Our mind is described as a biological computer, which is too powerful and sometimes way beyond our control. It has the power to make us strong or tear us apart. It’s up to us how we train our minds to think, negatively or positively. Mental health decides our well being depending on our choices.
By Prathima.G.Kulkarni
Mental health can be described as emotional, psychological and social well being without any worries, tension or negative thoughts. It tells us a great deal about our behavior, how we act or react to a particular issue or situation. Mental Health also shows how we handle tough situations, stress and how we interact and converse with others. Staying in a proper state of mind is important throughout our lives starting from childhood all the way up to our old age.
The World Health Organization (WHO)informs us that mental health is much more than just the absence of mental disorders or disabilities.Mental health is a foundation to the entire collective and individual capability of humans to think, act, interact with each other, and enjoy life. Promoting, protecting and restoring mental health is of utmost importance for a better quality of life of an individual and the society.
Factors that determine Mental Health issues:
All of us exhibit some kind of disturbance no irrespective of our age or status. Mental health issues in the children between the ages of 12 to 17 years are at their peak all around the world.
13% of youth in America are reported to be suffering from at least one Major Depressive Episode(MDE) and 18% in Oregon alone.
Our social life along with the financial situation is also a reason for mental health imbalance.
Stressful work conditions, gender discrimination, social exclusion, unhealthy lifestyles, physical ill-health and human rights violations also impact mental health.
Family mental history is also a reason.
Early warning signs of mental imbalance
Eating and sleeping more or less than normal can create mental issues.Major emotional imbalance is a concern. Sometimes feeling at your best and the next minute feeling upset can have a negative impact on your relationships.A social butterfly who disconnects from everyone without any reason could develop mental health issues.
Smoking, drinking, drugs and other sorts of addiction could also lead to mental imbalance.
Yelling and screaming at anyone and everyone for no reason, hearing voices or believing things that are not true, thinking of harming yourself or others could have a negative impact on mental health.
Types of mental disorders
Depression: This has become a big problem nowadays as many are suffering from it. Depression can be described as a mood disorder or mood swing. It may reflect feelings of sadness, loss, or anger that interfere with a person’s everyday activities. A depressed person will be in a low emotional and physical state. He or she might end up driving himself or herself into a corner spending time alone and develop self pity. They can even turn aggressive and angry and will not know why this is happening and cannot control it.
Eating Disorder: This can be termed as a serious mental health condition, which leads to unhealthy eating habit. Eating disorder will have a significant impact on the person experiencing it as well astheir family as this couldlead to health issues likeobesity, as there will be no control on how much they eat. Seeking help at the earliest is important to overcome this.
Personality Disorder: Each and every one of us has a personality, which is unique as it is a representation of our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Personality disorder is a form of mental disorder, which stimulates inflexible and unhealthy thinking, functioning and behavior. This will create difficulty in communicating with people and understanding a situation.
Positive mental health
Positive mental health is what all of us need to have for a peaceful life with no stress or depression. This will help us realize our full potential and and give our 100% in everything we do. Stress is a major concern, which can bedealt with a positive attitude as it helps us see the good things in everything. The way one starts to work will be different without getting angry or upset. It also helps us to do good for others and to our community.
Understanding others will become easy and providing assistance to them will become a way of our life.
Maintaining positive or good mental health is imperative in these times. It’s achievable as all it needs are some small adjustments in the way we live.
