Do you know?
Are you facing any mental disorders like anxiety, compulsions, panic, PTSD, depression, etc. right now at this moment? If yes, quickly go to this article and try some proven methods to calm yourselves and gain control over your mind and body. I will wait for you to return to this article calm, relaxed and focused.
Now that you are calm and settled down, let us move on and understand about the mental health.
Did you know that as per WHO in the year 2019, about 970 million people were suffering from mental health issues throughout the world in which anxiety and depression were the most common symptoms? (Mental health, no date). Further, it is forecasted that one in two people in the world would suffer from mental disorders sometime in their life (Queensland Brain Institute, 2023).
1. What is mental health?
Mental health defined as per WHO is “a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community”.
When we are mentally well, it has a positive impact on our physical health, our relationships with everyone around us and an overall sense of well-being. However, if our mental health is compromised it slowly deteriorates everything within our body and surrounding us. So, it is important that we understand how to keep ourselves mentally fit.
Mental disorders can originate due to multiple factors that may or may not be in an individual’s control. For example, it may be genetic, or it may depend on how you were born and brought up, your family’s social, economic situations or the environmental conditions at the time when you were young. Some people may be exposed to the harshest of situations, however they may not end up with any mental disorders. However, people raised in a happy and friendly environment in a protective manner may experience mental disorders. It is always subjective as to who may suffer from mental issues, and it may depend on how you react when something bad or challenging happens to you in life.
A mental disorder is characterized by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotional regulation, or behaviour. Some mental health disorders which commonly happen are as follows:
- Anxiety and panic
- Depression
- PTSD
Apart from these, some mental health disorders may happen because of genetics. These are listed as follows:
- Bipolar disorder
- OCD
- ADHD
- Autism
- Schizophrenia
2. Misconceptions about Mental Health
When it comes to seeking treatment on mental health issues, the first thing that automatically comes to the mind is “What will the society or friends and family think when I would undergo mental health treatment?” This commonly happens because of lack of proper knowledge and stigma associated with mental health issues. Let us understand this and know the importance of uprooting the stigma and promoting treatment for mental illnesses.
As per Malik (2023), “Stigma is a phenomenon characterized by negative attitudes, stereo types and prejudice towards those who seek mental health treatment”. As per Link and Phelan (2001) Stigma happens when certain people are outcasted from others labelling them negatively and differentiating them from normal people which leads to loss of status of such people and discrimination.
As per Corrigan et al (2015), Stigma is a complex phenomenon which happens due to public, self and structural components and it has evolved from the term “spoiled identity”. Lack of knowledge and cultural differences are prime factors causing stereotypes and prejudice against certain people from others which further causes discrimination. Corrigan et al (2015) explores how the public, self and structural stigma is caused;
- Public stigma: Caused when a society and the public sanctions prejudices against people suffering from mental problems and discriminates such people from themselves.
- Self stigma: Caused when a person suffering from mental problems becomes aware of the mental problem, accepts it, agrees to the what the society thinks about him and demotivates himself.
- Structural stigma: Caused when a governmental or private organisation sanctions policy against people suffering from mental health problems knowingly or unknowingly. Examples are limiting health policy coverage to all diseases except mental issues, not allowing people with any mental problems to work in government organisations.
There are many downsides of getting stigmatised and many of them negatively affect the recovery of people suffering from mental health problems some of which are as follows (Singhal, 2024):
- Reduced confidence
- Reduced motivation
- Reduced self esteem
- Reduced hope
- Compromise in getting medical treatment
- Further deterioration of mental health
- Difficulty interacting with people
- Difficulty working with people
- Getting bullied or harassed by people
- Isolation from everyone
Reducing stigma is a challenging procedure as it depends on behavioural change of entire group of people who target someone suffering from mental health problems. It can be done by spreading proper knowledge about mental health issues and how they happen, arranging mass awareness campaigns, suggesting the government or private organisations to change certain procedures or policies which may be hampering individuals with mental health issues. If you or someone you know is suffering from stigma, kindly understand that the people who are discriminating are doing so because of their lack of knowledge. Rather than demotivating yourselves, try following ways as per NAMI website (Greenstein, 2017):
- Speaking openly about mental health problems
- Educating the people about it
- Reminding people that the words they use while communicating matter to someone suffering from mental health problems.
- Perspective of looking towards mental issues like any physical illness.
- Contacting people suffering from similar mental problems
- Talking honestly and positively about mental health treatment
- Empowering yourselves and other fellow humans suffering from mental health problems
3. The Importance of Mental Health Awareness
Till now we have understood what mental health is, the illnesses associated with it and the effect of stigma. Before continuing to the next point, it is important for us to understand the impact of awareness about one’s mental health. (The following information is meant only for educational purpose, and it has no intention of causing any panic, so it is advised to not to become serious about it). As per Corrigan et al. (2015), the mental health disorders if left unattended and untreated can disrupt the normal functioning of an individual and it can manifest in four areas of our psyche as follows:
- Distress and depression
- Problems in perception and cognition like hallucinations and thinking disorder (obsessive thoughts)
- Problem with motivation like lethargy, inability to do anything
- Problem with interpersonal functioning
Research suggests that “4% of people in the general population report lifetime suicidal ideation, 1% report a plan for suicide, and 0.5% report past attempts” while in people suffering with serious mental problems, “18% to 55% of the group has reported suicide attempts” (Corrigan et al, 2015). Moreover, as per Medenhall and Frauenholtz (2013), the research shows that about 56% of adults suffering from mental disorders over 25 years of age received treatment while 44% of adults in age of 18 to 25 years took treatment. This number was even low in case of children. This may be due to stigma however, unawareness and lack of knowledge about mental health has also been indicated as the primary reason behind this. There is hope that mental health literacy could influence access to better health care through “prevention, proactive intervention and enhanced social group” empowering them to be informed about their condition (Medenhall and Frauenholtz, 2013). So, isn’t it worthwhile to treat ourselves and get out of the mental health problem at the earliest?
As the awareness about mental health and dealing with problems spreads within the people, everyone will be able to understand the mindset of a person with mental health issues, empathize with them, support them, and try to improve their access to primary and long-term health care facilities further improving the health of the entire community.
4. My story and how I strengthened my mental health
Yes, I have been suffering from anxiety and intense panic attacks for the last two years. When it started, I used to feel confused about what I was experiencing. The symptoms began with tightness in my belly, stomach upset, increased heart rate, rapid breathing, profuse sweating in armpits, palms, and legs with numbness spreading from my belly towards the legs and hands to the point of losing consciousness.
Initially, being scared that this was some physical condition I got myself a full body checkup only to find out that everything was within normal range. I saw a cardiologist, gastroenterologist, and other specialists but no one was able to figure out that this was a mental condition than physical. Due to recurrence of the panic symptoms anytime and anywhere I started to obsessively think about it and later a simple thought about the symptoms used to trigger my anxiety. I stopped socializing, getting out of the house, trying any new things and I was clinically depressed.
Tired at last I decided to start an Ayurvedic treatment which was slightly helpful because I was able to understand that everything was happening due to my compromised mental health. I continued the Ayurvedic treatment for eight months which stabilized the condition however, as the external circumstances change it has a direct impact on our thinking, actions, mental health, and manifests in physical symptoms. This happened to me too and I was back on square one!
I knew it was time to change the treatment method, so I saw a psychiatrist and showed him all the data I had been collecting observing myself. I was at once started on paroxetine and antidepressant tablets and was recommended to take psychotherapy sessions. Within a month, the symptoms subsided, and I was starting to enjoy my life by looking towards everything with a fresh perspective. Now after almost two years, the dosage of my tablets has started to taper down, and I am able to sustain myself in conditions which seemed quite impossible for me earlier.
If you or anyone you know is suffering from any kind of mental problem, please be assured that help is just around the corner. The first thing you should do is accept your condition. Then do the following things:
- Try to understand what is happening with you.
- Maintain a personal diary with daily updates which will be handy for your doctor to treat you.
- If possible, get a full body checkup just to rule out any other issues.
- Try meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises.
- Go out for a walk everyday.
- Improve your sleeping and dietary schedules.
- Keep track of your body weight.
- Observe if there is any improvement for a month.
- If there is no improvement, consult a psychiatrist and he/she will guide you properly.
Everything which happens in our body is treatable provided we accept our condition and take proper steps towards getting out of it. Moreover, do not take yourselves too seriously. Everything happens in life because of some reasons (in my case it was irregular sleeping and eating patterns, stress from marital problems, stress from work, inability to enjoy outdoors due to covid, losing loved ones etc.).
We can manage everything which can be tackled at our personal level, but it is impossible to control the things happening to us due to external circumstances. Many of such external circumstances can force us to question our existence in this world and can be overwhelming at times but acceptance can calm us and help us to make the best out of what has happened to us. We should see everything as a learning opportunity, and it will reduce our mental burden. At this point, I remember the question from Batman begins which is asked to Bruce Wayne by his father and his guardian Alfred, “Why do we fall?” to which the answer is, “To learn and rise back again”.
Further, it is important to notice that mental health problems happen to everyone in their life at some point in time so, we are all sailing in the same boat with the hope of reaching the shore. We just need to calm ourselves down and seek professional help at the earliest! You can always go to this article and try the calming methods as and when needed. Also, I am sure that the resources listed in the next point will be helpful.
Some useful resources
- Take an online assessment right now to know about your mental health!
- Try our calming methods.
- If you feel overwhelmed, search “mental health helpline in my area” on any search engine to get the helpline number of healthcare agencies in your area. You can talk with them, and they will assist you with further information.
- Join networks and communities which deal with mental health and associated problems in your area.
- Get health insurance with mental illnesses covered in it.
Conclusion
We can now understand mental health and know that mental health problems can happen to anyone at any time, and we should look at it like any other physical illness happening to any other part of our body. Taboos and stigma about mental health disorders happen due to lack of knowledge and we should not let it hamper our treatment process. Awareness about mental health and associated disorders is necessary as it will help us build a society which openly accepts people with certain mental conditions and readily helps them. I am sure that by understanding and supporting everyone, we would be able to create a world where everyone would live happily and safely.
Next actions
Found this content relatable? Let us know what you think about this in the comment section below and share this article with your loved ones so that they would also gain some knowledge and awareness.
If you found the content interesting, you would love to read about various other topics related to mental health and tackling mental health problems. Go to following links to read more on other topics:
- Practical steps to support mental health
- Understanding CBT and REBT behaviour modification techniques
- The Power of Journaling: How Writing Can Improve Mental Well-being
- The Role of Self-Care in Maintaining Mental Health: Practical Tips
- How to Build Resilience: Strengthening Your Mental Health in Challenging Times
References
- Corrigan, P.W., Druss, B.G. and Perlick, D.A., 2014. The impact of mental illness stigma on seeking and participating in mental health care. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 15(2), pp.37-70.
- Greenstein, L. (2017) 9 Ways to Fight Mental Health Stigma, NAMI. Available at: https://www.nami.org/education/9-ways-to-fight-mental-health-stigma/ (Accessed: September 2024).
- Malik, H.B., 2023. Stigma and help-seeking behaviour in youth. Nature Reviews Psychology, 2(3), pp.132-132.
- Mendenhall, Amy N., and Susan Frauenholtz. “Mental Health Literacy: Social Work’s Role in Improving Public Mental Health.” Social Work 58, no. 4 (2013): 365–68. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23720008.
- Mental health (no date) World Health Organization. Available at: https://www.who.int/health-topics/mental-health#tab=tab_2 (Accessed: September 2024).
- Queensland Brain Institute (2023) Half of World’s Population Will Experience a Mental Health Disorder, Home. Available at: https://hms.harvard.edu/news/half-worlds-population-will-experience-mental-health-disorder (Accessed: September 2024).
- Singhal, N. (2024) Stigma, prejudice and discrimination against people with mental illness, Psychiatry.org. Available at: https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/stigma-and-discrimination (Accessed: September 2024).
