"Mental Health Disorders : How to overcome it"

According to Wikipedia 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" according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health problems don't only affect adults. Children, teens and young adults can have mental health problems, too. In fact, three out of four people with mental health problems showed signs before they were 24 years old. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Over the course of your life, if you experience mental health problems, your thinking, mood, and behaviour could be affected. Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including:

·         Biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry

·         Life experiences, such as trauma or abuse

·         Family history of mental health problems

if you are having trouble doing the things you like to do or need to do because of how you feel—like going to school, work or hanging out with friends?

Are you having a rough day? Have you been feeling down for a while? Everyone goes through tough times, and no matter how long you've had something on your mind, it's important that you talk to someone about it.

Talk to your parents or a trusted adult if you experience any of these things:

·         Can't eat or sleep

·         Can't perform daily tasks like going to school

·         Don't want to hang out with your friends or family

·         Don't want to do things you usually enjoy

·         Fight a lot with family and friends

·         Feel like you can't control your emotions and it's affecting your relationships with your family and friends

·         Have low or no energy

·         Feel hopeless

Early Warning Signs

Not sure if you or someone you know is living with mental health problems? Experiencing one or more of the following feelings or behaviours can be an early warning sign of a problem:

·         Eating or sleeping too much or too little

·         Pulling away from people and usual activities

·         Having low or no energy

·         Feeling numb or like nothing matters

·         Having unexplained aches and pains

·         Feeling helpless or hopeless

·         Smoking, drinking or using drugs more than usual

·         Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared

·         Yelling or fighting with family and friends

·         Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships

·         Having persistent thoughts and memories you can't get out of your head

·         Hearing voices or believing things that are not true

·         Thinking of harming yourself or others

·         Inability to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or school

Anxiety Disorders

People with anxiety disorders respond to certain objects or situations with fear and dread. They have physical reactions to those objects, such as a rapid heartbeat and sweating. An anxiety disorder is diagnosed if a person:

·         Has an inappropriate response to a situation

·         Cannot control the response

·         Has an altered way of life due to the anxiety

Anxiety disorders include:

·         Panic Disorder

·         Phobias

Behavioural Disorders

Behavioural disorders involve a pattern of disruptive behaviours in children that last for at least 6 months and cause problems in school, at home and in social situations. Behavioural disorders involve a pattern of disruptive behaviours in children that last for at least 6 months and cause problems in school, at home and in social situations. Nearly everyone shows some of these behaviours at times, but behaviour disorders are more serious.

Behavioural disorders may involve:

·         Inattention

·         Hyperactivity

·         Impulsivity

·         Defiant behaviour

·         drug use

·         criminal activity

Behavioural disorders include:

·         Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

·         Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

·         Conduct Disorder

Eating Disorders

Eating disorders involve extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors involving weight and food. The most common eating disorders include:

·         Anorexia Nervosa

·         Binge Eating

·         Bulimia

Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders

Mental health problems and substance use disorders sometimes occur together. This is because:

·         Certain illegal drugs can cause people with an addiction to experience one or more symptoms of a mental health problem

·         Mental health problems can sometimes lead to alcohol or drug use, as some people with a mental health problem may misuse these substances as a form of self-medication

·         Mental and substance use disorders share some underlying causes, including changes in brain composition, genetic vulnerabilities, and early exposure to stress or trauma.

More than one in four adults living with serious mental health problems also has a substance use problem. Substance use problems occur more frequently with certain mental health problems, including:

·         Depression

·         Anxiety Disorders

·         Schizophrenia

·         Personality Disorders

Mood Disorders

These disorders, also called affective disorders, may involve:

·         Feeling sad all the time

·         Losing interest in important parts of life

·         Fluctuating between extreme happiness and extreme sadness

The most common mood disorders are:

·         Depression

·         Bipolar Disorder

·         Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

·         Self-Harm

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

If you have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), you have repeated, upsetting thoughts called obsessions. You do the same thing over and over again to try to make the thoughts go away. Those repeated actions are called compulsions.

Examples of obsessions are a fear of germs or a fear of being hurt. Compulsions include washing your hands, counting, checking on things or cleaning. Untreated, OCD can take over your life.

Researchers think brain circuits may not work properly in people who have OCD. It tends to run in families. The symptoms often begin in children or teens. Treatments that combine medicines and therapy are often effective.

Personality Disorders

People with personality disorders experience patterns of behavior, feelings, and thinking that can:

·         Interfere with a person’s life

·         Create problems at work and school

·         Cause issues in personal and social relationships

Personality disorders include:

·         Antisocial Personality Disorder

·         Borderline Personality Disorder

Psychotic Disorders

People with psychotic disorders lose contact with reality and experience a range of extreme symptoms that usually include:

·         Hallucinations—hearing or seeing things that are not real, such as voices

·         Delusions—believing things that are not true

However, these symptoms can occur in people with other health problems, including bipolar disorder, dementia, substance abuse disorders, or brain tumours.

Psychotic disorders include:

·         Schizophrenia

Suicidal Behavior

Suicide causes immeasurable pain, suffering, and loss to individuals, families, and communities nationwide. On average, 112 Americans die by suicide each day. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-24-year-olds and more than 9.4 million adults in the United States had serious thoughts of suicide within the past 12 months. But suicide is preventable, so it's important to know what to do.

Warning Signs of Suicide

If someone you know is showing one or more of the following behaviours, he or she may be thinking about suicide. Don’t ignore these warning signs. Get help immediately.

·         Talking about wanting to die or to kill oneself

·         Looking for a way to kill oneself

·         Talking about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live

·         Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain

·         Talking about being a burden to others

·         Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs

·         Acting anxious or agitated; behaving recklessly

·         Sleeping too little or too much

·         Withdrawing or feeling isolated

·         Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge

·         Displaying extreme mood swings

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a real illness. You can get PTSD after living through or seeing a traumatic event, such as war, a hurricane, rape, physical abuse or a bad accident. PTSD makes you feel stressed and afraid after the danger is over. It affects your life and the people around you.

PTSD can cause problems like:

·         Flashbacks or feeling like the event is happening again

·         Trouble sleeping or nightmares

·         Feeling alone

·         Angry outbursts

·         Feeling worried, guilty or sad

PTSD starts at different times for different people. Signs of PTSD may start soon after a frightening event and then continue. Other people develop new or more severe signs months or even years later. PTSD can happen to anyone, even children.

Medicines can help you feel less afraid and tense. It might take a few weeks for them to work. Talking to a specially trained doctor or counselor also helps many people with PTSD. This is called talk therapy.

 

For People With Mental Health Problems

If you have or believe you may have mental health problems, it can be helpful to talk about these issues with others. It can be scary to reach out for help, but it is often the first step to helping you heal, grow, and recover.

Having a good support system and engaging with trustworthy people are key elements to successfully talking about your own mental health.

 

Find someone to support you

Find someone—such as a parent, family member, teacher, faith leader, health care provider or other trusted individual, who:

·         Gives good advice when you want and ask for it; assists you in taking action that will help

·         Likes, respects, and trusts you and who you like, respect, and trust, too

·         Allows you the space to change, grow, make decisions, and even make mistakes

·         Listens to you and shares with you, both the good and bad times

·         Respects your need for confidentiality so you can tell him or her anything

·         Lets you freely express your feelings and emotions without judging, teasing, or criticizing

·         Works with you to figure out what to do the next time a difficult situation comes up

·         Has your best interest in mind

Find a Group

Find a group of people with mental health problems similar to yours. Peer support relationships can positively affect individual recovery because:

·         People who have common life experiences have a unique ability to help each other based on a shared history and a deep understanding that may go beyond what exists in other relationships

·         People offer their experiences, strengths, and hopes to peers, which allows for natural evolution of personal growth, wellness promotion, and recovery

·         Peers can be very supportive since they have “been there” and serve as living examples that individuals can and do recover from mental health problems

·         Peers also serve as advocates and support others who may experience discrimination and prejudice.You may want to start or join a self-help or peer support group.

Start exploring your treatment

It’s also important for you to be educated, informed, and engaged about your own mental health.

Find out as much as you can about mental health wellness and information specific to your diagnosed mental health problem.

Play an active role in your own treatment.

Get involved in your treatment through shared decision making. Participate fully with your mental health provider and make informed treatment decisions together. Participating fully in shared decision making includes:

• Recognizing a decision needs to be made
• Identifying partners in the process as equals
• Stating options as equal
• Exploring understanding and expectations
• Identifying preferences
• Negotiating options/concordance
• Sharing decisions
• Arranging follow-up to evaluate decision-making outcomes.

 Develop a Recovery Plan

Recovery is a process of change where individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential. Studies show that most people with mental health problems get better, and many recover completely.

You may want to develop a written recovery plan. Recovery plans:

·         Enable you to identify goals for achieving wellness

·         Specify what you can do to reach those goals

·         Can be daily activities as well as longer-term goals

·         Track your mental health problem

·         Identify triggers or other stressful events that can make you feel worse, and help you learn how to manage them

You can develop these plans with family members and other supporters.

 Find a Community Conversation

Community conversations are taking place across the country, and give people a chance to learn more about mental health issues. People who participate in these conversations discuss issues related to the mental health of young people and decide how they might take action to improve mental health in their families, schools, and communities.

 Practice yoga 

One of the main reasons doctors recommend yoga is because the poses incorporate intricate postures and breathing exercises that are known to calm your body and mind. Doing these poses will help prevent anxiety attacks or panic attacks which are common mental health problems.

Physical exercises release healthy brain chemicals like endorphins and dopamine. This helps balance your mood and combat common mental health issues like depression. Therapists recommend yoga for mental peace and concentration and to improve your mood. This is an effective way to help manage bipolar disorder which pushes your mood to extremes.

 Eat a proper diet to calm yourself

Your brain and nervous system depend on nutrition to build new proteins, cells and tissues. In order to function effectively, your body requires a variety of carbohydrates, proteins and minerals. To get all the nutrients that improve mental functioning, nutritionists suggest eating meals and snacks that include a variety of foods, instead of eating the same meals each day.

Scientists have found links between low levels of certain nutrients — such as folate, magnesium, iron, zinc, and vitamins B6, B12, and D — and worsening mood, feelings of anxiety, and risk of depression. For instance, if someone is deficient in magnesium, for example, taking a magnesium supplement might help improve symptoms. However, if someone is getting adequate amounts of magnesium in their diet, it is unclear whether taking a supplement will provide any benefits.

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fats that play a key role in brain development and cell signalling. Due to their anti-inflammatory effects and importance in brain health, scientists have investigated omega-3s for their potential effects on mental health.

“Some of the most comforting words in the universe are ‘me too.’ That moment when you find out that your struggle is also someone else’s struggle, that you’re not alone, and that others have been down the same road.”

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(Credit Author:Sourav Mishra)