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Raising Awareness of Mental Illness

Jan 24, 2020 | Health

Raising Awareness of Mental Illness

Overview of Mental Health

Mental illness is a medical condition that affects changes in emotion, thinking, and behavior. Mental disorders can affect anyone regardless of their age, gender, sexual orientation, and race. Also, it can happen at any age, but the most common is at age 24. Having a mental disorder can interfere with daily life activities and make it difficult to function properly.

Symptoms

  • Experiencing different emotions: sad, upset, tired, fearing or worried about something
  • Changes in mood throughout the day
  • Reducing the ability to concentrate
  • Removing one’s self from friends and families
  • Detachment from reality, paranoia, or hallucinations
  • Unable to cope with stress and relating to other people
  • Alcohol/drug abuse
  • Changes in eating habits
  • Suicidal thoughts
  • Excessive anger and violence going through head

Risk Factors/Causes

  • Having family members that used to have the illness can increase your likelihood of developing the mental illness.
  • Exposing to alcohol, drug, and toxic environments are linked to mental illness.
  • Dealing with stressful life situations

Types of Disorder

  • Mood disorders (bipolar disorder or depression)
  • Anxiety disorder (keeping you from leading a regular lifestyle)
  • Personality disorder (patterns of thinking and behaviors that makes it difficult to relate to other people)
  • Trauma-related disorder (Post-traumatic stress is experienced after going through a terrifying experience)
  • Psychotic disorder (schizophrenia is a combination of hallucinations and delusions that worsen daily functions)

How Can It Affect the Brain?

The human brain is extremely complex and sometimes difficult to understand. The brain controls your movement, sensing the environment. Also, it can manage how you breathe and able to control your emotions. The brain releases chemical reactions every second. Those chemical reactions support your thinking, behaviors, and how to respond to your environment. Scientists believe neurotransmission is the cause of mental health disorders. Neurotransmission is when cells in the brain communicate with each other. The level of the neurotransmitter serotonin (a chemical related to well-being/happiness) drastically drops in mental health patients. Changes in the neurotransmitters add to the complexity of the disease; therefore, it is challenging to find the right cure.

Preventions

  • Improving the public’s understanding of mental health issues.
  • Leading a healthy lifestyle and increase positivity in daily activities.
  • Educating children, parents, and schools on mental health interventions.
  • Building a healthy relationship with those around you, including families and friends.
  • Talking to your doctor or seek help from a psychiatrist.
  • Stopping mental health problems before they start and identify potentially dangerous signs.
  • Getting the help when you really need it.

Raising Awareness with CSOFT!

We live in a beautiful world, yet there is a lot of diseases that we are currently battling. Over 95% of the world’s population has health problems, with over a third having more than five illnesses. As of 2019, there are billions of people facing the reality of living with mental health disorders. In June 2020, CSOFT will be launching HealthFirst 100 Campaign to raise awareness for the different diseases around the world. We encourage you to join hands with us to support those that are in need.

If You are Having Suicidal Thoughts:

  • Call 911 or your local emergency number immediately
  • Call your mental health specialist
  • Reach out to your friends and families for help
  • Call a suicide hotline number. In the U.S., call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) OR webchat through suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat

Reference

(US), N. I. of H. (1970, January 1). Information about Mental Illness and the Brain. Retrieved November 11, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK20369/.

Goldberg, J. (2019, April 6). Mental Health: The Brain and Mental Illness. Retrieved November 11, 2019, from https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/brain-mental-illness.

Mental illness. (2019, June 8). Retrieved November 11, 2019, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mental-illness/symptoms-causes/syc-20374968.

Mental Illness: See Why This is a Public Health Issue. (2018, October 19). Retrieved November 11, 2019, from https://mphdegree.usc.edu/blog/mental-illness-and-public-health/.

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