Mental Illness
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her abilities, cope with the normal stresses of life, work adequately and productively, and make a contribution to his or her community.” Mental health is the foundation for emotions, thinking, communication, learning, resilience, and self-esteem. America Psychiatric Association describes mental illness as a health condition involving a change in sentiment, thinking, or behavior. Mental illness relates to distress or problems functioning in social, work, or family activities. However, mental illness has two categories. One, Any mental illness (AMI); described as intellectual, behavioral, or emotional disorder varying from no impairment to mild and moderate. Second, Severe mental illness (SMI); defined as a psychic, behavioral, or emotional disorder resulting in severe functional impairment, which substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities.
Statistics show that nearly one in five U.S. adults lives with a mental illness of about 46.6 million in 2017. One in twenty-five U.S. adults experience severe mental illness each year. Also, one in six U.S. youth aged six-seventeen experience a mental health disorder each year. Fifty percent of all lifetime mental illness begins by age fourteen and seventy- five percent by age twenty-four. Study shows that mental illness is a connection of multiple events rather than one occasion. Genetics, environment, and lifestyle are the main factors. Events such as traumatic life incidents prove to influence an individual susceptibility significantly to mental illness. It is essential to maintain mental health to perform daily living activities. Similarly, for a person to appreciate life, they must be well conversant with their surroundings. Through this paper, the goal is to add to the existing knowledge of the mental illness. The article has four subtopics. It will include; the standard types of mental disorders, the vulnerable group, causative factors, and treatment methods.
Common Types of Mental Illness
Anxiety disorders: Typically, these people present with fear of certain things, such as objects or situations. Characteristics include; sweating and rapid heartbeat. Anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobias. Mood disorders: Also referred to as affective disorders involve persistent feelings of sadness or periods of feeling overly happy. These moods fluctuate from extreme happiness to extreme sadness. The most common mood disorders are depression; persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairment in daily life. Bipolar disorder; which is associated with episodes of mood swings ranging from depressive lows to manic highs. Cyclothymic disease, just like bipolar disorder, has a shift of mood low to high, but not so extreme. Psychotic disorders: A person suffering from this kind of disarray will have distorted awareness and thinking. The most common symptoms of psychotic disorders are hallucinations: voices or pictures that are not real and delusions, which are false fixed beliefs that the ill person accepts as accurate, despite evidence to the contrary. An excellent example of this is Schizophrenia. Eating disorders: Eating disorders involve extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors involving weight and food. To mention a few, Anorexia nervosa; people are obsessed about weight and what they eat, bulimia nervosa; it is marked by bingeing, followed by methods to avoid weight gain. Last but not least, Binge eating disorder; this frequently consuming unusually large amounts of food in one sitting and feeling that eating behavior is out of control.
Other conditions include; Impulse Control and Addiction Disorders: People with impulse control disorders are unable to resist urges, or impulses, to perform acts that could be harmful to themselves or others. For example, Pyromania, starting fires, kleptomania, stealing, and compulsive gambling. Alcohol and drugs are everyday objects of addictions. Personality disorders: People with personality disorders have extreme and rigid personality traits that are stressful for them and cause problems in work, school, or social relationships. Moreover, the person’s patterns of thinking and behavior significantly differ from the prospect of society. Examples include antisocial personality disorder, characterized by impulsive, irresponsible, and often criminal behavior. An obsessive-compulsive personality disorder involves an excessive concern with orderliness, perfectionism, attention to detail, and interpersonal control. On the other hand, a paranoid personality disorder is an unrelenting mistrust and suspicion of others, even when there is no reason to be suspicious.
Vulnerable group
A study conducted in Canada showed that about 70% of mental health problems have their onset during childhood or adolescence. Young people between the ages of 15 to 24 are more likely to experience mental illness and substance use disorders than any other age group. Men have higher rates of addiction than women, while women have a more elevated mood and anxiety disorders. Physical and mental well-being is parallel. People with a long-term medical condition such as chronic pain are much more likely to experience mood disorders. On the other hand, people with a mood disorder are at higher risk of developing a long-term medical condition. People with a mental illness are twice as likely to have a substance use problem than the general population. At least 20% of people with a mental illness have a co-occurring substance use problem. For people with schizophrenia, the number may be as high as 50%. Similarly, people with substance use problems are up to 3 times more likely to have a mental illness. More than 15% of people with a substance use problem have a co-occurring mental illness.
Causes of mental illness
Biological Causes: Although biology does play a role in many mental illnesses, they’re more to specific disorders. Richard McNally, a clinical psychologist at Harvard University, explains: “Certain disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism fit the biological model in a very clear-cut sense.” On the contrary, Jerome Wakefield claims that there is still no definitive proof that brain dysfunction is the root of mental illnesses. Prenatal Damage: Damage occurs to a fetus while even in its mother’s womb is well-thought-out as fetal damage. If the gravid mother uses drugs or alcohol or becomes exposed to illnesses or infections, then mental disorders can develop in the fetus. According to research, conditions like autism result from a disruption of early fetal brain progression. Genetics: Mental illness is more common among individuals with a relative with a mental disorder than those who don’t. In this regard, it doesn’t automatically mean that you’ll develop the illness as well. According to recent research, approximately 90% of individuals with bipolar disorder have a family member with depression. If a person has a relative with depression, he or she is five times more likely to develop the illness.
Other causes include; Exposure to toxic substances and head injuries: Exposure to poisonous substances causes a variety of health issues. These include; migraines, headaches, memory problems, and cognitive dysfunction. According to the National Institute of Health, “disruption of brain function may also manifest as subtle or overt alteration in thoughts, moods, or behaviors. On the other hand, head injuries depend on the brain’s part that connects to mental illness. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen found that, for individuals who had suffered head injuries, the risk factor for Schizophrenia increased by 65%, and the risk for depression increased by 59%. Lastly, Abuse and traumatic experiences: Abuse can either be physical sexual and other traumatic experiences. These, of course, contribute to causing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). While most victims can recover from PTSD with the right treatment, they may at one-point experience anxiety disorder or depression. Additionally, not everyone who experiences trauma has PTSD. Studies show that this individual still is at significant risk of mental disorders compared to those who have not lived through trauma.
Treatment methods
Mental illness is like any other disease. Therefore, with appropriate intervention and medication, the infection will resolve. Currently, different ways are in place. Psychotherapy: psychotherapy includes talking about a person’s condition and related issues of mental health with a professional. Medication: Although these drugs don’t cure the illness, they alleviate the symptoms. Examples include; antidepressants, mood stabilizers, anti-anxiety, and antipsychotics. Peer Support refers to receiving help from individuals who have suffered from similar experiences. Peer support: refers to receiving help from individuals who have suffered from similar backgrounds. Self-help plan: this is a unique health plan where an individual addresses his or her condition by implementing strategies that promote wellness. Self-help plans may involve addressing wellness, recovery, triggers, or warning signs. Support Group: It is a group meeting where members guide each other towards the shared goal of improvement. Support groups often comprise of nonprofessionals, but peers that have suffered from similar experiences. Hospitalization: This happens to people able to cause harm to themselves and others. Usually, mental institutions are preferred.
Cultural perception of mental illness
For decades, mental disorder links with stigma. Mental illness stigma defines as the “devaluing, discrediting, and disfavoring by the general public of individuals with mental illnesses” (Abdullah, 934). Shame often leads to discrimination, or the inequitable treatment of individuals and the denial of the “rights and responsibilities that accompany full citizenship” (Stuart, 21). Besides, stigma can prevent mentally ill individuals from seeking treatment, adhering to treatment regimens, finding employment, and living successfully in community settings. However, attitude toward mental illness differs amongst persons, families, ethnicities, cultures, and countries. Religious and cultural teachings regularly influence beliefs about the origins and nature of the mental illness and shape attitudes towards the mentally ill. In addition to changing whether mentally ill individuals experience social stigma, beliefs about mental illness can affect patients’ readiness and willingness to seek and adhere to treatment (Nieuwsma, 539). Therefore, understanding individual and cultural beliefs about mental illness are essential for the implementation of practical approaches to mental health care.
Different regional studies reveal different views. Pacific Islanders, for example, considered mental illness as a result of family conflicts (Douglas KC, 69). According to a study on the Jewish population, mental illness is an opportunity to receive divine messages, a means of forgiveness, and to improve their souls (Selekman J., 338). However, some cultures, mostly Southeast Asians, think supernatural forces/phenomena are responsible for mental health issues and consider them the result of wrath or denial of spirit or deities. This belief of paranormal or parapsychological phenomena restricts to Asia. Some Western cultures embrace this impression too. A study conducted in Switzerland, with psychiatric patients, discovered that demons were considered the fundamental cause of mental health problems. A South Asian study revealed that people there perceive mental illness as a natural part of the predestined suffering.
Cultural variances occur concerning the etiology of mental health issues and sustaining factors. Asian studies revealed the belief that biological and organic factors lead to emotional problems and therefore prefer physical treatment. Mental health problems and their causes are explained by Chinese culture as an imbalance of cosmic forces, and the preferred treatment is to restore the balance through interpersonal relationships, diet, exercise, and focusing on cognitions. Personally, my view is not any different. Mental illness is associated with cures from family members, especially the elderly. However, the disease occurs with stressful occurrences like the loss of a job, close family member, or trauma. A larger population does not like to be allied with a mentally sick person. Consequently, seeking treatment for these families became problematic. With adequate mental health awareness, stigmatization will no longer be a problem. Every individual deserves equal treatment regardless of their mental state.
CONCLUSION
In summary, mental health plays a more significant part in dad to day life. The fact is that no country can afford to ignore the economic and personal implications of poor mental health. The majority of mental illnesses are preventable. Depression per se, having excellent social and family support would significantly reduce these incidents. Similarly, it is easy to avoid substance abuse-related problems. Living with mental illness does not necessarily mean the end of the word. On the contrary, with proper treatment, most conditions can be managed. Jonathan Harnish wrote, “I have Schizophrenia. I am not my mental illness. My illness is a part of me.” According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “mental disorders account for nearly 12 percent of the global disease burden and depression, one of the most common mental illnesses, will become the leading cause of disability by 2020.” An estimate of one in five people in Canada will be affected by a mental health challenge at some point in their life. The rest of us will see someone we know or love having a mental illness. The study has effectively managed to shed light and add to the existing knowledge of mental illness. First, society at large has a right to being informed on mental health. Secondly, condemning stigmatization should be done with all means possible. This way, individuals with mental illness or their families can access medication without discrimination.
Work cited
Abdullah, Brown, T.L, Mental illness stigma, and ethnocultural beliefs, values, and norms: an integrative review. Clinical Psychology Review, 31: 934-948. 2011.
American Psychiatric Association. What Are Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorders? 2018.
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing. 2013.
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