Mental illness Essay Example

Mental illness Essay Example Mental illness Essay Mental illness Essay Health is not the absence of disease but it is a state in which an individual is physically, mentally and psychologically well. When looking at health, you have to consider both the structural, emotional and chemical health of the body. Emotional health involves peoples’ attitudes and thoughts which play a great role in the overall health of an individual. The body is considered to be structurally health when organs, muscles, bones and other body parts are physically health without any damage. Chemical health exists when there is a chemical balance in our body such that toxic chemicals are gotten rid off. I choose this definition because it incorporates every part of the body: psychological aspect, physical and chemical aspect. An individual may not be suffering from a disease but still be considered as unhealthy if there is chemical imbalance in the body or his/her body structures are not sound. Aspects such as body mass index, weight/height ratio are important in determining an individual’s physical health (Tilden, 2005). Mental health: Mental health differs from one individual to the other with others being mentally healthier than others. It is said that we all suffer from some form of mental illness that cannot be medically diagnosed. For one to be mentally health, he/she should be able to enjoy life, be flexible and self actualized. This is achieved through activities such as mindfulness meditation that allow an individual to get the best out of the present. Flexibility on opinions can also enhance the mental health of an individual. Individuals who are rigid in their opinions may end up developing mental problems as a result of stress from the rigid opinions they holds. Self actualization is important in getting the best out of someone. People who are mentally health are in the self actualization process because they try to get the best out of every situation. This is the right definition because of the different aspects of life that it involves. Flexibility, self actualization and enjoying life help in dealing with the different situations that face us in our day to day lives. They help us socialize and make new friends, enable us to deal with loss and misfortunes, raise our self esteem and improve our sexuality (World Health Organization, 2005). Opinions about mental health: My ideas about mental health and illness have mainly come from biological theories that exist. Research indicates that there is a genetic connection to development of a mental disorder. Presently, it is thought that genes have an influence on expression or non-expression of the human character like the facial expression and mental health. Research on identical twins has provided strong evidence that genetic components play a role in development of schizophrenia. On average, there is a 1 % probability of an average person in the US developing schizophrenia while in identical twins if one is diagnosed with this condition, there is a 50% probability of the other one developing the condition regardless of the conditions in which he/she has been brought up in. Dementia on the other hand has been renowned to run in families although one cannot predict with certainty that the same can affect the generation that follows. It is only Huntington’s cholera: a movement disorder that appears to have a single gene as a determinant. Other types of dementia such as Alzheimer’s do not express a familial pattern although its expression in an individual cannot be predictable. Scientists believe the same can apply to other mental disorders which run in families like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, panic and depression disorders. I believe that alcohol together with substance abuse have a connection to mental illness. Because alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, I believe it plays a major role in development of depression together with other mental health disorders. Apart from depression, nutritional deficiencies that result from alcohol use increase the risk of individual developing nutritional related mental disorders. For example, deficiency of thiamine can lead to brain damage in form of severe dementia even during the early stages of life. Individual suffering from withdrawal syndrome have been found to be at a greater risk of developing delirium tremens which can result to cardiovascular shock or even death. â€Å"Designer† drugs such as â€Å"Ecstasy† have a significant effect on behavior and can bring about permanent memory loss together with severe depression which respond poorly to treatment. Therefore, these drugs can be thought to be contributors to sudden mental illness onset. Other factors such as social cultural factors also contribute to other mental illnesses like Anorexia nervosa, body dysmorphic disorder and bulimia nervosa. Because of the society’s perception of slender women as beautiful, there has been a significant occurrence of eating disorders. This is because of lack of self-esteem together with feelings of being out of control. The fear of sexual maturation has also been said to be a contributing factor to psychological eating disorders. Such factors has changed the society such that it has shifted to valuing activities over the rest which has turned many individuals to slaves of work with little care for the inner self. Mild cases of stress related disorders have as a result an increased likelihood of developing to full blown panic, depressive disorders and anxiety. Therefore, according to my opinion, for one to acquire a healthy mental state, there has to be a balance between work/activities and rest/relaxation. Is it possible for an individual to have a mental illness and still be healthy? It is possible for an individual to be health despite being diagnosed with a mental illness. Mental health stretches beyond the absence of a mental condition. When an individual is diagnosed with a mental condition, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the individual is mentally unhealthy but instead it means that: they have to work more in maintaining their mental health as compared to others. There are individuals who do not have any mental condition but cannot be said to be mentally healthy. This is because they have difficulties in managing stress to the extent that it affects their physical well being by developing headaches, heart diseases and stomach upsets. Difficulties in anger management also can contribute to mental instability which in return affects the mental health. Therefore, it is possible for an individual with a mental condition to be healthy if he/she is able to manage him/herself effectively to be able to enjoy life and achieve goals without many difficulties. What is recovery? According to me, it is the process of changing for the better which can be enhanced by the following factors: treatment, criminal justice interventions, faith institutions, receiving support from family, friends and other individuals and also mutual groups/recovery centers. Stigma associated with a mental illness can affect an individual in different aspects. It can lead to isolation from the community and friends through exclusions and rejections. It can make the individual to be denied proper housing, health insurance, loans and even jobs. A person may as a result of stigma loss self esteem making it difficult for him to interact and make new friends affecting his/her social life. They may also be denied treatment because of the denial state of the individual or the family members. It can also lead to separation in couples. Hence it is important for proper care to be taken to ensure that adequate care and love is provided to people with mental conditions. Bibliography Tilden, H. J. (2005) What Is Health? Kessinger Publishing, LLC. World Health Organization (2005). Mental health: facing the challenges, building solutions: report from the WHO European Ministerial Conference. WHO Regional Office Europe.