Mental health doesn’t only mean the absence of mental diseases. It’s not necessarily about looking good or feeling good for the cameras. When we’re mentally healthy, we:
Enjoy life: Mental health is the state that allows a person to perceive pleasure from life, see its positive sides, and satisfy oneself. Positive mental conditions result in happy, loving, optimistic, joyful conditions.
Cope with stress: Mentally healthy individuals successfully manage inevitable stress that everyone will go through from time to time, and recover from misfortune. On the other hand, good coping skills ensure that stress does affect one’s quality of life.
Have healthy relationships: Interpersonal skills include communication, understanding, and dealing with other people. Therefore, these characteristics are required for an orientation to interpersonal competencies. These are good standards for mental health.
Make good decisions: Decision-making demands the utmost cognitive abilities. It also depends very much on control and reason – abilities which often seem to work much better with a clear and healthy mind.
What is the Stigma Regarding Mental Illness?
Mental health plays an important role in our lives as human beings. It affects every part of our lives, including:
Physical health: Physical and mental health are not mutually exclusive health states. Stress can become chronic over time and with chronic stress, some of the conditions that one may experience include high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
Relationships: Impairment of emotion and interpersonal dysregulation affects the interpersonal relationships made by an individual causing them to struggle in these areas. Humans need to have healthy relations with other people in order to maintain good mental health.
Work and school: It also supports a better understanding, performance, punctuality, and professional achievements. Most mental disorders develop during the course of the young adult.
Finances: Many people with mental illness end up receiving costly medical attention and are unable to work effectively. Money is well handled by those who are mentally healthy and earn better salaries.
Quality of life: Mental health puts a positive spin on happiness and the quality of life and capacity to succeed is improved. Further, mental health declines the quality of life dramatically.
Specific mental health disorders
Depression and anxiety disorders are not the exception to the rule. Some of the most common mental health challenges include:
Depression: Depression that includes the low mood, anhedonia, and lack of motivation. There are physical and cognitive signs too.
Anxiety disorders: You’re afraid of something that’s irrational and just won’t go away, and it prevents you from doing normal things. It includes generalized anxiety, social anxiety, panic attacks and phobias, among others.
Bipolar disorder: Severed mood swings which involve ‘highs’ and ‘lows’. It reduces sleep, energy, activity levels, and the capacity to think well.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): From recollection in the form of intrusive memories, nightmares and real-life flashes. Avoidance and hyperarousal also happen.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): This is characterized by having obtrusive noon senseless ideas (obsessions) as well as repetitive movements (compulsions) in relation to an obsession with tendencies of reducing anxiety.
Schizophrenia: Involves the presence of paranoid or bizarre delusions, somatic or auditory hallucinations, grossly disorganized speech and behavior, negativism or wetting, difficulty in understanding complex tasks, inability to feel or respond emotionally and weakening of one’s ego.
Possible Predictor Indications of Mental Health Disorder
One should be able to identify early symptoms of mental disorders among persons suffering from such related illnesses. These can include:
Changes in mood: Decreased pleasure in previously-yielding activities, feelings of hopelessness, sadness or irritability.
Changes in sleep: Taking long hours to sleep or little sleep. Waking up too early and it’s too late to fall back asleep because I’m not getting enough sleep.
Changes in appetite: The patient needs to eat a lot in a short time or eat very little due to changes in his or her mood. Major fluctuations in weight are well recognized risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease especially in the elderly.
Loss of energy: Even after you sleep for the right amount, you may find yourself with low energy levels. It involves not being able to focus properly, or perform tasks within a day as expected.
Difficulty concentrating: Distractibility, memory deficit and problem-solving impairment. Frequent forgetfulness.
Withdrawal from activities: Isolating from other people, fun activities, work tasks and other tasks which used to be attended or performed in the past.
Increased use of alcohol or drugs: Self-medication with alcohol or recreational drugs. Failure to perform duties and provide preference for the drug.
Thoughts of self-harm or suicide: Thinking that people would be happier if you were not around them or if they don’t have to interact with you.
Risk factors for developing Mental Health illnesses.
As mentioned above, there is no sole reason for the development of mental health issues. They can be caused by a combination of factors, including:
Genetics: Such factors as family history of mental illness. Problems with genes controlling mood and cognitive function.
Life experiences: Stress from negative life changes such as physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, interpersonal and communal violence, bereavement, and suffering.
Stress: This includes long-term stress arising from such aspects of life as money issues, work pressure, partner or family conflicts, and sickness worries.
Physical health problems: Overall ill health, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and any endocrine dysfunctions.
Substance use: Beverages containing alcohol and recreational drugs are a major cause of mental decline in the long run.
How to manage Mental Health
It is important that we care for mental health in the same way we care for our physical health. Here are some tips:
Eat a healthy diet: Healthy foods provide calories and nourish the neurons.
Get regular exercise: Exercise makes the brain produce certain chemicals that help boost mood and outlook.
Get enough sleep: Cognitive ability, emotional ability, and coping skills need to be properly rested in order to function properly.
Manage stress: Exercise, walking, laughing, and other activities help manage anxiety effectively.
Connect with others: Interpersonal relationships are good for mental health.
Do things you enjoy: Various kinds of enjoyable activities cause increases in happiness and satisfaction.
Limit alcohol and drug use: Mental health declines over one’s substance abuse period.
Seek professional help: Mental health facilities in Orange County offer treatment for most mental disorders – they do counseling, therapy, and medication.
What to Do When You Have Mental Illness
For anyone out there feeling overwhelmed, triggered, or just needing to talk, there’s plenty of support. You can:
Talk to your doctor: GPs have the capacity to look for mental health-related conditions and even recommend people to see a specialist.
Contact a mental health professional: Psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists and counselors conduct research, diagnosis, and treatment of mental diseases.
Reach out to a crisis hotline: Specialized personnel respond to people having difficulties with their mental well-being.
Join a support group: Healing also comes when people with similar situation narrate to each other stories of life.
Explore online resources: The internet websites provide mental health screening tools information and support communities.
Conclusion
Mental health has a universal impact on everything that forms human life. Knowing what promotes mental health, knowing signs of concern, minimizing mental illness stereotypes, and having information on where to seek help promotes early intervention hence improving the quality of life for everyone. Thus, people increase their awareness, they can build a society that will help those who suffer from mental disorders.
