MENTAL HEALTH AND COMMON MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS

Mental health includes an individual’s emotional, psychological and social well-being. Mental health affect how people think, feel, act, handle stress, relate to others and make choices. Mental health is important in every person’s life. Poor mental health can alter the person’s balance and its coordination with the body. 

A mentally healthy individual is free from stress or anxiety and therefore performs its functions in a better way. Mind influences body immune system. In other words, our immune system maintains our health and mind and mental state can alter it. 

Many factors contribute to mental health problems including:

• Genetic factors such as gene.
• Abuse or death of a loved ones. 
• Bad life experiences cause Trauma.
• Family history of mental health problems.
• Negative thinking.
• Poor Physical health due to lack of exercise and yoga training can affect self-confidence of the person ability to meet the goals which lead to depression.
• Stress due to various reasons. 

Mental Health problems are common among people however such disorders are often treated as a stigma in many societies and that prevent victims from seeking proper help. There are many people who doesn’t want to disclose their mental stress because of many reasons like lack of knowledge, social stigma, fear of other perspective towards them etc. They have developed a careless attitude towards mental health but it has long lasting effects if not treated early. Awareness to mental health disorders and their cure can help the patients and their families. Mental health disorders should be treated like any other curable disease. 

Common mental health disorders – the common mental health disorders are-

• Anxiety Disorders – People with anxiety disorders have a feeling of fear and worry about something. They show physical reactions like having rapid heartbeat and sweating and fear. An anxiety disorder can be diagnosed if a person has an inappropriate response to a situation and hence cannot control the response.  For example- obsessive compulsive disorder. In this situation people repeat certain actions over and over again in an attempt to avoid the thoughts. 
• Panic disorder– panic disorder causes panic attack. These are attack which cause sudden feeling of terror for no reason. Physical symptoms like chest pain, breathing difficulty, dizziness can be associated with it. The attacks can happen anytime anywhere and without warning. Panic disorder is most common in females than males.
• Behavioral disorder– Behavioral disorder involve a pattern of disruptive behavior in children that last for at least 6 month or may cause problems in schools, homes and in social situations. It includes failure to give close attention to details, make careless mistakes, enable to follow instructions and tasks etc. 
• Eating disorders– eating disorder involve persons expressing their feeling of emotions involving weight and food. This includes overeating, having fear of weight gain etc.
• Depression– It is the most common mental health problem. Depression is a serious medical illness. It’s more than just a feeling of being sad for few days. Various symptoms of depression include loss of appetite, insomnia, having low self-esteem, poor physical health, having suicide thoughts. Depression is a disorder of brain there are a variety of causes including genetic or environmental, psychological and biochemical factors. The effective treatment for depression including antidepressants and talk therapy.
• Psychotic disorders- People with psychotic disorders lose contact with reality and experience a range of symptoms like hallucinations, hearing and seeing things that are not true or real. This psychotic disorder can occur in people with other health problems. In this a person can harm himself if they do not get help.
• Substance use disorder– There are also some substances used disorder which is due to addiction or excessive intake of drugs or other harmful substances. Certain drugs can generate those symptoms which have been experienced by mentally ill person. People suffering from anxiety or depression sometimes led to misuse of alcohol and drugs which can give rise to substance use problems. 

Apart from these disorders, there are some other mental health problems like phobia in which there is a fear of something that poses no real danger. For example-Acrophobia is a fear of heights. 

PREVENTION-

• If this mental health illness does not get proper treatment, it can have long lasting effects.
• The first thing to do is to seek help. People can consult doctors if they find it difficult to maintain their mental health.
• In India mental health disorders are often ignored or ridiculed. Public awareness is required to encourage people to get treatment.  
• Taking good care of themselves, taking balance diet and regularly doing physical exercise and yoga training can be beneficial.
• Treatment with therapy and medicine can also help people to cope this problem.
• Taking proper sleep an also help to tackle anxiety related problems. 
• Positive thinking and positive attitude are important in fight against mental health. 
• Try to focus on positive things of your life like family, friends and loved ones.