The modern-day life of people is extremely work-centric and monotonous. The extreme workload puts pressure on an individual, and this leads to a number of mental health issues. Mental health is that which involves our emotional, social well-being, and psychological conditions. A person who has a poor mental health exhibits abnormalities of behaviour. It affects the manner in which they act, feel, and think. It also helps to determine how a person handles stress, makes choices, and relates to others. Disregard of the age of an individual, it is extremely important to pay attention to the mental health of a person.
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What Causes Mental Health To Deteriorate?
The mental health of a person can worsen due to a number of reasons. Some of the most common reasons as to why the mental health of a person can be affected are:
- Biologic factors like brain chemistry or genes
- Bad experiences in life like abuse or trauma
- Some family history which consists of mental health issues
Mostly prevalent among the youth of today, mental health issues are very common these days. However, with advanced treatment and other kinds of facilities that are available these days, it is possible to combat mental health problems.
How To Know If One Is Mentally Ill
Mental illness should be detected at an early stage and treated as early as possible. If the treatment is started at an early age, then the condition can be cured, and the situation can be brought under control. Some of the mental illnesses like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia come unannounced and appear rarely out of the blue. Learning about developing symptoms and taking immediate action can help. This can help to reduce the intensity and severity of the illness and can also help to delay or even prevent a major mental sickness. Some of the common signs and symptoms which may be indicative of mental illness are as follows:
Change In Sleep Pattern Or Appetite:
Sometimes, an individual may exhibit a dramatic alteration in the pattern of sleep, appetite, or may cease to take personal care. This may be an alarming symptom.
Frequent Mood Swings:
If you see that an individual you are close to has frequent mood swings, you need to be worried. Frequent mood swings happen due to instability of mind. One moment he might be happy, and the very next moment, he may be yelling at you. In this case, instead of getting mad at the person, try to analyse his situation and understand if he is suffering from any mental illness and needs help. This can affect his personal relationships a great deal.
A Drop In Functioning:
A person suffering from mental illness will exhibit a drop in functioning- be it at school, social activities, work, or anything. He will face difficulty in performing even the simplest of tasks.
Withdrawal:
This is another remarkable symptom that shows that a person is suffering from mental illness. He will start withdrawing himself from every kind of socialism. He will also show a loss of interest in activities that he might have enjoyed before.
Increase In Sensitivity:
A person with bad mental health will be highly sensitive to sounds, sights, touch, smell, and so on.
Reduced Concentration Power:
Such a person usually faces problems with logical thought, memory, concentration, speech, or other things that may be difficult to explain.
Apathy:
If a person shows a lack of interest or desire in participating in any kind of activity, it may be because he is suffering from some kind of mental illness and needs help.
Distant And Lonely:
People who aren’t mentally sound may harbour a vague feeling of being distant and disconnected and possess a sense of unreality.
Illogical Thinking:
He may also start to have exaggerated or unusual beliefs about powers that may be rendered magical or illogical.
Nervousness And Unusual Behaviour:
Sometimes, a person who is suffering from mental illness, will exhibit odd, peculiar, and uncharacteristic behaviour. He may also be victimized by fear, suspicion, or other feelings of nervousness.
Apart from these, some other symptoms include fatigue and having low or no energy, a sense of numbness, doing drugs more than regular, and so on. Although one or two symptoms may be exhibited, if they continue to persist for a long time, it is rather advisable to consult a doctor and seek help.
Self-Help Is The Best Help
Living with mental illness is not easy. Before consulting a doctor, you need to see if you can help yourself to solve your mental issue. Here are some of the ways you can do so:
You Need To Accept The Fact:
You cannot change the fact that you have a mental illness. Don’t try to change the fact. Don’t ignore something which is draining all your energy. Accept the condition. That is the first step to helping yourself get rid of the condition.
Take Deep Breaths:
Deep breaths are very relaxing. It really helps to calm one’s anxiety. If you see that the situation is getting out of hand and you are feeling very anxious, then breathe in, hold your breath for around 3 seconds, and then breathe out. If you keep repeating this for some time, your brain will receive signals that everything is okay.
Re-framing The Mentality:
This takes a great deal of emotional strength. The way you think about a situation will leave an impact on your mind and affect your life and lifestyle in the long run.
Consult An Expert
If you think that nothing is helping you get better, you need to consult Mental Health Therapist. Talking to your doctor or your mental healthcare professional about your emotional stress and difficulties will help you take a positive step towards improvement. All you have to do is be open and honest, and you will get the best treatment.
What To Talk About When You Visit A Mental Health Consultant
When you visit a mental health consultant, you should talk about the following:
- The problems that you are facing
- Your mental health history and your medical history
- The symptoms that bother you and evoke your concern
- Some issues that you think are responsible for your mental health like illicit use of drugs, alcohol abuse, and so on
- Any treatment that you may be taking
- If you have recently faced any loss or stress like loss of employment or relationship breakup and so on
The mental health professionals offer you the utmost secrecy. They make sure that the discussions that take place between you and them are personal and highly confidential. Only in rare cases, depending upon the urgency of the situation, the doctors disclose the conditions to the family members of the patient. In normal cases, the doctors do not share any information with the family members of the patient without the consent of the patient. There are laws that prohibit a doctor from disclosing or revealing the medical details and other information related to the consultation. Thus, you can be absolutely sure that your secret will remain safe with your doctor. Hiding any information will cost you a great deal in the future. Make sure that you are totally honest so that the doctor can proceed with the treatment accordingly.
