Mental Health: Key to a Happy, Productive Life

Mental health entails the social, psychological, and emotional well-being of an individual which impacts their feelings, thoughts and actions. Also, it is a determinant of healthy human interactions, how people deal with stressing situations and their decision making. It is evident that mental health is crucial in every developmental phase from childhood to adulthood. Good mental health is essential in enabling a person lead a satisfying, happy and productive life as they have the capacity to manifest resilience and can deal with the challenges in life. several aspects may influence the mental health of a person which include life experiences such as abuse or trauma, biological aspects such as brain chemistry or genes, and family history of having mental health issues. These factors put an individual at high risk of developing mental illness whose early diagnosis and treatment is important in enhancing their psychological and emotional health. Some of the warning signs that my manifest in a person having mental health problems are withdrawal from people and social events, drug and substance abuse, having suicidal thoughts, severe mood swings, inability to undertake the daily duties, among others. Mental health illness may have a negative impact on the economic and psychosocial expenses incurred in taking care of those suffering from it by their families, workplaces, schools and communities. Besides, they affect the physical health of a person and they contribute to the continuation, prevalence and results of the world's current burdening chronic ailments such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

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Mental health disorders result from an individual having a mixture of abnormal thoughts, emotions, interpersonal relations, conduct and perceptions. They include bipolar disorder, dementia, schizophrenia and other psychoses, depression, and developmental disorders such as autism. Bipolar and schizophrenia are among the leading mental disorders affecting people in the world. bipolar disorder occurs when a person has both depressive and manic episodes distinguished by instances of normal mood or just the manic attacks only. The manic episodes comprise of an individual lacking sleep, extra efforts at work, increased self-confidence, and irritability. On the other hand, schizophrenia involves a person having twisted thoughts, emotions, conduct, language, viewpoint, and sense of self. They experience delusions and hallucinations which makes it difficult for them to interact with others or perform their duties effectively. Treatment of patients suffering from mental disorder is essential to lessen the negative effects caused by prolonged ailments. For this reason, this paper will provide a detailed research of the impact bipolar disorder and schizophrenia have on mental health and how they can be treated. The paper comprises of a literature review, methodology, results and discussions, conclusions and recommendations.

Literature Review

The health status that affects the thinking, conduct, or feelings of a person and imposes difficulty in functioning and distress to them is what entails a mental illness (Study & National Institutes of Health, 2007). It may manifest itself in distinct degrees where it may be severe in some cases and mild in the others. In the mild cases, people who are ill mentally may not manifest the symptoms and may appear healthy while for sever cases they may be agitated, confused or withdrawn. Mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia usually affect the functioning of the brain of a person. however, not all brain disorders entail mental illnesses as they are regarded as neurological ailments. Mental disorders usually affect people of all ages ranging from children, adolescents to adults. Diagnosis of mental illness for a person who has shown symptoms requires they be examines by a mental health specialist such as psychologist and psychiatrists. Such experts usually analyses the mental status of the person in coordination with their physical condition and give them the best prescription depending on the outcomes of the analysis. Diagnosis of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia has its basis on the symptoms manifested by the patient. Gathering information about the sings and their duration requires a one on one interview between the medical health professional and the patient. However, at times, the family members may chip in to give more information about the individual to obtain a comprehensive image of the situation and recommend the best fit intervention. The psychiatrist evaluates the data gathered using criteria indicated in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV).

Mental illnesses are the global cause of disabilities globally which poses the risk of individual agony and socioeconomic expenses which result in increased poverty (Lake & Turner, 2017). Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder affect people of all ages and they are one of the causes of humanitarian disasters and causes people to take away their lives as an easy way out. The increased awareness on mental health has prompted those suffering from mental disorders and their families to seek medical care. However, despite the increased availability of such knowledge and medication, the high costs of the treatment have made many people fail to seek it which results in most of them not receiving the adequate care. People who have any of these two disorders have to survive on medication to ensure that they live a productive life. Individuals with mental disorders have to seek social, psychological, and occupational care which is such a burden. In most cases, their cases worsen and they start having self-harm thoughts where their settle for suicide. Besides, diagnosis with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia increases the social stigma connected with the search for specialty mental health services, which acts as a barrier for the person having the disorder to access the right care. Stigmatization in the family and the society may worsen the state of these individuals as they will intensify the feelings of hate they have for themselves putting their physical and emotional wellbeing at risk. It is crucial that the policymakers formulate interventions that will facilitate the accessibility of both the primary and specialty care for people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia to alleviate the symptoms. Training more mental healthcare givers and increasing their numbers in the facilities is crucial in ensuring that all patients receive quality care and efficient medication.

According to Buckley (2008), both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder pose severe impairment to the mental health of a person where they have increased suicidal thoughts. Suicide is the leading cause of premature deaths globally as it robs the young adults of their productive life. it is essential for families and the community at large to ensure that mentally ill people get quality treatment and care and on time. Engaging them in social events and interactions keeps them distracted from the suicidal thoughts as they keep busy. The two disorders are detected in early adulthood and the patients tend to engage in activities that increases the severity of the ailment such as drug and substance abuse. Such behaviors may result in treatment non-adherence which may bring forth unforeseen changes in medication due to no changes by the current ones as the substances abused prevent symptom remission. Despite the fact that the symptoms and signs of these disorders are distinct, the treatment approached employed are common which mainly include psychotherapy and early diagnosis. Patients with bipolar disorder receive mood-stabilizing medicines in their prescriptions while for schizophrenia they get psychosocial and antipsychotic measures. It is essential for family members and caregivers to stay on the lookout for those suffering from the two disorders to ensure that they do not succumb to destructive behaviors such as consumption of alcohol and other drugs.

People have minimal knowledge about the beliefs and knowledge regarding mental disorders which is vital in enabling its recognition, prevention or management. Mental health literacy is essential in comprehending the risk factors and causes of the psychological distresses, the viable preventive measures, attitudes towards the illness, availability of professional help and how to look for mental health data (Vovou, Hull & Petrides, 2020). Also, having knowledge of mental health disorders requires that a person gets into interactions with those having the disorder and get to learn about it more. Such personal experiences may hugely contribute to an individual's mental awareness. The level of one's education is a determinant for their mental health literacy as persons with high levels of education tend to understand the disorders better as compared to those with low levels of education.

Methods

References

Lake, J., & Turner, M. S. (2017). Urgent need for improved mental health care and a more collaborative model of care. The Permanente Journal, 21. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5593510/Buckley, P. F. (2008). Update on the treatment and management of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. CNS spectrums, 13(2 Suppl 1), 1-10. DOI: 10.1017/s1092852900028212

Study, B. S. C., & National Institutes of Health. (2007). Information about Mental Illness and the Brain. In NIH Curriculum Supplement Series [Internet]. National Institutes of Health (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK20369/Vovou, F., Hull, L., & Petrides, K. V. (2020). Mental health literacy of ADHD, autism, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder: a cross-cultural investigation. Journal of Mental Health, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2020.1713999