Championing Mental Health

Image: mental health

Mental health is a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with normal stresses of life and is able to make a contribution to the community [1].

Individuals challenged with a mental health condition usually feel stuck in the same cycles of thought patterns and unable to escape the torture of their mind. The mental health conversation is currently front and center; however, acknowledging the importance of mental health is crucial in building sensitivity and reducing stigma. Wellness is more than working out and looking good.

Image: Wellness encompasses mind, body, and spirit

One can be physically fit and yet mentally broken. Wellness encompasses mind, body, and spirit.

Persons living with a mental health condition—or otherwise described as “mentally unfit”—unfortunately do not have the capacity to identify and manage their emotions and that of others. A person with a high psychological well-being has a high capacity to understand what emotions they are feeling and their causes, can control how these emotions drive their behavior, can correctly assess what emotions others are feeling and will interact with others depending on those assessments [2].

Image: Physically fit, mentally broken?

The flip side is much more prevalent, however. People often struggle with negative thought patterns which greatly affect how they assess their emotional states and those of others, let emotions influence their decisions and behaviors, and do not consider the emotions of other people they interact with. Mental health conditions can manifest differently depending on the disorder. However, the most common among these are depression, anxiety, and stress. These not only affect the mood, thoughts, behavior, and emotional state but also influence how well a person can function in their daily lives [3].

Children with an early life stress (traumatic events) may be predisposed to a mental health problem later in life [1][2].

Image: visibly troubled child

Depressed individuals may experience feelings of worthlessness, prolonged sadness, suicidal ideations, sleep disturbances, withdrawal from friends and activities, significant tiredness, a low self-esteem, and are unable to cope with daily life problems [3].

Image: Thoughts of self-harm. Seek help immediately.

In other cases, persons living with a mental condition have problems with alcohol and drug use, experience changes in sex drive, reduced ability to think or concentrate, and have excessive fears with panic attacks. These irrational fears and panic attacks are likely to be experienced by those battling an anxiety disorder.

Image: Panic attack

Severe panic attacks cause breathlessness, palpitations, nausea, and dizziness (common clinical symptoms per established diagnostic criteria).

Image: Changes in sex drive

In very severe cases such as schizophrenia, alcohol- or cocaine-induced psychosis, or a schizoaffective disorder, individuals suffer a detachment from reality; that is, experiencing delusions, paranoia, and hallucinations.

Image: Distortion from reality

With mental health illnesses such as sociopathy (commonly known as antisocial personality disorder), the most reliable predictor is a lack of empathy [4].