davemcevoy2004@yahoo.co.uk.
Best regards
David McEvoy
http://www.mind1st.co.uk
Mental Health
What is it to have good mental health? At a basic level,
mental health could be described as the absence of mental
illness; however, the whole issue surrounding mental health
and mental illness is highly complex and therefore what
constitutes mental health is not easy to define. On saying
that, we can describe mental health by referring to what
might happen when we are not in good mental health, when we
are suffering from some form of mental illness.
Here in the UK it is estimated that a quarter of the
population will experience some kind of mental illness at
some point in their lives. Mental illness can affect any
one of us; it is indiscriminate of age, gender, and status.
It can strike at any time, sometimes with warning and
sometimes without. So how can you recognise if you are
suffering from a mental illness?
How to recognise mental illness
Mental illness can manifest itself in many different ways
and no two people will be affected in the same way to the
same degree. Someone suffering from a mental illness may
be mildly inconvenienced by their symptoms in their daily
lives and yet others can be severely debilitated to the
extent that they are unable to care for themselves or
integrate into society at any level.
Recognising when someone is suffering from mental illness
is important in order to get the right help but it can be
difficult when the symptoms are mild or vague or when the
individual themselves deny that anything is wrong.
Basically, someone can be said to be suffering from a
mental illness when they are experiencing alterations in
their moods, in their behaviour and in how they think and
feel about themselves and the world around them, or a
combination of all of these, to such an extent that they
become distressed or have an impaired ability to function
normally on a day to day basis.
Some of the more commonly known ways that mental illness
can affect our lives is in the form of depression, anxiety,
compulsive disorders, phobias, panic disorders, bipolar or
manic depression, schizophrenia and dementia. Even within
these terms there are variations and subgroups and
different degrees of severity. Mental illness on the whole
is anything but straightforward; it is often misunderstood
by family and friends and can be misdiagnosed if a full
medical assessment is not made. It can be isolating for
the individual, particularly as they may not understand
what is happening to them and why they are behaving in a
particular way.
What causes mental illness?
There is no single known cause of mental illness but
instead combinations of factors appear to have an influence
including psychological, biological and environmental
conditions.
Mental illness appears to be more common in certain groups
of people indicating that some circumstances can act as a
trigger, for example, those living in poverty and poorer
living conditions, those who are suffering from long term
physical illnesses or disabilities, those from ethnic
minorities and those in prison or other institutions.
People who are addicted to substances or are dependent on
alcohol are more likely to suffer from mental illness than
those who are not and different types of mental illness
seem to be more common to men or women.
Life changing events can also trigger a period of mental
illness such as redundancy, bereavement and divorce and
there is also a genetic aspect to it as those with a
history of mental illness in their families have an
increased risk of developing a mental illness themselves.
Recent research has also highlighted that a lack of Omega 3
fatty acids in the diet can increase the risk of developing
certain types of mental illness.
Clearly, there are many influences involved so it isn't
possible to identify who is going to develop a mental
illness and who is not and each and every one of us could
find ourselves suffering from some form of mental illness
at any point throughout the course of our lives.
Getting help
The good news is that regardless of the type of mental
illness, there is help available but the biggest step to
recovery is first of all recognising that there is a
problem in the first place. Many people feel that to admit
to not coping or that they might be suffering from some
form of mental illness is a sign of weakness or failure,
and fear of stigmatisation, lack of understanding and
knowledge, and of course denial, can effectively prevent
many people from seeking help. However, it is essential
that help is sought because mental illness doesn't just go
away and without help, the symptoms can persist for months
or years causing a great deal of unnecessary suffering and
distress for the individual.
The first point of contact is your doctor who will be able
to make an initial assessment and advise you on the options
available for treatment and guide you towards any other
support groups or therapies that might be available. With
the right help from the medical profession and with support
from family and friends, most forms of mental illness can
be beaten completely and normal life can resume once again.
Even in the most severe cases, with a proper diagnosis and
appropriate treatment, it is possible to dramatically
reduce the severity of symptoms and make a real improvement
to quality of life.
----------------------------------------------------
Depression and anxiety are serious mental health conditions
that can strike anyone at anytime. For more information
about depression and selp help come and visit
http://www.fightingdepression.co.uk
