Mental health refers to the psychological and emotional well-being of a person. This is when an individual realises his or her own abilities to cope with normal stresses of life. For example, how one handles an unemployment situation. The person’s reaction towards his/her situation will determine whether or not his/her mental health status is negative or positive, although in most cases it is negative, however, some people are good at handling matters well.
In previous years the topic mental health was not regarded as important. In other religions mental health disorders were regarded as evil spirits that had entered the individual, even up to this day and age, mental health conversations are swept under the carpet.
Now, the question is, how do we eradicate mental health as a topic of “taboo”? I believe that constantly creating awareness, this could be done via social media platforms, the use of billboards and televised conversations related to the issue, parents to initiate the conversation with their children instead of brushing it away when your child mentions that he/she is not emotionally fine. The problem is many people within society do not know that they suffer from mental health disorders and at times they think it is nothing and normal.
Mental health disorders refer to disturbances in a person’s thinking, feeling or behaviour and perhaps a combination of these (Morin, 2021). There are many different mental disorders, with different presentations. They are generally characterised by a combination of abnormal thoughts, perceptions, emotions, behaviour and relationships with others (World Health Organisation (WHO), 2019).
Mental disorders include: depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and other psychoses, dementia, and developmental disorders including autism. There are effective strategies for preventing mental disorders such as depression. There are effective treatments for mental disorders and ways to alleviate the suffering caused by them. Access to health care and social services capable of providing treatment and social support is key (W.H.O, 2019).
Healing is a process, the same applies to getting your mental state in a positive manner. For example, getting rid of toxication in your life. This could be a relationship, friendship or a job. Anything that leads to depression and unhappiness is not good for the mind.
Another way of managing a healthy mental state is by opening up and talking to someone about whatever that is draining your mental spirit. This could be a counsellor, psychologist, therapist and anyone else you trust will listen and be supportive. Mental health institutions exist too such as rehabilitation.
The bottom-line is, one’s mental state matters more than anything. More than money, career, relations, friendships and so forth. If you are in a bad mental state you cannot perform to your fullest potential. therefore, seek help when you think you really need it.
Sources:
Comments