Mental illness treatment and prevention

 Symptoms and Treatment of Mental Illnesses

Mental health is so important that World Mental Health Day is celebrated every year on October 10. This day was started in 1992 on the suggestion of a non-governmental organization, the World Federation of Mental Health. The World Health Organization also strongly supported this day and thus this day has been celebrated continuously for the last 32 years.

Every year, the World Health Organization provides a central theme for this day and various events and activities are organized in light of it. For example, last year, the World Health Organization provided the main theme with the title of Mental Health as a Universal Human Right, while this year the emphasis is on Mental Health at Work. Mental problems related to employment or employment have increased, so the relevant institutions are trying to find out how these problems can be controlled.

No one can deny the importance of health that has been mentioned. Good health is a gift of nature and a great blessing. The truth is that poverty can be bearable and a person can live in poverty, but poor health becomes a punishment for a person. Generally, people only mean physical health by health. Health means the correctness of the body.

Of course, the human body should be healthy and fit, but this is a limited and flawed concept of health. In modern medical science, the concept of health comes out in a very comprehensive way. According to the World Health Organization, health is the name of the state in which a person is physically, mentally and socially fit. A person cannot be declared healthy on the basis of the mere absence of physical weakness or disease. To be healthy, it is necessary for a person to be fit and balanced in all three perspectives. Physical, mental and social balance is the basis of human health.

 

Before proceeding further, it is important to understand what constitutes good mental health.

 

If a person does not suffer from a diagnosed mental illness, can his or her mental health be considered satisfactory? The answer to this question requires some explanation. The absence of a mental illness is undoubtedly very important, but several other important factors and facts should also be kept in mind. The mere absence of a mental illness is not enough. The World Health Organization and today's health experts believe that a person can be considered to have good mental health if he or she has the following qualities:

Such a person should be well aware of his abilities.

He should have enough capacity to face the pressures of daily life.

He should be able to do some useful work.

He should be able to contribute something to society.

 

At this point, we should also be aware of these complaints, the presence of which is a warning for us. Whenever these complaints are felt in a person, we should be alert. Such a person's mental health may be affected and he may also suffer from a psychological disease. These complaints are as follows:

 

A person may feel more worried, anxious, fearful, and anxious than usual

A person may start to doubt and doubt unnecessarily in various matters

A person may appear to be constantly sad and depressed

A person may experience an unusual change in their mood. This change may manifest in the form of sadness, unusual happiness, anger, and irritability

A sociable and lively person may suddenly adopt a social distance and become a loner

A dramatic change in appetite and sleep may occur, which may be in the form of both a decrease and an increase

 

Whenever we notice such changes in a person, we should pay close attention to it. It is possible that such a person is suffering from a psychological illness or will suffer from it in the near future.

There is a long list of psychological illnesses, but it is better to briefly introduce a few important illnesses here.

 

Depression

Most people in our society are familiar with this disease. In this disease, a person becomes severely depressed. He does not feel interested in any work. His existence feels purposeless and worthless. Suicidal thoughts come.

 

Anxiety

In this disease, a person suffers from anxiety, worry, fear and dread. There are also many physical complaints, including increased heart rate, cold hands and feet, trembling and unusual sweating, etc. There are many more types of panic disorder, which are beyond the scope of this article.

  

Schizophrenia

This is a very dangerous disease. In this, a person's personality, thinking, behavior and speech are all severely distorted. The person has strange and bizarre delusions. He becomes convinced that people are against him and are engaged in various conspiracies. Sometimes he hears voices, but the person speaking is not present.

 

Bipolar Disorder

In this disease, a person experiences two types of attacks, which can last from a few days to several months. Sometimes he becomes depressed, and sometimes he goes in the opposite direction, where a state of extreme euphoria overwhelms him. He begins to consider himself a very great being and becomes very active. Some people's mood becomes very aggressive and they attack people. This disease is called Disorder Affective Bipolar in English.

 

Disorder Personality

People with personality disorders are not generally considered to be mentally ill. They live in society like ordinary people, but their personality structure and development are different from ordinary people and they also suffer from different problems. There are many types of personality disorders, which are not possible to describe in detail here.

Psychological disorders have existed in every era, but our mechanized life has increased them even more. The natural simplicity and heartbreak of life have disappeared and our positive emotions and feelings have been destroyed by modern devices.

People have strayed from the true purpose of life and their relationship with God has become extremely weak. The unprecedented increase in mental illnesses has created anxiety and agitation in global circles. In 2013, an important meeting of the World Health Assembly was held, in which the health ministers of 194 member countries participated. On this occasion, the World Health Organization announced a special plan for 2013 to 2020. During the meeting held in 2019, this plan was extended to 2030. Under this 17-year plan, such steps are being taken, through which some help will be given in controlling mental illnesses. Mental illnesses cannot be controlled until we know the causes of mental illnesses.

To know the causes of any psychological disease, we should keep an eye on three types of factors.

 

Factors that attract and incline towards the disease

These are the factors that are present in early life, they are called Factors Predisposing in English. They play an important role in giving birth to any psychological disease. Some of these factors are hereditary, and some are related to the human environment. Psychologists pay special attention to the factors that occur from the birth of a person to childhood.

 

Precipitating factors

These are the factors that are present at the onset of the disease and apparently cause the disease to develop. They are called Precipitating Factors in English. Such factors are present in everyone's life, but each person accepts their effects differently. It is related to the person's endurance, personality and character building, and environment.

These factors are called Perpetuating Factors in English. These factors are of great importance and should not be forgotten while treating any psychiatric patient. Sometimes the first two types of factors mentioned are gone or successfully controlled, but the factors that prolong the disease continue to do their job and the complete recovery of the patient becomes difficult.

The above three types of factors need to be viewed in a three-dimensional perspective. That is, physical, psychological, and social. Not only psychological diseases, but every disease is viewed in this three-dimensional perspective today.

Mental illnesses are found all over the world and the number of patients is continuously increasing with the passage of time. In Europe and America, there are quality hospitals and medical centers for the treatment of mental illnesses. People turn to these hospitals and medical centers in large numbers for treatment. A survey shows that every person in America definitely contacts a psychiatrist at least once in his life. In this regard, the situation of third world countries and especially Pakistan is particularly worrying and unfortunate.

The latest statistics released by the World Health Organization are shocking. According to these figures, almost one billion people in the world are suffering from some kind of mental illness. More importantly, one in seven of these one billion people is young. According to the World Health Organization, the rate of disorders such as depression and anxiety increased by more than 25% in the first year of the Corona epidemic.

The World Health Organization also says that 70 percent of people with mental illnesses do not get the support they need. In low-income countries, only 12 percent of patients receive treatment. The statistics regarding patients with depression further add to the seriousness of the situation. In high-income countries, only 23 percent of patients with depression receive treatment facilities. While this rate is only three percent in middle- and low-income countries.

If we look at Pakistan, the problem increases enormously. Mental illnesses account for four percent of all illnesses in Pakistan. Twenty-five to thirty million people in Pakistan need to be provided with mental health care. On the other hand, the number of mental health professionals in Pakistan is very low. The total number of mental health professionals is between five hundred and one thousand. According to the World Health Organization, there is only one mental health professional for every five hundred thousand people in Pakistan.

On the one hand, there is a shortage of psychiatric specialists, on the other hand, the number of psychiatric patients is increasing in a conscious manner. A dangerous disease like schizophrenia is found in one percent of the world's population. If the population of Karachi is 25 million, then 250,000 of them are schizophrenic patients.

Generalized anxiety disorder is found in four percent of the world's population. It should be noted that there are many other forms of anxiety disorder. Overall, thirty percent of the world's population suffers from anxiety disorder. More or less ten percent of the world's population suffers from depression. The dangerous thing about Pakistan is that people have very little awareness and consciousness. People consider psychological illness to be the result of evil knowledge, amulets, black magic and the effects of jinn. Instead of going to a certified physician for the treatment of such patients, they contact various remedies or so-called spiritual healers.

People interpret every psychological disease as madness or madness. If a patient of depression is sent to a psychiatrist for treatment, the answer is that we are not crazy, we should get psychological treatment. Going to a psychiatrist is considered a big defect in the society, especially in the case of girls, parents are extremely sensitive. Every type of psychological treatment is kept secret, otherwise it becomes an obstacle in the marriage of girls.

On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, we have to think about something. We have to protect mentally ill people from humiliation. We have to create awareness and consciousness among people. We have to explain to people that mental illness is not a defect. Mental illnesses are treatable. Their treatment is as important as physical illnesses.