Mental health is often misunderstood by many as it is substituted by mental health conditions which include depression, anxiety condition, schizophrenia, and many others. Mental health is a state of well-being in which a person understands his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can make a contribution to his or her community.
In a complex interplay, both physical and mental health plays a vital role. Many individuals and environmental factors including-
- Lifestyle and health behaviors (e.g., smoking, exercise, substance use)
- Family history of illness and disease/genetics
- Exposure to trauma
- Coping skills
- Exposure to toxins
- Levels of personal and workplace stress
- Personal life circumstances and history
- Access to supports (e.g., timely healthcare, social supports)
The term mental health promotion and prevention have often been confused. Promotion is defined as intervening to optimize positive mental health by addressing the determinants of positive mental health.
Mental illnesses 0n the other hand is health conditions involving changes in emotion, thinking, or behavior. Mental illnesses are associated with distress and problem functioning in social, work, or family activities. It causes a great deal of suffering to those experiencing them as well as their families and friends. Furthermore, these problems appear to be increasing in 2020.
There are many types of mental illnesses and various degrees of severity. Some major types are depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar mood disorder, personality disorders, and eating disorders. Anxiety, depression are strong feelings of tension, fear, or sadness. A mental illness is present when these feelings become so disturbing and overwhelming that people have great difficulty coping with day-to-day activities, such as work, enjoying leisure time, and maintaining relationships.
In extreme case scenarios, people with a depressive disorder may not be able to get out of bed or care for themselves physically.
In less common, mental illness may involve psychosis. It includes bipolar mood disorder and schizophrenia. The ability to make sense of thoughts, feelings and the world around them is seriously affected.
A psychotic episode may involve delusions, such as false beliefs of persecution, guilt, or grandeur. It may involve hallucinations, where the person sees, hears, smells, or tastes things that are not there.
Anything can affect mental illness, be it autism and intellectual disability in childhood, adult conditions. These things can include c, anxiety, substance abuse, and psychosis or dementia in old age.
The lack of awareness and insensitivity towards the issue is the biggest reason for India to lose its mental health. There is a big stigma around people suffering from any kind of mental health issue. People suffering are often considered lunatics and lead to shame, suffering and isolation makes it difficult for the patients. There is a serious shortage of mental healthcare workforce in India. According to WHO, in 2011, there were 0·301 psychiatrists and 0·047 psychologists for every 100,000 patients suffering from a mental health disorder in India.
To reduce the stigma around mental health there is an urgent need to train and sensitize the community. Things we can do is to educate society about mental diseases and ask people to help each other who are experiencing problems and make them feel safe.
While early steps in this direction have been taken by the Government, the problem requires to be dealt with on war footing. Timely intervention, awareness about the issue, availability of professional help, and appropriate policies are the only way to improve the situation. It is thus imperative to believe and propagate that people with mental illness deserve to live their lives with dignity and confidence.
After the growing concern about the global spread of the pandemic of COVIF-19. India and the United States recently agreed to help each other with mental health. The United States will open up its market for traditional Indian therapies like yoga and Ayurveda medicines for mental illnesses and also give access to U.S. research on mental health, according to the agreement signed during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first official visit to India in February.
People who are going through any of different feelings. There is no need to control how you feel people are studying these situations and preparing themselves to resolve mental health. Mediwy is a care delivery solution website that provides specialists who are willing to help.
Originally published at https://www.mediwy.com on January 16, 2021.
