MENTAL ILLNESS - THE IGNORED DISEASE

 WHAT IS MENTAL ILLNESS : Mental illnesses are health conditions involving changes in emotion, thinking or behavior (or a combination of these). Mental illnesses are associated with distress and/or problems functioning in social, work or family activities. Mental illness is common.

MOST COMMON TYPES

Clinical depression: A mental health disorder characterised by persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairment in daily life.
Possible causes include a combination of biological, psychological and social sources of distress. Increasingly, research suggests that these factors may cause changes in brain function, including altered activity of certain neural circuits in the brain.
The persistent feeling of sadness or loss of interest that characterises major depression can lead to a range of behavioural and physical symptoms. These may include changes in sleep, appetite, energy level, concentration, daily behaviour or self-esteem. Depression can also be associated with thoughts of suicide.


Anxiety disorder:  A mental health disorder characterised by feelings of worry, anxiety or fear that are strong enough to interfere with one's daily activities.

Examples of anxiety disorders include panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Symptoms include stress that's out of proportion to the impact of the event, inability to set aside a worry and restlessness.
Treatment includes counselling or medication, including antidepressants.




Bipolar disorder: A disorder associated with episodes of mood swings ranging from depressive lows to manic highs.

The exact cause of bipolar disorder isn’t known, but a combination of genetics, environment and altered brain structure and chemistry may play a role.
Manic episodes may include symptoms such as high energy, reduced need for sleep and loss of touch with reality. Depressive episodes may include symptoms such as low energy, low motivation and loss of interest in daily activities. Mood episodes last days to months at a time and may also be associated with suicidal thoughts.
Treatment is usually lifelong and often involves a combination of medications and psychotherap




WHY MENTAL ILLNESS IS A TABOO: Judgement and discrimination are often the reasons why many choose to suffer in silence, even though we've seen more companies begin to address mental health issues among their employees. This phenomenon prevents patients from having the awareness and access to the much-needed help from their communities – findings show that 75% of people who have experienced a mental disorder decide not to seek professional help.

According to the WHO, global burden of mental health is increasing. Around 15% of adults aged 60 and above suffer from a mental disorder. In Singapore, one in seven have experienced a mood, anxiety or alcohol use disorder in their lifetime. In Malaysia, 4.2 million individuals suffer from mental health problems, which indicates a more than two-fold increase in prevalence over the past decade. Meanwhile, in Indonesia, nine million out of more than 250 million people, suffer from depression. Mental health can include anything from dementia to Alzheimer's to bipolar disorder. They don't all lead to suicide, but they all warrant some time at the table. 

Unlike other physical health issues such as critical illnesses and chronic conditions, current insurance coverage for mental health conditions is limited. Suicides are preventable, experts say, and more must be done to encourage those who are struggling to come forward. If we do not act now, the mental health protection gap is likely to widen, creating an even larger societal and economic risk.

Suicide doesn't just end with one person. Generations are known to be affected, and multiple reasons – from blame to guilt; from the loss of income to the loss of a caregiver – create a cycle that is far reaching. Societally, every suicide creates a vacuum that is hard to fill. 



What India must do to solve its mental health crisis?

The first and foremost reason for India to lose its mental health is the lack of awareness and sensitivity about the issue. There is a big stigma around people suffering from any kind of mental health issues. They are often tagged as ‘lunatics’ by the society. This leads to a vicious cycle of shame, suffering and isolation of the patients. Also, there is a serious shortage of mental healthcare workforce in India. According to WHO, in 2011, there were 0·301 psychiatrists and 0·047 psychologists for every 100,000 patients suffering from a mental health disorder in India. These issues aggravate the scale of the problem and need immediate redressal.

Mental health situation in India demands active policy interventions and resource allocation by the government. To reduce the stigma around mental health, we need measure to train and sensitize the community/society. This can happen only when we have persistent nationwide effort to educate the society about mental diseases. We also need steps to connect the patients with each other by forming a peer network, so that they could listen and support each other. Moreover, people experiencing mental health problems should get the same access to safe and effective care as those with physical health problems. Additionally, mental illness must mandatorily be put under the ambit of life insurance. This will help people to see mental illness with the same lens as they use for physical diseases.


9 Ways to Fight Mental Health Stigma:

Talk Openly About Mental Health

“I fight stigma by talking about what it is like to have bipolar disorder and PTSD on Facebook. Even if this helps just one person, it is worth it for me.” – Angela Christie Roach Taylor

Educate Yourself And Others

“I take every opportunity to educate people and share my personal story and struggles with mental illness. It doesn't matter where I am, if I over-hear a conversation or a rude remark being made about mental illness, or anything regarding a similar subject, I always try to use that as a learning opportunity and gently intervene and kindly express how this makes me feel, and how we need to stop this because it only adds to the stigma.” – Sara Bean

Be Conscious Of Language

“I fight stigma by reminding people that their language matters. It is so easy to refrain from using mental health conditions as adjectives and in my experience, most people are willing to replace their usage of it with something else if I explain why their language is problematic.” – Helmi Henkin

Encourage Equality Between Physical And Mental Illness

“I find that when people understand the true facts of what a mental illness is, being a disease, they think twice about making comments. I also remind them that they wouldn't make fun of someone with diabetes, heart disease or cancer.” – Megan Dotson

Show Compassion For Those With Mental Illness

“I offer free hugs to people living outdoors, and sit right there and talk with them about their lives. I do this in public, and model compassion for others. Since so many of our homeless population are also struggling with mental illness, the simple act of showing affection can make their day but also remind passersby of something so easily forgotten: the humanity of those who are suffering.” – Rachel Wagner

Choose Empowerment Over Shame

“I fight stigma by choosing to live an empowered life. To me, that means owning my life and my story and refusing to allow others to dictate how I view myself or how I feel about myself.” – Val Fletcher

Be Honest About Treatment

“I fight stigma by saying that I see a therapist and a psychiatrist. Why can people say they have an appointment with their primary care doctor without fear of being judged, but this lack of fear does not apply when it comes to mental health professionals?” – Ysabel Garcia

Let The Media Know When They’re Being Stigmatizing

“If I watch a program on TV that has any negative comments, story lines or characters with a mental illness, I write to the broadcasting company and to the program itself. If Facebook has any stories where people make ignorant comments about mental health, then I write back and fill them in on my son’s journey with schizoaffective disorder.” – Kathy Smith

Don’t Harbor Self-Stigma

“I fight stigma by not having stigma for myself—not hiding from this world in shame, but being a productive member of society. I volunteer at church, have friends, and I’m a peer mentor and a mom. I take my treatment seriously. I'm purpose driven and want to show others they can live a meaningful life even while battling [mental illness].” – Jamie Brown




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