Chance are you know someone close to you with a
mental illness
By Melvin J. Howard
It all starts with the brain emotional memories
differ from normal memories in that they result from traumas. They are
frightening at the time, but even worst, these memories can become enduring and
distort our outlooks thereafter. They appear to react more strongly to negative
than positive events. Emotional memories are locked in a separate neural
circuitry in the brain, mediated primarily by two of the limbic organs, the
hippocampus and amyagdala. According to WHO (World Health Organization), mental
health is "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". WHO stresses that mental health "is not just the absence
of mental disorder".
Mental
health (disorders) can affect anyone Doctors, Lawyers, and even Politicians
Experts say we all have the potential for suffering
from mental health problems, no matter how old we are, whether we are male or
female, rich or poor, or ethnic group we belong to. In the UK over one quarter
of a million people are admitted into psychiatric hospitals each year, and more
than 4,000 people kill themselves. They come from all walks of life.
According to the NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health, USA) mental
disorders are "common in the USA and internationally". Approximately
57.7 million Americans suffer from a mental disorder in a given year, which is
approximately 26.2% of adults. However, the main burden of illness is
concentrated in about 1 in 17 people (6%) who suffer from a serious mental
illness. Approximately half of all people who suffer from a mental disorder
probably suffer from another mental disorder at the same time, experts
say. In the UK, Canada, the USA and much of the developed world, mental
disorders are the leading cause of disability among people aged 15 to 44. The
most common forms of mental illnesses are:
Anxiety disorders - Most people with an anxiety disorder will try
to avoid exposure to whatever triggers their anxiety. Examples of anxiety
disorders include: Panic disorder - the person experiences sudden
paralysing terror or imminent disaster. Phobias - these may
include simple phobias - disproportionate fear of
objects, social phobias - fear of being subject to the judgment of
others, and agoraphobia - dread of situations where getting away or
breaking free may be difficult. Obsessive-compulsive disorder - the
person has obsessions and compulsions. In other words, constant stressful
thoughts (obsessions), and a powerful urge to perform repetitive acts, such as
hand washing (compulsion). PSTD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) -
this can occur after somebody has been through a traumatic event - something
horrible and scary that the person sees or that happens to him or her. During
this type of event the person thinks that his/her life or other people's lives
are in danger. The sufferer may feel afraid or feel that he/she has no control
over what is happening. Mood disorders - these are also known as
affective disorders or depressive disorders. Patients with these illnesses
share disturbances or mood changes, generally involving either mania (elation)
or depression. Experts
say that approximately 80% of patients with depressive disorder improve
significantly with treatment. Examples of mood disorders include: Major
depression - the sufferer is not longer interested in and does not
enjoy activities and events that he/she previously got pleasure from. There are
extreme or prolonged periods of sadness. Bipolar disorder - also
known as manic-depressive illness, or manic depression. The sufferer oscillates
from episodes of euphoria (mania) and depression (despair). Dysthymia -
mild chronic depression. Chronic in medicine means continuous and long-term.
The patient has a chronic feeling of ill being and/or lack of interest in
activities he/she once enjoyed - but to a lesser extent than in major
depression. SAD (seasonal affective disorder) - a type of major
depression. However, this one is triggered by lack of daylight. People get it
in countries far from the equator during late autumn, winter, and early spring.
Schizophrenia disorders - The sufferer has thoughts that appear
fragmented; he/she also finds it hard to process information. Schizophrenia can
have negative or positive symptoms. Positive symptoms
include delusions, thought disorders and hallucinations. Negative symptoms
include withdrawal, lack of motivation and a flat or inappropriate mood.
Treatments
and strategies for mental health problems
There are various ways people with mental health
problems might receive treatment. It is important to know that what works for
one person may not work for another; this is especially the case with mental
health. Some strategies or treatment are more successful when combined with
others. The patient himself/herself with a chronic (long-term) mental disorder
may draw on different options at different stages in his/her life. The majority
of experts say that the well-informed patient is probably the best judge of
what treatment suits him/her better. It is crucial that healthcare
professionals be aware of this.
Often people wait a long
time before they ask for help they and their family feel that something is
wrong but they don’t know what. They also may be reluctant to ask for help in
addition, diagnosing a mental disorder can take time months or even years.
Observations by family and friends in the disturbance in your behaviour are the
first indicators. This should be followed up with psychological tests of an
experience health professional your doctor or a specialized mental health
professional such as psychiatrist or psychologist. There are a number of
reasons people struggle with mental disorder they simply don’t know what’s
wrong they just feel different. Or they feel the can beat it on their own.
Exasperated family and friends are at their wits ends to deal with the issue.
Yet we know that the earlier people get help, the better the outcome. One way
to get the help you need for yourself or someone you know is to educate yourself
about what a mental disorder looks like.
As reported by (Reuters) - Europeans are plagued by
mental and neurological illnesses, with almost 165 million people or 38 percent
of the population suffering each year from a brain disorder such as depression,
anxiety, insomnia or dementia, according to a large new study. With only
about a third of cases receiving the therapy or medication needed, mental
illnesses cause a huge economic and social burden -- measured in the hundreds
of billions of euros -- as sufferers become too unwell to work and personal
relationships break down. "Mental disorders have become Europe's largest
health challenge of the 21st century," the study's authors said. At the
same time, some big drug companies are backing away from investment in research
on how the brain works and affects behavior, putting the onus on governments
and health charities to stump up funding for neuroscience. "The immense
treatment gap ... for mental disorders has to be closed," said Hans Ulrich
Wittchen, director of the institute of clinical psychology and psychotherapy at
Germany's Dresden University and the lead investigator on the European study.
Help Yourself
Alterations in lifestyle, which may include a better diet, lower alcohol and
illegal drug consumption, exercise and getting enough sleep can make enormous
differences to a mental health patient's mental health.
Diet and mental health
It
is an accepted fact that food affects how people feel, think and behave. Most
experts accept that dietary interventions could have an impact on a number of
the mental health challenges society faces today. So, why is it that
governments and public health authorities in developed economies invest so
little in developing this knowledge? The evidence is growing and becoming
more compelling that diet can play a significant role in the care and treatment
of people with mental health problems, including depression, ADHD (attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder). Experts are talking about an integrated
approach, which recognizes the interplay of biological, psychological, social
and environmental factors - with diet in the middle of it as being key.
Individuals can do something about their diet themselves and improve their
mental health.
It is estimated that in the UK people eat 4 kilograms
of food additives each year. Scientists are not sure what effect decades of
such consumption may have on the brain. Governments are reluctant to fund,
conduct or publish rigorously controlled large-scale studies, which look at the
effect of additives on human mental health. Changing farming practices have
introduced higher levels of different types of fat into our diet. For example,
chickens reach their ideal weight for slaughter twice as quickly
today compared to three decades ago - this has changed the nutritional profile
of meat, according to a report by the Mental Health Foundation (UK). Three
decades ago a typical chicken carcass used to be 2% fat - today they are a
whopping 22%. The omega-3 fatty acid content in chicken meat has dropped while
the omega-6 fatty acids have risen. The same is happening to farmed fish.
Our
brains' dry weight consists of approximately 60% fat. Our brain cell
membranes are directly affected by the fats we eat. Saturated fats make our
brain cell membranes less flexible. Saturated fats are those that harden at
room temperature. 20% of the fat that exists in our brain is made up of
essential fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6. The word essential here means
we cannot make it ourselves, so we have to consume it in order to get it. Fatty acids perform crucial functions in the structuring of neurons (brain
cells), making sure that optimal communication is maintained within the brain.
Nutritionists say omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids should be consumed
in equal amounts. If we consume unequal amounts there is a higher chance of
having problems with depression, concentration and memory. It is crucial
omega-3 intake is kept up. While one study shows a link between omega-3 intake
and mental skills, others show there are benefits for cardiovascular
problems, diabetes, ADHD, and a whole host of other problems:
Trans-fat, which has appeared in growing quantities into much of the food we
eat over the last few decades, assumes the same position as essential fatty
acids in the brain. In other words, the proper vital nutrients are not able to
assume their right position for the brain to function effectively. Trans-fats
are commonly found in cakes, biscuits, shortbread, some pastries and many ready
meals. Neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, are made from amino acids
which we often have to get by eating it. If you want to feed your brain with
good stuff eat less intensively farmed chicken and meat, and go for organic
chicken and non-farmed oily fish, such as tuna, sardines, trout, or
salmon.
Run, jog, walk get out of your car and exercise
A Harvard University study found that exercise may help people with
depression by enhancing body image, providing social support from exercise
groups, a distraction for every day worries, heightened self-confidence from
meeting a goal, and altered circulation of the neurotransmitters serotonin,
norepinephrine, and the endorphins. Even a very small amount of additional
exercise has been seen to have an important impact on mental health.
Exercise can boost an exercise-related gene in the brain that works as a
powerful anti-depressant. Apparently, though only 5% of GPs (general
practitioners, primary care physicians) use it as one of their most regular
treatment responses, compared to 92% who use antidepressants as one of their
most popular treatment responses. If you have a mental disorder, remember that you can do the exercise yourself.
You do not need to wait for your doctor to "prescribe" it for you.
Perhaps you should initially check whether you are in acceptable physical
health to do exercise. If you are not, insist that your doctor help you devise
an exercise plan that suits you. There is evidence that very moderate alcohol
consumption may aid mental health in some cases. However, the evidence is
overwhelming that excessive alcohol has a very bad impact on people's mental
health. Whatever your attitude is to alcohol, remember that alcohol will not
resolve your mental health problems nor any other problems you might have, and
will most likely make them worse if you are not very, careful.
