All About Mental Health – Signs, Symptoms, Treatment

All About Mental Health 
All About Mental Health 
All about Mental health is about how people feel, think, and behave. It applies to behavioral, cognitive, and emotional well-being. It influences physical health, daily living, and relationships. Looking after mental health can maintain a person’s capacity to enjoy life. Doing this includes balancing daily movements, commitments, and steps to attain psychological stability. Anxiety, stress, and depression can impact mental health and hamper a person’s performance.
All About Mental Health 
All About Mental Health 

(Image credit: Education Connect Plus)

What is Mental Health?

According to the trusted source of the World Health Organization (WHO):

“Mental health is a condition of mental well-being that helps people to confront the problems of life, know their abilities, learn well and work well, and participate in their community.”

The WHO asserts that mental health is “more than just the lack of mental disorders or disabilities.” The highest mental health is not only about overseeing active conditions but also managing continuous wellness and happiness.

An assessed 14.2 million adults in the U.S., or about 5.6% of the population, in 2020, had a serious psychological ailment, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Hence, almost 1 in 5 adults experience mental health issues every year.

Factors responsible for Mental Health conditions:

Everybody is at some threat of acquiring a mental health illness, regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, or income. In the U.S. and other developed nations, mental disorders are one of the main reasons for disability.

The following factors can provoke mental health disturbances.

  • Endless social and economic pressure: Poverty or having low financial means or belonging to a marginalized ethnic group can enhance the danger of mental health disorders, including lack of education or the level of social interest, and poor housing quality.
  • Childhood adversity: Several researches say that hostile childhood experiences such as child abuse, parental separation or loss, and parental illness affect a growing child’s mental and physical health. These happenings also make people susceptible to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
  • Physical factors: The genetic family history can enhance the chance of mental health conditions as specific biological genes and gene variants put a person at higher threat.
  • Continual stress and mental health conditions: Depression and anxiety may expand due to underlying physical health crises, such as diabetes, cancer, and chronic pain.

Types of mental health ailments:

Certain mental disorders are sorted together due to the features they have in general. These illnesses are as follows:

  • Anxiety disorders
  • Mood disorders
  • Schizophrenia disorders

Anxiety disorders

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental ailments. People with such conditions have intense fear or anxiety associated with certain situations or objects. They try to prevent direction to whatever spurs their anxiety.

Below are some examples of anxiety disorders.

1). Generalized Anxiety Disorders (GAD):

This entails undue worry or fear that obstructs everyday living. People experiencing physical symptoms include fatigue, restlessness, poor concentration, tense muscles, and broken sleep patterns.

They may experience this in everyday settings, such as chores or appointments. A person with GAD may sometimes feel tension with no trigger at all.

2). Panic disorder

People having a panic disorder go through periodic panic attacks involving sudden, overpowering anguish or a feeling of coming calamity and death.

3). Phobias

There are various kinds of phobias:

Simple phobias: These may involve fear of specific objects or animals. For example, fear of spiders.

Social phobia: Known as social anxiety, this fear is subjective to the judgment of others. People with social phobia frequently curb their exposure to social environments.

Agoraphobia: Many people misinterpret this phobia as the fear of being outside, such as being in a moving train. Phobias are deeply unique, and doctors do not know every type. There could be thousands of phobias, and what may seem odd to one person but can be a serious problem that affects daily life for another.

4). Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) 

People with such disorders have compulsions and obsessions. They experience never-ending stressful emotions and a dominant urge to conduct repetitive deeds, such as handwashing.

5). Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD

PTSD can happen after someone witnesses a severely stressful or traumatic circumstance. For example, a loved one’s accident or death. During this sort of incident, the person believes that their life or other people’s lives are at risk. They may feel scared or that they have no power over what is going on.

Mood disorders

People with these disorders have substantial mood changes, commonly involving either insanity, a time of high energy and joy, or sadness. Examples of mood disorders include:

Major depression: A person having major depression experiences continuous low mood and fails to enjoy activities and occasions that they previously did. They can suffer prolonged periods of grief.

Bipolar disorder: Someone with bipolar disorder faces unexpected changes in their mood, energy levels, and ability to proceed with daily life. Moments of high mood are known as manic stages, while sad phases invite low mood. 

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD): This is another type of bipolar disorder. Decreased daylight during the winter and early spring months accelerates this type of major depression. It is most widespread in regions far from the equator.

Schizophrenia disorders

The term schizophrenia refers to a range of disorders defined by psychotic details and other severe signs. According to the NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health, U.S.), signs of schizophrenia normally develop between the ages of 16 and 30. 

The individual will have ideas that appear crushed and may also find it hard to filter information. Positive symptoms include fantasies, thought disorders, and illusions, while isolation, problematic mood, or lack of vitality are instances of negative signs.

All About Mental Health on World Mental Health Day

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Early signs:

No scan or physical test reliably demonstrates if a person has acquired a mental disorder. Still, people around should look out for the following as likely clues of a mental health ailment:

1). Staying away from friends, and family. 

2). Avoiding activities they once enjoyed.

3). Sleeping too little or too much.

5). Eating too little or much.

6). Feeling hopeless.

7). Always have low energy.

8). Taking mood-enhancing substances, such as alcohol and nicotine, more often.

9). Exhibiting negative emotions.

10). Remaining confused.

11). Being incapable of completing daily chores, such as cleaning something or cooking a meal.

12). Having continual thoughts or memories that reappear frequently.

13). Thinking of inflicting physical harm to themselves or others.

14). Hearing voices.

15). Experiencing false illusions.

Diagnosis:

A doctor may proceed by looking at a person’s medical history and conducting a thorough physical examination to rule out physical conditions or problems that may be stimulating the signs.

Mental disorders can’t be diagnosed by any medical test. Yet, doctors may request a line of laboratory tests such as imaging exams and blood tests for other probable underlying causes.

They will also perform psychological quizzes, asking about a person’s indications, backgrounds, and how they have influenced their lives. The doctor may want a person to fill out mental health questionnaires to get a clue about his/her feelings, thoughts and behavior patterns.

Treatment:

Treatment is highly distinctive, what helps for one person may not help for another. A person with a continuous mental disorder may select different alternatives at various phases in his life, and work closely with a doctor who can help provide suitable treatment.

Some treatment options for people with mental ailments are given below.

Psychotherapy or talking therapy:

This category of treatment takes a psychological strategy to treat mental disorders. Exposure therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and dialectical behavior therapy are some examples.

Psychiatrists, psychotherapists, psychologists, and some primary care physicians accomplish this treatment.

It can assist people to comprehend the origin of their mental illness and start to work on healthier thought patterns that aid daily living and curtail the risk of self-harm and solitude.

Medication:

Some people obtain prescribed medications, such as antidepressants, and antipsychotic drugs. Though these cannot heal mental disorders, some drugs can boost symptoms and help a person restart social interaction and a routine while working on their mental health.

Some of these pills strengthen the body’s absorption of feel-good chemicals, such as serotonin, from the brain. Other medicines either boost the overall levels of these chemicals or hinder their degradation.

Self-help:

A person facing mental health complications may need to alter their lifestyle to promote wellness. Such changes can include lowering liquor input, sleeping more, and eating a nutritious, balanced diet. 

People facing conditions of anxiety or depression may benefit from relaxation techniques, involving deep breathing, mindfulness, and meditation.

People may need to pause from work or settle issues with intimate relationships that may be damaging their mental health. Having a support system of self-help groups, close friends, and family, can also be crucial to recovery from mental ailment.

How to strengthen your mental health:

Exercising self-care can enhance a person’s mental health by decreasing a person’s chance of illness, improving energy levels, and regulating stress.

  • Routine exercise: Exercising for 45 minutes, weekly three to five times, can considerably enrich mental health.
  • Eating a balanced diet and staying hydrated: Eating nutritious, balanced food and staying hydrated can give a steady supply of fuel throughout the day.
  • Having good-quality sleep: A marked progress in sleep quality led to greater restoration in a person’s mental health.
  • Enact relaxing activities: Meditation, breathing exercises, and wellness apps can help lessen stress and refine overall health and well-being.
  • Practice gratitude: People can rehearse mindfulness and gratefulness by observing things they are thankful for every day.
  • Disregard negative thoughts: A person can exercise positivity by becoming conscious of their negative and useless thoughts and conquering them.
  • Have positive social interactions: Pursuing meaningful connections and relationships reduces stress and can also be a basis of comfort and logical aid in times of necessity.

Suicide prevention:

If you learn somebody is at sudden risk of self-harm, suicide, or harming another person: Ask the hard question: “Are you assuming suicide?”

Be attentive to the person without judgment. Make the local disaster call, or text to inform a trained emergency counselor. Remain with the person until professional assistance comes.

Eliminate any weapons, drugs, or other potentially lethal objects. If you or someone you know is pondering suicide, a prevention hotline cares for you 24/7.

Outlook: All about mental health

Mental health illnesses are ordinary, but they differ in severity. Most people can survive their symptoms and lead full lives with the proper therapy and help of support, a few need constant monitoring. 

Having a mental health crisis, particularly depression is strongly related to chronic health conditions such as stroke, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and cancer.

The majority of mental conditions tend to peak in people aged 18–25, but decline reasonably in people aged 50 and over.

 (Image credit: Facebook)

-Shashi Thakur

P.S: Dear readers… I have briefly given some of the main implications of mental health, and have taken reference from a journal Medically reviewed by Marney A. White, PhD, MS, Psychology.

All about mental health

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4 thoughts on “All About Mental Health – Signs, Symptoms, Treatment”

  1. Pingback: Domestic Violence and its Impact on Children - The Momma Clan

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  3. Dr. Kiritkumar Bhatt

    Very much useful information delivered with complete analysis…. much relevant and insightful in today’s lifestyle context.

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