Everything About Mental Illness
Do you know?
Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. i.e., approx. 43.8 million people experience mental illness in a given year.
Mental illness issues are common these days. It’s a condition that affects your thought process i.e., how you think, feel, act, or relate to people or to your surroundings.
Cause of mental illness
Mental illnesses can be due to various genetic and environmental factors:
- Inherited traits – Those who have a known family history of mental health issues have a high risk of mental illness.
- Environmental exposures before birth – Exposure to environmental stressors, change in job/ school, a dysfunctional family life, social or cultural expectations, or substance abuse by the person or the person’s parents sometimes lead to mental health issues.
- Psychological Factors – Some of the psychological factors that may contribute to mental illness include:
- Any trauma experienced in childhood such as emotional, physical, or sexual abuse
- Death of someone such as the loss of a parent
- Neglect
- Poor ability to relate to others
Symptoms of mental illness
It can range from mild to severe and can vary from person to person. However, proper treatment can bring your life to normal. Some of the signs and symptoms of mental illnesses include:
- Feeling sad or down
- Extreme mood changes of highs and lows
- Significant tiredness, low energy or problems sleeping
- Major changes in eating habits
- Excessive worries
- Sex drive changes
- Extreme feelings of guilt
- Suicidal thinking
- Inability to cope with stress or daily issues
- Excessive anger, hostility or violence
- Alcohol or drug abuse
- Withdrawal from friends and activities
- Confused thinking or reduced ability to concentrate
- Hyperactivity
- Change in sleeping and/or eating disorders
A person struggling with mental health issues may also experience physical problems including a headache, back pain, stomach pain, or other unexplained aches and pains.
How to cope with your mental illness?
Living with mental illness is not easy. It’s a consistent problem without a clear solution, however with proper medication and psychotherapy treatment patients can be treated. Some of the common ways to cope with mental illness are:
Radical acceptance – Acceptance is really important to deal with mental illness. It will not only ease your life but will also help you to act, prepare, and keep yourself safe in difficult situations. Accept your feelings and seek help from the people you trust. You can read or talk about mental illness with your doctor. It will help you understand more about mental illnesses.
Deep breathing – Deep breathing is the best way to lower down your anxiety levels. When struggling with anxiety, you can turn to the concept of “5 3 7 breathing.”
- Breathe in for 5 seconds
- Hold the breath for 3 seconds
- Breathe out for 7 seconds
Opposite-to-Emotion Thinking – It means you should act in the opposite way your emotion tell you to act. Suppose you’re feeling low and have an urge to isolate, do the opposite to it. Go out and be around people.
Join a support group – Tell your family and friends about your issues and seek support from them. However, if you don’t want to discuss anything with them, join a support group. These groups provide an opportunity to talk about your problems with other people, people who’re experiencing the same issues. They can listen and offer valuable advice.
Seek a counselor – Mental health conditions are harder to treat. If your symptoms get worse, consult with a health care provider immediately. Therapy can be beneficial for you as well as your family. Your mental health professional can suggest ways to cope and better understand your loved one’s illness.
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