Redefining Expectations: Mental Health

Assumptions define the public — truths that aren’t quite proven, ideas that aren’t quite correct. Logic is dismissed in the wake of easier acceptance; and the stigmas of the past chase after the present, with the masses refusing to admit their failings.

And there is, perhaps, no greater failing than with the issue of mental health. Many swear that diseases and their symptoms affect only a small percentage of the population, with the numbers thought to barely reach the thousands.

This thought incorrect, however — because statistics favor a far greater tragedy and illness is all too easy to find.

As of 2011, it’s estimated that one out of every four individuals worldwide will experience some form of mental disorder (with depression being the most common of these, claiming over 30 percent). Gender offers no relief and neither does age. All social and economic classes are instead affected — with a total of 450 million people sharing a common thread of disease.

These numbers are damning… especially when coupled with the statistics of rehabilitation. Of the 25 percent of the global population burdened with illness, only one-third will seek treatment. This is due to a variety of factors: the cost of medication, a lack of awareness and — most distressingly — a fear of being rejected by peers. Over 60 percent of those who refuse treatment cite anxiety as the cause.

This cannot remain.

Mental health isn’t an uncommon problem. It must therefore receive the care it deserves — with the masses willing to acknowledge it, rather than trying to shove the thought away.

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Tips for Good Mental Health

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Healthy mental health is very important for a person to control their behavior as well as emotions. Mental health is very important to handle life challenges, lead productive lives, and build good relationships. Mental health means overall well-being of the psychological health and it even includes ability to manage the emotions, how a person feels about themselves, and quality of their relationships.

One should understand that good mental health is not just merely absence of any mental health problems, but it is a condition where a person will be free from depression, stress, and anxiety. Mentally strong people have the ability to deal with stress, love for their life, ability to have fun even in difficult times, feeling of contentment, adapt changes, maintaining a balance between professional as well as personal life, and most importantly self-esteem and self-confidence.

People with good mental health always bounce back from their emotional problems and bad times. People with positive attitude always maintain a positive outlook on their life and they remain calm, focused, and creative during their difficult times. The key to have positive attitude towards life is to balance all the emotions.

Other than this physical health is also highly connected with emotional health. Therefore, a person must take enough rest, exercise regularly, should follow proper diet, avoid alcohol and smoking, and finally should get sunlight every day. Finally, people should engage themselves in activity that makes them happy and should some spend time for themselves to maintain good mental health.

 

 

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The Signs and Symptoms of Depression

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The signs and symptoms for depression can vary significantly from one person to the next, but there are definitely some more common symptoms and signs of this mental illness. It is important that you remember that all of these symptoms can come and go as part of life, but when you have more symptoms and stronger symptoms, or if they are lasting longer and longer periods of time, then it is possible that you are dealing with real clinical depression. When these specific symptoms become overwhelming and increasingly disabling, that is when you need to get help.

Feelings that you are helpless or hopeless. You may have a bleak outlook about your life, feeling like nothing is going to get better and that there isn’t anything available for you to do to improve the situation that you are in.

Loss of interest in things that you are normally interested in from day to day. Your hobbies, social activities, past times and even sexual interactions may no longer be fulfilling.

Changes in weight or in appetite.

Changes in sleep such as insomnia or oversleeping, which is known as hypersomnia.

Restlessness and feelings of irritability. You may feel on edge, restless or agitated. Your coping mechanisms may seem nonexistent and your level of tolerance may be low. When you are feeling this way, everyone and everything may get on your nerves.

Loss of energy or lacking energy in comparison to normal. You may feel fatigued or sluggish, or you may simply feel completely physically drained. Small tasks may even feel exhausting for you.

Feelings of self loathing. You may feel guilty or worthless, and you may criticize yourself harshly for thoughts or mistakes that you perceive.

Problems with concentration including problems focusing, remembering things and making decisions.

Unexplained pains and aches throughout the body including back pain, headaches, stomach pain and aching muscles.

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Smoking and Mental Health

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Smoking may increase a person’s likelihood of developing mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety disorders. Recent studies showed that smokers, and even people exposed to large amounts of second-hand smoke, have a much higher rate of mental illness and an increased risk of being admitted to a psychiatric hospital for treatment as compared to non-smokers.

A study done at University College London looked at 5,560 non-smoking adults and 2,595 smoking adults, all of whom has no history of mental illness or time spent in psychiatric treatment facilities. The two groups were tracked for a six year period to determine whether or not their smoking status would affect their mental health. Subjects were also tested for the presence of certain chemicals to determine their exposure to second-hand smoke and this data was used in the findings.

Close the 15% of the people in the study reported psychological distress during the six year testing period. People exposed to a large amount of second-hand smoke were 62% more likely to experience psychological problems than people who were not exposed to smoke. The findings for smokers themselves were even more dramatic, showing close to a 250% increase in likelihood of psychological issues compared to non-smokers in the study.

41 of the subjects were admitted to psychiatric hospitals during the time period they were being studied. This occurrence was also the highest for smokers, followed by the group exposed to high levels of second hand smoke. Non-smokers had the lowest risk of being admitted.

While the association was strong, further studies will be needed to account for other causes and determine if smoking and exposure to smoke truly causes an increase in mental illness. Past studies have shown that smoking can increase the likelihoods of depression and have a strong impact on peoples’ moods.

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Behavioral Health Considerations in Health Insurance Plans

Typically when it comes to health insurance coverage, people think about a few specific parts of coverage such as preventative medicine, doctor visits, prescription drug coverage, emergency room coverage, ambulance coverage, and so on. Unfortunately, sometimes certain aspects of health are not covered in a health insurance plan, and so you need to look a little deeper to find the right coverage to meet your individual needs.

For example, behavioral health is not covered in every health insurance plan, or rather it does not come standard in many health insurance programs. It is important for you to include behavioral health as part of your health insurance coverage, however, especially if you are already dealing with behavioral health issues such as a serious mental illness. When appraising the benefits and features of various online insurance quotes, you are going to want to pay particular attention to whether or not mental or behavioral health is a consideration, so that you can ensure the specific types of coverage that you need.

Most people that are suffering from a major illness requiring health insurance coverage may also be suffering from a mental illness like depression. As such, it would be a smart idea to add mental health coverage to your health insurance coverage so that you can get the mental health help that you need if a problem should ever arise. Obtain insurance quotes from health care suppliers in your area in order to determine how much it is going to cost for you to add this type of coverage to your health care plan.

If your current health care insurance provider does not offer mental health insurance then make sure you find a provider who does so that you will have the most well-rounded health insurance coverage possible because this is ideal for maintaining optimal health at all times.

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Recreational Therapy for Mental Health

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Recreational Therapy is a type of medical treatment or modality that uses leisure education, recreation and other resources in order to help the patient achieve their social, emotional, physiological, spiritual and physical goals.

For patients with mental health disorders, recreational therapy can be of great benefit. Therapy begins with leisure education and determining what the patient’s specific goals are. Oftentimes the patient with a mental illness has become socially isolated and they have forgotten or have never learned what kind of activities they’d like to be involved with.  The therapist may engage in recreational activities with the patient to bridge the gap from isolation to a social setting.

Once the patient has acquired basic communication and interaction skills, the recreational therapist will help the patient find community activities that they may be interested in. Activities such as volunteer work, social groups and classes can provide daily structure and help to establish independent support systems. They can also provide a sense of worth and meaning and help strengthen the patients sense of self and help they develop their identity.

Recreational Therapists also motivate patients to participate in physical activity. It is well known that exercise can help improve mood but it also gives patients a sense of accomplishment.  Exercise boosts the sense of well-being which always has positive effects on mental illness patients. Exercise may come from a simple walk in the park to more vigorous activities such as cycling or anything else the patient may be interested in.

In teaching patients the importance of leisure and recreation they will hopefully gradually become self sufficient and be able to source out their own outlets for social interaction. Recreational therapy is slowly becoming a widely accepted form of non-drug based therapy and it is showing great results with patients.

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Bipolar Disorder in Teenagers

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Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness that usually only affects adults. Sometimes, however, this disorder can be seen in teenagers. Oftentimes the symptoms of bipolar disorder will begin in childhood and will manifest as manic or depressive behavior. Diagnosing bipolar disorder in teenagers is imperative in order that they begin immediate treatment.

Bipolar disorder is non-discriminating. It can be found in teenagers in wealthy homes or poor ones. It can be found in seemingly well adjusted teenagers or those who are having social difficulties. One thing is consistent, however. Families with a history of drug or alcohol abuse results in a higher percentage of teens with bipolar disorder.

Some of the symptoms of bipolar disorder in teenagers include severe changes in mood. Their mood will go from being silly or very happy and can plummet in a second to aggressiveness or agitation. Teenagers with early symptoms can believe that they are invincible or develop the ability to go for days on end without sleep. They can be distracted very easily and move from task to task very quickly without completing any of them.

Bipolar disorder in teens is difficult to diagnose due to the sheer number of possible symptoms, and differentiating between normal teenage behavior and bipolar disorder can be difficult.  However difficult the diagnosis may be, bipolar in teens can be successfully treated. Treatment includes education for the family and patient and mood-stabilizing drugs as well as psychotherapy. Drugs are necessary at first to ensure that there are  no more episodes while the patient begins therapy.

It is imperative that parents remain vigilant if they suspect their teenager is suffering from abnormal mood behaviors, and if there is any doubt they should consult a physician. Early diagnosis can lead to a completely stable adult, not to mention the resumption of normal teenage behavior and activities.

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Mental Health in Nursing Home Patients

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Geriatrics usually suffer from such a huge host of medical problems, that taking care of their physical issues usually supplants their mental health needs. When in a nursing home, resources are not often available to maintain the patient’s optimal mental health.

Depression is the leading mental health issue among nursing home patients. They know they’re there to die, and that it is only a matter of time before they succumb to either age or their maladies. Their lifestyle may have radically changed over a short period of time making adjustment difficult. Furthermore, for many elderly patients, discussing their mental health state is difficult and embarrassing.

Many nursing home facilities are not equipped with sufficient resources to improve the mental health of the patients. If mental health issues do get diagnosed, then all too often the treatment involves drug therapy. Such drugs may exacerbate the depression or other mental disorders rather than cure the problem.
While most nursing homes do include some recreational activities, these programs do not sufficiently address the individual needs of the patients. And, if the patients are hampered by limited mobility or articulation then their sense of depression, isolation and despair may intensify, despite the use of drug therapy.

There are no easy answers to this problem. If fortunate, the elderly patient may have observant family members who can act as their advocate to receive proper geriatric therapy instead of just over medicating. The problem with this is that many families just expect their aged parents or grandparents to have mental issues; but this is never normal.

There is help available for elderly patients suffering from mental health disorders. The key is to articulate the need in such a way as to receive this help. Communicating with family members and doctors is one way to receive needed help. Always encourage your elderly family members to talk about how they’re feeling, and act on their behalf if necessary.

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The Three Most Common Mental Health Disorders

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Millions of people suffer from a variety of mental disorders. These disorders are non-discriminating. They can affect people of all ages and from all walks of life. The prompt diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders is essential for recovery, but realizing that there is a problem is the first, and most commonly missed, step. The following are the three most common psychiatric disorders and some of their common symptoms.

Attention Deficiency Hyper-Active Disorder (ADHD)

Contrary to popular belief, ADHD can strike anybody and not just children. It has been estimated that nearly 5 percent of all adults and 4 percent of all children suffer from ADHD, many of whom go undiagnosed. ADHD is easily treatable through drug and talk therapy. Some of the common symptoms vary from adults to children but included in both age groups are: difficulty paying attention, disorganization, procrastination, easily distracted and excessive energy.

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar diagnosis is the most difficult part of this disorder. Once diagnosed, treatment is relatively easy and is usually a combination of drug and psychotherapy. Once only seen in adults, bipolar disorder is now being diagnosed among teenagers and even children. Some of the symptoms of bipolar disorder include: severe mood swings, acting recklessly or believing to be invincible, delusions or hallucinations and racing thoughts.

Schizo-Affective Disorder

Schizo-affective disorder is a disorder that is found in patients who suffer from both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Patients exhibit symptoms of both these disorders, and while it can be difficult to diagnose, more and more occurrences of it are being diagnosed each year. Some of the common symptoms of schizo-affective disorder include: suspicion, hostility, withdrawing from society, extreme reactions and irrational speaking or thought patterns.

In nearly all cases, prompt diagnosis of mental disorders is essential to treatment and recovery. Always seek the advice of a professional and closely follow their recommendations.

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The Progression of Sadness: lapalomatreatment.com

She hides herself within her room – the door locked, the curtains drawn, the lights all refused. It’s been days since she emerged for more than the occasional sustenance, the crumbs she finishes when staring at the wall becomes too great of a tragedy. She is tired but doesn’t sleep. She is anxious but doesn’t cry. Instead she merely waits for the night to come, sampling the only motivation she can find: alcohol.

Depression is an unfortunate truth within the world. It is estimated that 35 million Americans alone suffer from this disease – and that unhappy population often seeks out liquor to ease their pain. 40 percent of those with an illness drink frequently or even daily.

And the consequence of this is failure.

Alcohol is a natural depressant. It subdues the central nervous system, allowing the individual to replace all tension to an easier relief. But, when taken during an episode, the euphoria that should be felt is instead changed into a quick anger. All tastes lead to a loss of dopamine and serotonin (chemicals necessary in achieving emotional release). Judgment is impaired and memory loss is prevalent. The brain becomes overwhelmed to the sensations and this further deepens the feelings of sadness or despair.

It’s essential then that individuals do not seek comfort in alcohol. Too often do the masses assume that a drink will save them. It won’t. It will instead only exaggerate the problem. Abstain from all forms of liquor while suffering from depression.

Even when this is achieved, though, individuals must still seek other forms of help. While alcohol can be refused, a mental disorder cannot. Institutions like lapalomatreatment.com are needed then to address all symptoms and create a program that will offer support and medication. These institutions will instill strength, patience and an understanding of the mind and its complications. They are necessary. They are worthy.

Find them.

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