For a long time, mental illness has been a taboo in our society, and no one wants to take it seriously or talk about mental health. Most of the time, people mock and make fun of those who have any Mental Disorder.
Physical illness or handicap, on the other hand, is treated far more severely than mental illness. When people observe someone with a physical impairment, they will feel more sympathy and worry. However, we must recognize that our mental health causes about 90% of physical problems.
Mental disorders are getting more widespread by the day. There is nothing that can prevent this. According to a WHO-conducted survey, one out of every five persons suffers from severe mental disorders.
Definition of Mental illness
The fast changes in emotions, behavior and thinking style are mental illnesses or mental disorders. It does not discriminate against people based on ethnicity, socioeconomic level, or skin color; it can develop at any age and gender.
We’ve normalized a few things in our lives nowadays, such as:
- Without mental tranquillity
- With the continual anxiety of not enjoying a life of luxury
- Depression
- Feeling sad about one’s financial situation or troubles in one’s personal life.
Because we see these things in everyone nowadays, we assume it’s typical to have these symptoms. I agree that it’s human nature to feel these emotions. Still, when living with continual dread or depression becomes a part of your life, you know there’s something wrong with your mental health and need to take action.
The Relationship Between Physical And Mental Health
Physical health or limitations influence how you appear, but mental health influences how you live. Many persons with physical limitations have been witnessed living a joyful life with peace of mind. Similarly, many people are physically healthy but lack mental serenity, which negatively affects their social and personal lives.
No doubt that being physically fit is one of the finest blessings from God that a human being can ever have, but, at the same time, being mentally healthy is as vital, in fact, more important since it impacts both your mind as well as your body.
Mental Illness Causes
Many symptoms and causes of mental disorders are still unknown, although there may be many causes of mental illness, some of which are as follows:
- Genetics
- Abuse of Substances
- Trauma
1. Genetics
A person who has a mental disorder may have hereditary diseases; these disorders run in families. They do not, however, follow the conventional pattern of inheritance.
Many disorders are caused by multifactorial inheritance, which is a combination of environmental and genetic variables.
2. Abuse of Substances
It is just the excessive and hazardous use of any chemical, such as alc0h01, narcotics, or t0bacc0. Substance-abuse-related mental disorders are referred to as “substance abuse mental disorders.”
3. Trauma
Any traumatic incident in the past and witnessing abuse or violence might result in severe mental illness. Furthermore, it might have a negative influence on a person’s life. Disorders induced by any trauma are most commonly detected in young children. They can last a lifetime if not addressed promptly.
There might be various causes for it. For example, a kid may have been mistreated at an early age. They may have been neglected as a youngster, financial troubles, family problems, and so on.
Some Examples of Common Mental Disorders:
There are around 250 different forms of mental disorders. They might be present since childhood. Occasionally, a person suffering from disease has no idea what is wrong with them.
Mental disorders can impact your relationships, employment, and social life, preventing you from leading a regular life.
Here is a list of various mental disorders that are frequent nowadays, especially in youngsters, and should not be underestimated.
1. Anxiety/Depression Disorders
It is one of the most frequent forms of mental disorders. According to one American research, over 265 million individuals are affected with Depression/Anxiety (of age about 18 to older adults).
The continual pressure from society to perform well and constantly be number one can lead to the development of this disorder. Its symptoms may not appear severe at first, but if not treated promptly, they might worsen.
2. Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is the most frequent thinking disorder; nevertheless, the reasons for this disorder have yet to be established. That has been related to “multiple personality” or “split personality” disorder by many individuals. This disorder can develop due to any traumatic occurrence in the past, which you may have observed as a child or may have been a victim of.
Schizophrenia patients have symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and seeing unreal objects. These folks are unable to express their feelings fully.
They type of life in their world of imagination and false impressions; if a person suffering from this disease is not treated on time, they might pose a significant risk to themselves and others.
3. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
A person is washing their hands every 10 minutes out of fear of being contaminated by germs or cleaning their room even though it is clean. That’s what sprang to mind when you heard the word OCD, wasn’t it? Well, it’s much more than that.
OCD is a sort of anxiety disorder that causes you to do things you don’t want to do again and over again. It’s human nature to double-check whether your front door is secured or not and if your appliances are turned off or not.
However, if you keep checking or performing these things and are still unsure if you closed the door or switched off the switch, this is when you should see a psychiatrist.
Symptoms of this disorder most likely appear in childhood, but they are not treated seriously 95 percent of the time. The individual grows up believing that whatever he is doing is normal. OCD is a treatable disorder provided the patient receives treatment on time; else, it might take years to be cured.
Conclusion:
For the past decade, mental health has been severely undervalued. It is sometimes regarded as a disgrace to visit a psychiatrist for a check-up. The average individual lacks basic information on mental health, which is both incorrect and hazardous.
The reason why Mental Health is termed more important than Physical Health is since a human being’s complete body is dependent on their mind. If your mind is healthy, you are healthy; however, your body will ultimately become ill if you are mentally sick.