Mental health is really about how we think and feel about ourselves and the world around us, and about how we behave and interact with others in our day to day lives. It isnt easy to define exactly what it means to have good mental health as people will interpret what it means to be mentally healthy in different ways. On the other hand, there are some signs and symptoms that can indicate when someone has a mental health problem, when their mental functions are not performing as well as they could, and we see evidence of alternations in their thinking and behaviour.
Take depression for example, even though there is no set pattern and each person will be affected differently; there are some simple clues that we can look out for.
What it means to be depressed
Depression is a lot more than feeling a bit fed up and down in the dumps, which is something we all experience from time to time and is a natural part of the ups and downs of life. To be clinically depressed means that we cannot just shake off our low mood and get on with our lives, the depression persists and starts to interfere with our normal daily routines and we can no longer enjoy activities and pastimes that used to be pleasurable.
We may find it hard to get up in the morning to go to work or school, and we may have difficulty getting to sleep at night and when we do get to sleep, our sleep might be disturbed Our relationships with family, friends and work colleagues can suffer and our self esteem may be low and we dont feel good enough We could find ourselves worrying constantly and feeling anxious and panicky for no particular reason Our eating patterns can change and we could see fluctuations in our weight as we may eat a lot more or lose our appetite Maybe we are tearful and cry a lot, or we may find we cannot get in touch with our emotions and feel numb and unable to express our emotion Some of us may become more aggressive and hostile or irritable for no real reason Life may seem too difficult and so we struggle to cope with even minor tasks We may feel guilty and worthy of blame and punishment Our memory and concentration might not be as good as it was and we find it more and more difficult to make decisions Other physical symptoms such as headaches, and various other aches and pains may convince us that we have something else wrong with us
Regardless of the different ways that some of these symptoms can affect us, the main factors that point to depression are the same. Major depression is likely to be diagnosed if the symptoms of depression have persisted for more than two weeks accompanied by low moods and a lack of pleasure in pursuits that were once enjoyed and the symptoms are severe enough to interfere with normal daily routines and activities.
Who gets depressed
No one knows why some people become depressed and not others and there is no single known cause of depression either. Depressive episodes can be triggered by biochemical, genetic, psychological, environmental and social factors or a combination of these. What is known is that certain groups of people appear more at risk of developing depression than others. These include the long term sick and disabled, those in poor living conditions, those with a history of depression in the family, the homeless, ethnic minorities and people in prison. Sometimes life circumstances can trigger an episode of depression such as redundancy, retirement, divorce, bereavement, problems at work or financial difficulties.
However, no one is immune to depression and someone can develop a depressive disorder even if they are not considered at greater risk. The reality is that any kind of mental health problem and depression can strike any one of us at any time of our lives.
Getting well again
One of the biggest barriers to recovery for someone suffering from depression or indeed any mental health problem is a reluctance to seek help. Many people are afraid of admitting that they cannot cope and so try and deal with it on their own but the symptoms are unlikely to just disappear and will continue possibly for years without appropriate help and treatment.
Any kind of mental health problem can be an intensely isolating experience as the individual concerned cannot help how they are feeling so the understanding and support of family and friends can be of enormous help for someone struggling to cope with their depression. However, the most important thing to remember is that depression is treatable and it is also fairly common.
Your doctor is the best person to advise you on what treatment options are available as he or she will be able to make full medical assessment in order to obtain a correct diagnosis and can take into account any other contributory factors that might need dealt with. Usually, treatment will consist of medication and perhaps some form of talking therapy or a combination of both.
Your mental health is an important factor that affects the way you live your daily life. You have to realize that the brain is one of the most important organs of the human body and it is needed in order to live a normal and productive life. However, there are some cases where the brain suffers from disorders and in turn, it can affect some aspects of your daily activity, such as your motor skills.
One kind of brain disorder is called Trastorno or disorder. disorder is a mental illness that can affect your way of thinking, your emotions and your different moods. What disorder does is it cycles your manic and depressive moods. Normally people experience moments of mania and depression because of their environment. It is a normal body behavior and reaction to their environment. However, disorder is a form of mental illness that will render your moods out of control. A person suffering from disorder will experience excessive mania where they feel that they are very powerful and energetic and they will also feel excessive depression, where in some cases, some thinks about death and suicide.
The manic and depressive cycles occur at intervals and one affected will feel energetic or depressed for no reason at all. During the manic episodes of disorder, the person affected will feel as if they are on top of the world, they have ideas popping out of their head and they will often experience racing thoughts. The racing thoughts is not just all about thinking very fast, but it is also comprised of not stopping to think. You will your own voice repeating something you said in the past, you will hear fragments of music, see fragments of movies you saw, and you will also hear conversations you had over and over again.
One will also feel very energetic and thinks that they don't need sleep at all.
When the depressive episode occurs in disorder, the person affected will experience a depressive mood. They will feel excessively sad, and they will also feel loneliness and hopelessness. They will also feel tired and constantly in need of sleep and in severe cases of disorder, some people will even think about death and suicide and often attempts the latter.
Because of the symptoms associated with this mental disorder, the person affected cannot concentrate on their daily activities. It can negatively affect performance at work or at school and can cause relationship problems. People with disorder find it hard to make and keep friends and relationships because of their unusual behavior.
As you can see, disorder is a very serious illness that needs to be carefully managed and treated. You have to consider that there is no known cure for this disorder and the theories regarding the causes of disorder are not entirely solid. Some theories suggest that disorder is genetic while others have claimed that it is caused by drug and alcohol abuse. This is a lifetime illness that needs long term treatment.
The treatment will include psychotherapy combined with special medications that can reduce the signs and symptoms of disorder. During therapy, the psychiatrist will teach the person affected with the disorder ways to control their emotions and moods. The family members of the affected individual will also be informed about the disorder and will be taught on how to cope with it. Usually, there are certain drugs prescribed that can help in reducing the signs and symptoms of disorder.
As you can see, the treatment for disorder will also require the family members of the affected individual to participate. They will be able to contribute a lot on the treatment process and family support is often the key to controlling the illness.
In time, with the patient as well as the family actively participating in the treatment process, the individual affected with disorder can cope with the illness effectively. They will be able to lead a normal and productive life where they can control their emotions and moods effectively.
Always remember that treatment for disorder is not often easy. It requires patience and dedication in order for the person affected to effectively manage their mental disorder.
Both Simon Jones & Jocelyn Snider are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Simon Jones has sinced written about articles on various topics from Cure Anxiety, Credit Cards and Depression Cure. Simon jones is an expert in depression and related disorders. For more information about depression please come and visit our site