…it is such a relief
to finally get help after experiencing issues for a long time–
According to the WHO (World
Health Organization), mental health is: “… a state of well-being in which the individual realizes
his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work
productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her
community.”
Mental
health is all about how we think, feel and behave. It refers to our cognitive, behavioral and
emotional well-being. It also impacts
our ability to enjoy life – to find a balance between the stressors and
activities we face and our ability to be resilient. The lack of good mental health can affect our
daily lives, our relationships and even our physical health.
We
all have the potential to develop mental health problems, no matter how old we
are, whether we are male or female, rich or poor, or which ethnic group we
belong to.
2019
research shows:
- In the
United States, almost half of adults (46.4 percent) will experience a mental illness
during their lifetime.
- 5 percent of adults (18 or older) experience a
mental illness in any one year, equivalent to 43.8 million people.
- Of adults in the United States with any mental
disorder in a one-year period, 14.4 percent have one disorder, 5.8 percent have
two disorders and 6 percent have three or more.
- Half of all mental disorders begin by age 14 and
three-quarters by age 24.
- In the United States, only 41 percent of the people
who had a mental disorder in the past year received professional health care or
other services.
- In the U.S. and much of the developed world, mental
disorders are one of the leading causes of disability
Out-Patient
Psychotherapy
Provides a regular time and space for you to talk about your
thoughts and experiences and explore difficult feelings with a trained
professional. This could help you to:
- deal with a specific problem
- cope with upsetting memories or
experiences
- improve your relationships
- explores thoughts, feelings and
behaviors and seeks to improve an individual’s well-being
- develop more helpful ways of living
day-to-day.
The Main Classes of Mental Illness Are:
Mood disorder
These are also known as affective disorders or depressive
disorders. Patients with these conditions have significant changes in mood,
generally involving either mania (elation) or depression. These include disorders
that affect how you feel emotionally and they can disrupt your ability to
function. Examples of mood disorders include
Major depression – the individual is no longer
interested in and does not enjoy activities and events that they previously
liked. There are extreme or prolonged periods of sadness.
Bipolar disorder – previously known as
manic-depressive illness, or manic depression. The individual switches from
episodes of euphoria (mania) to depression (despair).
Persistent depressive disorder – previously
known as dysthymia, this is mild chronic (long term) depression. The patient
has similar symptoms to major depression but to a lesser extent.
SAD (seasonal affective disorder) – a type of major depression that is triggered by lack of
daylight. It is most common in countries far from the equator during late
autumn, winter, and early spring.
Bipolar
and related disorders. This class includes
disorders with alternating episodes of mania — periods of excessive activity,
energy and excitement — and depression.
- Other Depressive disorders, not all inclusive:
- Pre-menstrual Dysphoric Disorder
- Persistent Depressive Disorder
- Disruptive Mood Regulation Disorder
Anxiety disorders
Anxiety is an emotion characterized by the anticipation of future
danger or misfortune, along with excessive worrying. It can include behavior
aimed at avoiding situations that cause anxiety. Anxiety disorders are the most common
types of mental illness. The individual
has a severe fear or anxiety, which is linked to certain objects or situations.
Most people with an anxiety disorder will try to avoid exposure to whatever
triggers their anxiety. Examples of
anxiety disorders include:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder – Continual worry, feeling nervous and on-edge, difficulty
concentrating, fearful that something awful might happen
Phobias – these may include simple phobias (a disproportionate fear of
objects), social phobias (fear of being subject to the judgment of others), and
agoraphobia (dread of situations where getting away or breaking free may be
difficult). We really do not know how many phobias there are – there could be
thousands of types.
Panic disorder – the person experiences sudden paralyzing terror or a sense of
imminent disaster.
Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders
These disorders involve preoccupations or obsessions and
repetitive thoughts and actions. The person has obsessions and compulsions. In other words,
constant stressful thoughts (obsessions), and a powerful urge to perform
repetitive acts, such as hand washing (compulsion).
• Obsessive-compulsive
disorder
• Hoarding
disorder
• Hair-pulling
disorder (trichotillomania).
Trauma- and
stressor-related disorders
These are adjustment
disorders in which a person has trouble coping during or after a stressful life
event. Examples include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acute
stress disorder. This can occur after somebody has been through a traumatic
event – something horrible or frightening that they experienced or witnessed.
During this type of event, the person thinks that their life or other people’s
lives are in danger. They may feel afraid or feel that they have no control
over what is happening.
Dissociative disorders
These are disorders in
which your sense of self is disrupted, such as with dissociative identity
disorder and dissociative amnesia.
Somatic symptom and
related disorders
A person with one of
these disorders may have physical symptoms with no clear medical cause, but the
disorders are associated with significant distress and impairment. The
disorders include somatic symptom disorder (previously known as hypochondriasis)
and factitious disorder.
Feeding and eating
disorders
These disorders include disturbances related to eating such as:
Anorexia nervosa
Binge-eating disorder
Elimination disorders
These disorders relate to
the inappropriate elimination of urine or stool by accident or on purpose.
Bedwetting (enuresis) is an example.
Sleep-wake disorders
These are disorders of
sleep severe enough to require clinical attention, such as insomnia, sleep
apnea and restless legs syndrome.
Sexual dysfunctions
These include disorders of sexual response, such as premature
ejaculation and female orgasmic disorder.
Gender dysphoria
This refers to the
distress that accompanies a person’s stated desire to be another gender.
Disruptive,
impulse-control and conduct disorders
These disorders include
problems with emotional and behavioral self-control, such as kleptomania or
intermittent explosive disorder.
Substance-related and
addictive disorders
These include problems
associated with the excessive use of alcohol, caffeine, tobacco and drugs. This
class also includes gambling disorder.
Personality disorders
A personality disorder
involves a lasting pattern of emotional instability and unhealthy behavior that
causes problems in your life and
relationships. Personality
disorders include the Paranoid, Schizoid, Schizotypal, Anti-social, Borderline,
Histrionic, Narcissistic, Avoidant, Dependent, Obsessive-Compulsive types, and
others.
Paraphilic disorders
These disorders include
sexual interest that causes personal distress or impairment or causes potential
or actual harm to another person. Examples are sexual sadism disorder,
voyeuristic disorder and pedophilic disorder.
Neurocognitive disorders
Neurocognitive disorders
affect your ability to think and reason. These acquired (rather than
developmental) cognitive problems include delirium, as well as neurocognitive
disorders due to conditions or diseases such as traumatic brain injury or
Alzheimer’s disease.
Schizophrenia spectrum
and other psychotic disorders
Psychotic disorders cause detachment
from reality — such as delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thinking and
speech. The most notable example is schizophrenia, although other classes of
disorders can be times.
Neurodevelopmental disorders
This class covers a wide range of problems that usually begin in
infancy or childhood, often before the child begins grade school. Examples
include autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD) and learning disorders.
Other mental disorders
This class includes
mental disorders that are due to other medical conditions or that don’t meet
the full criteria for one of the above disorders.