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An intro to mental health difficulties: how much do you know?

What is your mental health literacy? You probably know that good mental health is something you have to work to maintain, but what about mental health difficulties?  Get up to speed in a nifty, and dispel any myths you might have heard about mental health difficulties.

What is a mental health difficulty?

Mental health difficulties cause people to think, act, and feel differently from how they usually do. This may be different to how the people around them think and act but for the person with the mental health difficulty these feelings are real.  Having a mental health difficulty doesn't make someone lazy, bad or stupid.

Mental health difficulties are common-- with at least one in five people experiencing one.  In most cases they are manageable and people are able to live happy and successful lives.

What causes mental health difficulties?

Mental health difficulties may affect a person from any religion, culture, economic background or nationality. There are a number of factors that are associated with mental health difficulties.

Some of these factors may include:

Family history

Most illnesses have a genetic component. This means that if a family member has a mental health difficulty, others may be at higher risk.

Chemical balance

An imbalance of chemicals (called neurotransmitters) in the brain can cause symptoms of a mental illness to emerge. Most drugs used to manage mental health difficulties try to correct this balance. There is also research that suggests that the behaviour itself can cause the chemical change in the brain (as opposed to the chemical imbalance simply always being there).

Stressful life events

Stressful experiences such as grief or loss, experiencing violence or a traumatic accident may trigger mental health difficulties.

Drug use

Research has shown that using drugs may lead to mental health difficulties. For example, some links have been found between psychosis and the heavy use of marijuana and amphetamines.

Mental health difficulties

There are many terms used to describe mental health difficulties.  Here are a few of the most common terms-- click the links for more info.

Depression

When someone feels sad and down for a period of time that is longer than a couple of weeks they may be  experiencing Depression. The Getting help section of ReachOut.com has more information on the different people who can help.

Anxiety

There are many forms of anxiety disorders that can stop people from doing what they want to do. Some people have sudden unexplained panic attacks, and some people experience phobias like agoraphobia (fear of being in an open space). Other people become anxious about something in particular. This can lead to obsessive behaviour causing them to check and recheck things, for example: having to go home to check that they turned off the cooker.

People who experience high levels of anxiety can learn to manage and reduce their anxiety levels. A form of therapy called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy has been shown to be really effective in managing anxiety. Have a look at the Anxiety fact sheet for more information.

Psychosis

If someone becomes very confused and appears out of touch with everyone else's perception of the world, they may be experiencing a psychotic episode.

When someone is experiencing a psychosis they may have hallucinations, hear voices that may not be heard by anyone else, or have false beliefs known as delusions. Some drugs may even trigger a psychotic episode.

Treatment of psychosis usually involves medication, and if someone is experiencing a psychotic episode, it is important that they seek help from a doctor, psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist. Friends and family can also provide support. See the factsheet on Understading psychosis and getting help.

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness characterised by disturbances in a person's thoughts, perceptions, emotions and behaviour. It affects approximately one in every hundred people worldwide and first onset commonly occurs in adolescence or early adulthood, although it can also occur later in life.

Symptoms vary widely between individuals, but generally speaking, symptoms are divided into two groups, ‘active' symptoms that reflect new or unusual forms of thought and behaviour, such as delusions or hallucinations, and ‘passive' symptoms, which reflect a loss of previous feelings and abilities.

Schizophrenia does not mean someone has more than one personality or 'split personalities'. With medication and support, schizophrenia can be managed. Having the support of family and friends may also be very helpful. The earlier people receive help for schizophrenia, the greater the chance of a better outcome.  Click here for more info on schizophrenia.

Attention deficit disorder (ADD)

When someone has problems concentrating and staying focused on tasks, they may have an attention deficit disorder. The condition may have started in early childhood.

People with attention deficit disorders find situations like paying attention in class particularly difficult, and this can lead to conflict with teachers or other authority figures.

They may also have a lot of energy and become involved in many activities that can be positive. Young people experiencing attention deficit disorder may need to be helped by their family and school, as well as receiving good medical support. After proper medical assessment, medication may be helpful in managing symptoms.

Eating disorders

Eating disorder is the term used to describe a group of illnesses where someone has a distorted view of body image with a preoccupation around eating, food and weight. There are a number of different eating disorders including Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge eating disorder.

If someone has an eating disorder, it is a good idea for them to get help as soon as possible. This help may come from their local doctor who may then refer them to a psychiatrist or other mental health professional.

Is this new to you?

So, how good is your 'mental health literacy'?  Are there any facts in the above that surprise you, or are you a mental health know-it-all?  Are there any aspects of mental health in particular that you think have poor public awareness?  How do you think it's best to spread the word?  Post your thoughts below-- we want to hear em!

• 28 Jan 2010 12:00 PM |
• Posted by: Ianb in Featured Fact sheet

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