Mental Health And Its Effects On Health

Mental health is a complex phenomenon that consists of a range of diagnoses, treatments and outcomes. Recovery from such experiences has historically meant to completely remove all symptoms of illness, but is now currently thought of as regaining a sense of control over and development of a new meaning and purpose in one’s life, rather than feeling defined by the illness. Each individual understands it in their own personal way, likened to a journey towards self-determination, choice, and empowerment.

Mental illness refers to many disorders that affect your mood, thinking, and behaviour. There are many different types of mental illnesses with different severities such as depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and addictive behaviour. Having a mental illness is so common in Canada, 1 in 5 people encounter some degree of it. Many of your friends and family may be suffering from some form of mental illness without you knowing it. This can be because it is at a very early and week stage, they are on their medication, or they are doing a good job at hiding it from you. People often hide their illness to prevent being judged and treated differently from their loved ones. This can be a problem as their illness could worsen and cause long term irreversible damages. Some of our society doesn’t respect people with mental illnesses as before, people with this illness were called crazy and they were told they had a disease. This may be a reason people still don’t feel comfortable telling people close to them.

Mental illnesses are generally characterized by changes in mood, thought, or behavior. They can make daily activities difficult and impair a person’s ability to work, interact with family, and fulfill other major life functions (SAMHSA, 2015). Contemplated early on in history, treatments for mental illness looked to cure the reflections of the anger of gods, demonic possession, sorcery, the evil eye, or an angry deity, responded with equally mystical, and brutal treatments (Nash, 2007). Attempts to treat mental illness date back as early as 5000 BCE as verified by the discovery of trephined skulls in regions of ancient world cultures (Porter, 2002, p. 10). Only a few realized that individuals with mental illness should be treated humanely rather than exorcised, punished, or banished. Psychiatry has come a long way since the days patients were shunned from society and shackled in asylums. Experiments and techniques for treating mental illness from ancient times to the turn of the 20th century have paved the way for the treatment plans used today.

Mental disorders are not harmful, they are harmful dysfunctions” (p. 131). When a client receives a diagnosis, it does not mean that client will have that diagnosis for the rest of their life. There is a misconception that when a client is diagnosed with a mental disorder, it becomes their identity. There are sufficient treatments, whether therapeutic or medicinal, that can assist the client overcome their disorder (Nash, 22). The most important thing a client can do is to separate themselves from their diagnosis.

Mental health affects the cognitive, emotional, and social development of an individual. These conditions can be short term or can continue for the life span of the person. Mental disorders affect children from different ethnicity, races, and ages. The cause of most mental disorders is not known, but heredity, biology, psychological trauma, and environmental stress are all factors (www.webmd.com). Treatment for mental health disorders includes medication and behavior therapy. Early diagnosis and prevention is encouraged; the lack of such can lead to other issues in “school, home, and in relationship forming.” It can also begin to” interfere with healthy development and continue into adulthood” (www.cdc.gov).

According to the director of national health, “the States have cut $5 billion in mental health services from 2009 to 2012. While also distinguishing at least 4,500 public psychiatric hospital beds.” Decreasing funds for mental health has resulted in an overcrowded population of homeless patients who either spend their time on the streets, in prisons, or in coffins. Overtime, mentally ill patients have nowhere to go, the jail systems are failing to provide proper treatment, and the government has already reduced mental health fundings as it is. It is time to take a stand, and say yes to increasing funds towards the mentally ill and health facilities.

Mental health in Utah has and continues to be the forefront of concern for many throughout the state. The reasons it is such a hot bed issue is due the staggering statistics that come out every year showing Utah as one of the leading states for mental health issues per capita. One article in particular had a report that showed survey results done by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the NDSUH. They found that 22.4 percent of the Adult population here in Utah had a mental disorder in 2014 (CROFTS,2014 ). With the unfortunate trend of mental health issues being a problem in Utah, it comes without a doubt that other issues start to arise such as care for these individuals suffering from these problems. There are many agencies and programs as well professionals who fight everyday in hopes of curbing this epidemic but it is without saying that they too face dilemmas in their line of work. With the sheer number of problems as outlined above, Utah faces an uphill battle for the well being of its literal mental health. This calls for a larger number of professionals combating this epidemic. The questions of moral and ethical responsibilities now become a talking point. To begin I want to state that due to the complexities of the subject it would not be productive, in my opinion, to discuss why we have such a high level mental health issues in our state. The motive for exploring these concerns of patient confidentiality is because of what I believe to be the many

Mental health is often overlooked in today’s society. Some people don’t understand the seriousness of mental health towards a person’s and other peoples well being. Mental health can affect many different people. According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, “Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S.—43.8 million, or 18.5%—experience mental illness in a given year.” (NAMI)Mental health is not acted upon as seriously as it should be, and should be treated like any other illness in the world. Living with poor mental health can affect the rest of your life. Mental health is one of the key components to living a healthy and long life, if your mental health is poor, it can affect your daily life and bring other health obstacles along the way. In today’s news, school shootings, along with other shootings around the world, have been taking place more frequently. The attackers of these attacks are often ruled out to have been suffering from a mental illness. Mental illness, as defined by the CDC, refers to as disorders generally characterized by dysregulation of mood, thought, and/or behavior, as recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4th edition, of the American Psychiatric Association.(CDC)

Would you want to wake up one day and have a mental illness and realize you have money to afford help but know you can 't let it just slide? Even though mental health is expensive, it is needed as an aid for the illnesses of the people getting help. Mental health funding helps the citizens that can 't afford the help for it. They provide a stress free environment for families and citizens since they don 't have to worry about the expenses of the help.

According to the Mayo Clinic, mental illness can be described as a “wide range of mental health conditions, disorders that affect an individual’s mood, thinking and behavior”. It is important for society to be aware of the situation so that precautions are created in order to help monitor the issue that mental illness has on public health. Mental illness supplies a substantial burden of disease worldwide. According to S. Marshall Williams, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 450 million people suffer from mental disorders. It is extremely important to understand the hardship that come with those who possess issues regarding mental illness as it correlates with public health and violence. It is imperative to understand that mental health is fundamental to overall health and well-being and should be treated with the same urgency as physical health (Williams, 2005). Society should know that mental illness can influence the onset, progression, and outcome of other illnesses and often associates with health risk behaviors such as substance abuse, tobacco use, and physical idleness which can often lead to crime as a way for individuals to release their frustrations (Williams, 2005). Moreover, it is important to identify the early onset of risky behavior in order to create a blockade to prevent negative acts from occurring. Although there is a possibility of violence committed by those who may have mental illness, the public is no less accustomed to

I was born into a family of medical professionals ranging from doctors, nurses and medical professors; hence my undeniable passion and interest in healthcare but most emphatically in Psychiatric Mental Health. I believe that mental health is a socially constructed and defined concept, implying that different societies, groups, cultures, institutions and professions have diverse ways of conceptualizing its nature and causes, determining what is mentally healthy and unhealthy, and deciding what interventions, if any, are appropriate.

Everyone is different in society. There are special individuals, which are affected by mental health illnesses. Mental health issues can affect society both negatively and positively. There are cultures that treat these individuals like the reincarnations of gods. On the other side, there are cultures that isolate these individuals and look for cures to these pathologies. Mental health illnesses are important because they have to be studied to understand their cause, whether it may be biological or environmental. These issues are important because like every type of illness they have to be delicately studied, focusing on treatments to either cure them or reduce the symptoms of the pathology. These people were either conflicted with the ideals of society or they were praised by it. Cultures, which didn’t accept them, closed them up into asylums. Patients inside these facilities were brutally used as guinea pigs for their experiments. The way these people were treated shows how cruel and ignorant people were to the unknown. By learning from histories mistakes we can move forward in improving our society and achieve greatness.

This research paper contains information on the importance of education and understanding of the differences between mental health and mental illness. Education is essential to our country, workplace and schools; we can learn from one another, but first we must have an understanding about ourselves as individuals. Social Workers bring unique knowledge and skills to the table and are instrumental in furthering the profession. Education to outside cultures and social groups can help social workers understand the differences within the world and helps dismiss negative stereotypes and prejudice around different groups. Education is key to understanding and managing this diverse world. With the help of education, we can work on preventative programs and treatments options to support the mental health community.

Throughout the course of the semester we discussed and read many books about coming-of-age and many of those books have discussed the problems of mental health. Mental health is a very serious issue in today 's society, and there are many issues surrounding it in children and young adults. Many times people assume that a child or young adult has the perfect life, but tis is not always true. Some assume just because you 're the best athlete or you won a state championship that all is well in your life. This is also not true. Many things revolve around a kids world, where these things can become very overwhelming at times. It can become extremely stressful and a young person 's life. Weather by school or assignments these are all things that factor into a kids mental health state, and many other things. This is not limited to several other things like home life, parents, and relationships all have throughout high school and college.

Mental health is a very important part of someone’s overall livelihood. Mental health can be the difference of feeling generally happy to being clinically depressed. Insomnia and sleep deprivation have been linked to those suffering from anxiety or depression. Sometimes, people with anxiety can even disrupt their sleep cycle and cause themselves to wake up during the night further contributing to their lack of sleep. Sleep deprivation can also be a sign that someone’s mental health is decreasing and that they should talk to a professional (nightmare pg. 53). The reason why sleep affects a person’s mental health so much is due to a change in physiology, or changes in the functioning of the autonomic nervous system (sleeping and dreaming pg. 47). The physiology of the brain doesn’t just affect mental health, but many other things. Those who are sleep deprived also become more easily distracted, become easily irritated, and can have an overall (sleep and dreaming pg 46). negative effect on a person’s perception. Surprsingly, sleep deprivation can even effect exercise and nutrition. If someone were to work out while sleep deprived, they may feel like they are working out harder or doing worse than previous work out experiences. Exercising can become more effort while sleep deprived, and can put greater strain on the heart and respiratory system. Sports players can also be affected by sleep dprivation. Many sports that require a lot of physical exertion and mental stimulation