Mental illness is a range of mental health disorders that can affect the psychological well-being of an individual, including the thinking, moods, and behavior. Examples of the mental disorders that lead to mental illness include anxiety disorders, addictive behaviors, depression, eating disorders and schizophrenia. Mental concerns affect many people from time to time throughout their lives. However, a mental health issue only becomes a mental illness if the signs and symptoms become unbearable leading to constant stress and inability to function normally. When left uncontrolled, mental illness can cause serious problems in the daily life of an individual and affect the relationship with friends and colleagues. While initially mental illness was not considered a serious threat to health, the growing number of people suffering from mental health disorders have to a call for action.
Overview of Mental Illness
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have currently recognized mental illness as a critical public health issue. According to the reports by CDC, mental illness will be the second leading cause of disability globally by 2020 ( Vigo, Thornicroft & Atun, 2016 ). Mental illness can have serious effects on the life of an individual which include reduced productivity, poor social life, low income, unemployment, and absenteeism. Due to the rising cases of mental illness, the World Health Organization have also gotten in to help find ways of helping communities manage these disorders. The WHO has shown its intention to work with the public health partners to manage the impact of mental illness on adolescents, women, and seniors. Mental illness can lead individuals into certain risky behaviors such as excessive drinking, smoking, and even suicidal thoughts. Due to these negative impacts that the disorder have on the community, there is a growing need to have various health agencies and institutions, partner, to find a lasting solution to this ever rising problem.
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Factors Influencing Mental Health
At some point in life, people feel worried, stressed or even down due to various things taking place in their lives. Several factors take place in the lives of human beings, and this can affect their mental health. Some of these factors can create a risk to an individual while others tend to be protective. Depending on the situation that an individual finds himself/herself, reducing these risk factors can play a key role in improving the mental health and wellbeing of an individual.
Loneliness and isolation are one of the factors that can affect the mental health of an individual. Loneliness results when a person feels sad either due to lack of company or social group ( McNally et al., 2015 ). Isolation, on the other hand, occurs when one feels separated from loved ones or n environment. While loneliness and isolation are normal occurrences in the lives of human beings, a prolonged period of this feeling can always affect the mental health of an individual. Long periods of loneliness and isolation can result in depression which when not managed can lead to mental illness.
Grief is another factor that can affect the mental health of an individual. Grief majorly refers to a natural response loss. The loss can either be the death of a loved one or loss of job and career. Grief mainly comes in many ways which can include sadness, shock, regrets, and anger. It is normal for a person to feel grief when a close family member has died. However, if this feeling goes on for long, one is at higher risk of developing a mental health problem. A prolonged feeling of anxiety, sadness, anger, and shock a result of a loss of a job or a loved one can seriously affect the mental health and stability of an individual and increase the risks of developing mental health disorders.
Domestic and family violence is another factor that can lead to mental instability. Domestic violence results when a person feels insecure and unsafe due to the actions and behaviors of a close person. Domestic violence can involve certain risky behavior by close family members resulting in physical harm, verbal attack, sexual assault, and unfair control ( McNally et al., 2015 ). Domestic violence is one of the leading causes of mental illnesses among women. When a person is in an abusive relationship or is living with a violent partner, they are more likely to have mental issues due to stress and anxiety that comes with such trauma. It makes a person develop fear and panic and make a person live without peace.
When people are faced with difficult times, they usually turn to alcohol and drugs as a way of helping them cope. However, mental illness is strongly linked to alcohol and other related drugs. While people may use alcohol and drugs as a coping mechanism for their mental health concern, use of drugs is always associated with increased chances of developing anxiety, paranoia, and depression which makes a person more vulnerable to the mental health problem. There are many ways in which alcohol affect the mental health of an individual. First, it affects the relationship of an individual, affects the moods, leads to reduced self-esteem and increases the chances of suicidal thoughts and the likelihood of one harming self ( McNally et al., 2015 ). At the same time, the mental health of an individual can be affected by physical health. Other long term illnesses, injuries, and pain can have serious effects on the mental stability of a person. People who are ill or undergoing chronic pain due to injury tend to develop anxiety, stress, and insomnia. These factors increase their chances of developing a mental problem. Poor physical health can also affect the self-esteem and functioning ability thus limiting their chances of meeting their goals. As a result, it leads to sadness and depression.
The mental health of children can also be affected by abuse. Abused children are more likely to experience mental illnesses either during their childhood or at adulthood. The kinds of child abuse can be physical, verbal or even sexual abuse, all of which can make a child develop anxiety, stress, and fear. The outcome of abuse in children can include isolation and bitterness, loss of self-esteem and lack of confidence which deprives a child the chance to live a happy and social life. Childhood traumatic experience can go with one up to adulthood. When a child experiences a terrifying event, they are more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder which is a mental health condition triggered by a terrifying event.
Mental Disorders
Anxiety Disorders
This is a form of mental illness that makes people feel distressed and fearful. While the feeling of anxiety may be a normal thing, extreme anxiety disorders can lead to serious inability to function normally. If not managed early enough, it can lead to serious symptoms such as panic attacks, nightmares, thoughts that are obsessive and pain as well as headache. Anxiety disorder is one of the most common forms of mental illnesses in America. It is estimated that at least 40 million Americans suffer from this form of mental illness ( Bandelow et al., 2015 ). However, the extent of the disorder varies from one person to the other.
Depressive Disorder
A depressive disorder is one of the most common forms of mental disorders and as serious medical concern for many. Depression usually results in one feeling sad and losing interest in the things previously enjoyed. It has serious effects on the emotions and feelings of an individual and can decrease the ability of a person to function normally either at work or at home. The symptoms of depression usually vary from minor ones to more serious symptoms. Some of the most common symptoms include feeling worthless, suicidal thoughts, excessive drinking, loss of appetite and feeling sad ( American Psychiatric Association , 2015). A person who is severely depressed can also lose interest in the activities that were previously enjoyed, increased fatigue and isolation from social groups. Depression is more common in adults, and at least 7% of American adults experience this form of mental illness. Many factors play a role in the development of depression with some being the environmental factor, personality and genetics. However, this condition can be treated using antidepressants, psychotherapy and electroconvulsive therapy.
Schizophrenia disorder
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder in which people make an abnormal interpretation of reality. It involves a combination of delusions, hallucinations and abnormal thinking as well as behaviors that are disordered and can impair the daily functioning of an individual. This disorder distorts the way a person thinks, express emotions, acts and perceive realities ( Whitton, Treadway & Pizzagalli, 2015 ). This is the most chronic of all the mental illnesses and can often affect the participation of a person in the society, work, and school and even in relationships. It makes a person unable to differentiate between reality and imagination. To the people suffering from this disorder, they see the world with confusing thoughts and imaginations for things that are not real.
People who have schizophrenia usually experience a range of symptoms depending on the individual and the severity of the condition. Delusions are one of the major symptoms in people with this disorder. They tend to have false beliefs that are not based on reality. Hallucination is also another common symptom in people with schizophrenia. People suffering from this disorder also experience disorganized thinking and speech ( Whitton, Treadway & Pizzagalli, 201 5). It impairs effective communication and makes one unable to answer questions accurately. It also leads to an inability to function normally as a person may neglect personal hygiene or lack of emotion. Extreme behaviors is another symptom that may occur to people with schizophrenia. These people may show strange behaviors such as unpredictable agitation, excessive movement, resistance to instructions and silly arguments. These symptoms can be prevented by seeking treatment.
Eating Disorders
These are illnesses that are characterized by poor eating habit and severe distress as well as concern over body weight. While people usually argue that eating disorder is a lifestyle choice, this is a severe mental illness that is related to the disturbances in the eating habit as well as associated thoughts and emotions. It may include inadequate food intake or excessive food intake which can affect the body weight and individual wellbeing. Environmental and psychological abnormalities are some of the critical factors that lead to this condition. A person becomes too much concerned with the body weight and either overeat or less and creates a disturbing thought that one is either underweight or overweight. The primary symptoms of the disorder include constant fluctuation in the body weight, depression, and social withdrawal, switching between periods of overeating and undereating and obsession with calories and fats content foods despite one being overweight. This disorder can, however, be treated through medical care and monitoring, proper nutrition, psychotherapy and medications that regulate the body metabolism.
Management
Managing mental illness has all along required an individual to remain disciplined, self-reliance and to persevere. The most important realization is that people can manage their mental illness and live with it as they take control. However, the most significant thing in the management of mental illness of social support and care. Family members play a crucial role in helping their loved ones manage and cope with their mental illness. Family support and care are required. The family must show love, care, and support to their loved ones so that they can efficiently manage their condition. People who manage mental illnesses usually have a strong social network to provide care and support ( Joosen et al., 2015 ). Through this support, the patient can work on the treatment and prevent the relapse of the mental illness. It helps an individual cope with the diagnosis and treatment and make one remain active while maintaining a good relationship with the care providers.
Another way to manage mental illness is to visit a psychotherapist. Psychotherapy involves the therapeutic treatment of mental illness with a trained professional. The psychotherapist explores the thoughts, behaviors, and feelings of an individual as they seek to the wellbeing and mental state. Psychotherapy, when paired with medication, can provide the best solution and lead to faster recovery ( Joosen et al., 2015 ). Examples of psychotherapy that can be used include exposure therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy.
Conclusion
Mental illnesses remain a significant threat to public health as the number of people suffering from these disorders continues to rise. While most mental disorders are regular occurrences, prolonged ones can have serious effects on the functioning of an individual. People must refrain from the risk factors that increase the chance of an individual to develop mental disorders. Living a positive and happy life and having good socialization can reduce the chances of developing mental health issues. However, the people already suffering from the various mental disorders can manage their conditions through the support of their families while also seeking the services of psychotherapist which when combined with medication can lead to faster recovery.
References
Vigo, D., Thornicroft, G., & Atun, R. (2016). Estimating the true global burden of mental illness. The Lancet Psychiatry , 3 (2), 171-178.
McNally, R. J., Robinaugh, D. J., Wu, G. W., Wang, L., Deserno, M. K., & Borsboom, D. (2015). Mental disorders as causal systems: a network approach to posttraumatic stress disorder. Clinical Psychological Science , 3 (6), 836-849.
Joosen, M. C., Brouwers, E. P., van Beurden, K. M., Terluin, B., Ruotsalainen, J. H., Woo, J. M., ... & van Weeghel, J. (2015). An international comparison of occupational health guidelines for the management of mental disorders and stress-related psychological symptoms. Occup Environ Med , 72 (5), 313-322.
Bandelow, B., Reitt, M., Röver, C., Michaelis, S., Görlich, Y., & Wedekind, D. (2015). Efficacy of treatments for anxiety disorders: a meta-analysis. International Clinical Psychopharmacology , 30 (4), 183-192.
American Psychiatric Association. (2015). Depressive Disorders: DSM-5® Selections . American Psychiatric Pub.
Whitton, A. E., Treadway, M. T., & Pizzagalli, D. A. (2015). Reward processing dysfunction in major depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Current opinion in psychiatry , 28 (1), 7.
