Let’s Talk About Mental Health
“I’m Not Alone.”
Let’s say you have an eight-year old daughter and she comes running towards you saying she has a stomach ache. What will you do? Needless to say, you will go to a doctor immediately. Now if your same daughter comes to you and says she has a mental health issue, and she needs to see a therapist. She is just eight years old and probably doesn’t even know anything about mental issues. What would you do now?
I am not a psychiatrist and to be honest, I wasn’t ready to address this tough nut a year ago. But since this pandemic has taken a toll on our lives and more people are dealing with isolation, anxiety, and a sense of loneliness, I felt it’s time to face it. Everybody at some point in their life suffers from a mental issue. Even I battled with severe paranoia in 2016 which led me into prescription drug abuse a couple of times. We might not give as much priority to mental wellbeing as much as we do to our physical health, reason why stigma surrounding this subject continues to prevail.
What Is Mental Health?
Mental health can be coined as one’s ability to interact, behave, and respond under any given situation. It’s a state of mental wellbeing where a person is fully aware of their potential that allows them to lead a social life, contribute to a cause, earn their living and lead a happy life. Hence it is more than just the absence of mental ailment. It can affect our mood, behavior, thoughts, and yes our physical health as well over time.
Several factors can be responsible for determining the mental state of a person. Most of them are living in a stressful environment, socio-economic or academic pressure, history of violence and suppression, discrimination, or deprivation of basic human rights. All these factors are deeply associated with the chemical functionality of our brain.
A Brief History Check
Ever wondered how was the life of a person suffering from a mental ailment in ancient times? In those days mental illness was associated with divine curses and other superstitious theories. Some of them are still prevailing today. It was believed that a person with mental issues is possessed by evil spirits; on that account treatments involving charms, voodoo, amulets were imposed upon them in order to tame the spirits. This notion that a patient needs to be tamed, became the foundation for the treatment of many mental illnesses for years. Till the end of the 17th-century mental institutions such as ‘Salpetriere Hospital’ in France, isolated the patients into small cells and chained them like prisoners. This attitude somewhat changed in the west after the 18th century and more humane treatments were adopted including therapy and counseling. Eventually, the physicians began questioning the mainstream concepts of mental health, establishing a more clear understanding of the problem, and finding treatments that don’t involve restraining means.
On average two out of every five Americans suffer from mental ailment at some point in their life. But not every one of them is regarded as an illness, hence making it a controversial diagnosis. There have been several arguments on what a mental health ailment is and what isn’t.
Types Of Mental Health Ailments
‘Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’ has registered a Kaleidoscope of conditions surrounding mental health, helping healthcare personals in identifying and treating them. Anxiety and bipolar disorder, personality disorders, psychotic disorders, eating disorders, disorders related to trauma and substance abuse disorders are some of the common mental health ailments which can be seen among people.
Myths Surrounding Mental Health
The big reason for writing about this lesser-spoken topic is the perception I had a year ago regarding mental health and how to deal with it wasn’t quite right, which made me realize that possibly there are people out there like me, having the same approach. Like our physical health, it’s equally important to talk about mental health so as not to give rise to any misconceptions because it leads to stigma. Busted up with scientific research and data, here are some common myths about mental health and the facts behind them.
It’s Either Pretentious Or A Way To Seek Attention
How would we know if a person is really suffering from a mental health issue or just pretending to gain the sympathy of the world? Many people discard the claims of people being mentally ill, thinking it’s their way of seeking attention or to gain sympathy. Here is the truth: even faking an illness is a kind of mental disorder known as ‘Munchausen Syndrome.’ It’s a rare kind of mental disorder and only highly experienced psychiatrists can detect it, making it a tough nut to crack.
I Don’t Have Any Mental Health Issues
It’s so ignorant for a person to say that they have never experienced a state of mental siege. Every person irrespective of how ballsy they are has a threshold limit after with they eventually break to the point where they find themselves helpless and hopeless. 1 in 10 people have experienced major depression at least once in their life and almost 25 Americans are living with serious symptoms of Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It’s a shocking fact that Suicide was the major cause of 14 thousand American lives in the year 2014.
Children Don’t Suffer From Mental Health Problems
Having this perception is similar to saying that rich people are never unhappy or a flower doesn’t have a foul smell. Early symptoms of mental illnesses generally show up before the age of 14 and three fourth of signs can be noticed before 24. This makes children more vulnerable in the emotional aspect. They can exhibit early signs of stress and mental disorder depending upon their surroundings, psychological factors, biological and social factors, etc. It’s really disturbing that only 20% of the children are able to diagnose at an early stage and receive proper treatments. Early diagnoses of mental disorders are absolutely necessary as it helps in providing better and effective treatments, preventing the interference with their developmental needs.
They Are Aggressive, Violent, And Unpredictable
Violence by a mental health patient isn’t that severe as violence by a normal person with a sound mind. Moreover, only 3 to 5 percent of such cases are attributed to aggression where patients have a serious mental disorder. Not every mental disorder needs to associate with violence. In fact, there are few around us with disorders exhibiting sound behavior and are highly productive.
One Can Snap Out Of It If They Try Hard
Generally, it is assumed that only people with personality flaws or weak character are prone to mental ailments and they can voluntarily recover by working on themselves. But the reality is quite different from this. There are other factors responsible for mental health issues such as genetics, severe injury, or childhood trauma. Past experiences of violence, abuse, bullying can also be the cause of mental illness.
“Therapy Is A Waste Of Time. Take A Chill Pill Instead.”
Earlier when there wasn’t much awareness about mental health, therapy was something that was meant only for the privileged class of society while the middle and poor can only take a placebo approach or religious means. The world has changed today providing everybody with equal rights to approach a therapist and talk their heart out irrespective of their social and economic stature. Several nonprofit organizations around the world even provide therapy sessions, charging a relatively low amount than usual and even free of cost if belonging from a weaker economic section. Although some individuals require medications and therapy both since everyone has different needs. They are also asked to build a support system like a trusted friend or family member to work with during their healing and recovery process.
Once Insane Means Forever Insane
It’s a major misconception prevailing in today’s world that a person can never recover from mental illness once they are strangled into it. Studies show otherwise. People with mental health issues do recover over time and lead a normal life after; working and participating in every community service. The advancement in psychiatric treatments has given hope for so many people who are now on their way to live their lives once again with the biggest smile on their faces.
Help The Person In Need
Family and friends have a salient role in one’s emotional and psychological behavior. After all, humans are social animals and need proper interaction, care, love, and respect constantly. Even an introvert has a social life, if not with a larger group of individuals, then just one or two friends but they do have the company of somebody who is there in the time of need.
Loved ones are those who make our lives a paradise, tending to our worries, dragging us into loud parties and picnics, making our birthdays special, and coming to our aid whenever possible. Reaching out to them and letting them know that you are dealing with something serious can be an effective way to seek help. Likewise, helping a friend in need and telling them that you are always there for them is a first step in helping them. Sometimes people who are dealing with mental health issues won’t tell their family members or anybody out of fear of being branded as insane. In such a case, one should identify the symptoms of the individual and make the first move by assuring them that they aren’t alone. The motive is to make yourself trustworthy to them so that they feel comfortable around you. Share facts about mental health that might be a ray of hope to them. Treat them with respect as you would do with any other person. There should be no reason for them to feel stigmatized in their own home and society; something which is only possible if we spread awareness among people about mental health.
Remember, the word crazy can be derived into several contexts. A star watcher or a scientist might look crazy if they come up with something new. Every great human was once a madman and if they look insane, the world should probably be full of crazies. Rejecting and abandoning people with mental issues was never a cure and will never contribute to a healthy society.
We create a world out of despise, and shortly after our children will be living in one.
Let’s not turn our back on those who need help. Let’s not live in denial that I am a person of sound mind and can never succumb to my emotions to a point where I feel hopeless.
We don’t mend a broken bone with duct tape so why tend to our mental injury with one? The rightful treatment comes after acceptance.
Let’s accept we aren’t alone.
