessary to know that what works for one patient may not work for another; this is especially the case with mental health.
Some treatments are found to be more successful when combined with others. Most experts say that a well-informed patient is probably the best judge of what treatment suits them best, but unfortunately, most of the patients do not have neutral judgment power having suffered over the years. Psychotherapy (talking therapies) is a psychological approach to treat mental illness. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure therapy, and dialectical behavior therapy are examples of how we can treat mental health patients.
Medication although cannot cure mental disorders, but some medications can improve symptoms. Self-help is one of the best ways to deal with these problems. Changing lifestyle such as reducing alcohol consumption, sleeping more, and eating well are good and effective methods.
How do mental health professionals diagnose disorders?
Mental health conditions can be diagnosed by a psychiatrist, psychologist, clinical social worker or other mental health professionals. A diagnosis may depend on many things. They can ask about Medical history of physical illness or mental health disorders in a person or in his family. The doctors can question our current concerns or why we're seeking help, can question how recent events or changes in our life such as trauma, relationships, work, death of a friend or relative have affected us, how you think, feel or behave. They can use questionnaires or any other formal tests that ask for our feedback on how you think, feel, or behave in typical situations that can be used. They can question us about past experiences and current alcohol and drug use.
