According to the WHO recent report on mental health, approximately one out of every four individuals worldwide suffers from mental health problems (Petersen et al. , 2016). The mental health problems include the most common issues such as depression and the rare ones such as bipolar disorders and others. Throughout the world, more than 70% individuals who suffer from mental illness do not receive health care services from physicians (Petersen et al. , 2016). Childhood adversity caused by abuse, loss of parents, domestic violence where children witness it or dysfunction in families is one of the major causes of mental health problems that are carried even into adult hood if not treated (Bee, 2015). Other risk factors include genes which is a widely held belief, nutritional factors etc. The major result adversity during childhood is a substantial likelihood for drugs and substance abuse and addictions. Drug and substance abuse is a leading cause of mental illnesses. This paper will address the risk and protective factors that are in most cases considered a methodology for looking into factors that affect the prevention and timely interventions of mental disorders.
There are a number of interventions that can seek to address the risk factors associated with mental health problems and ways to improve the mental health status of individuals at risk. The interventions are both at the population and community levels platforms. The population level interventions include policies, regulations and public awareness campaigns on mental health and mental illnesses. The interventions at the community platform include addressing mental health issues in schools, places of work and other groups in the community. Studies have proved these interventions to be effective. According to Liu (2009), some of the specific effective interventions at the community level include incorporation of strategies and ways that promote or encourage mental health promotion. These strategies include stress reduction programs, alcohol, substance and drugs abuse awareness. In addition, socio-emotional programs in learning institutions targeting those children at risk of developing mental illnesses is another effective strategy. Others include awareness programs in schools on mental health and illnesses, ways for early identifying of individuals including children suffering from mental illnesses and parenting sessions for those children who are between the age of two and fourteen years. Specifically, there is a strong body of evidence that proves that parenting programs during childhood have the positive long term impacts on mental health. This is especially so for programs that encourage/ promote interaction between the mother and the child. Moreover, neighborhoods are critical settings for identification of individuals suffering from mental health illnesses. This is especially effective when community gatekeepers who are well trained are put in place I the community for identification purposes (Kerman et al. , 2018).
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There is a significant amount of evidence that putting in place regulations and legislations to regulate the demand for alcohol and alcoholic products is one of the best practices in preventing mental illnesses because it limits the consumption of alcohol. Furthermore, laws that prevent the accessibility of lethal ways of suicide that are specific for each region/place can be beneficial in prevention of mental illnesses. Public awareness is also producing promising benefits on the limiting any form of stigma and discrimination that is associated with mental illness.
In conclusion, despite the fact that much focus has been directed by the health sector on the access of mental health related services in the community, there is a greater need to consider implementation of interventions both at the community and population platforms. This is especially so for those interventions that encourage mental health and the identification of mental illnesses at an early stage mostly for children and teenagers and to a less extent treatment and rehabilitation. Preventive interventions that target adolescents re most effective because research shoes that approximately half of individuals who suffer from mental illnesses start presenting symptoms at the age of around fourteen years.
References
Petersen, I., Evans-Lacko, S., Semrau, M., Barry, M. M., Chisholm, D., Gronholm, P., . . . Thornicroft, G. (2016). Promotion, prevention and protection: Interventions at the population- and community-levels for mental, neurological and substance use disorders in low- and middle-income countries. International Journal of Mental Health Systems,10 (1). doi:10.1186/s13033-016-0060-z
Bee, P. (2015). Community preventive interventions for children of parents with serious mental illness: A commentary on the evidence base. Advances in Mental Health,13 (2), 165-167. doi:10.1080/18387357.2015.1066945
Liu, M., & Helms, J. E. (2009). Community Interventions: Attending to Mental Health Needs and Cultural Competency. PsycEXTRA Dataset . doi:10.1037/e638932009-001
