Mental Health Awareness: Why It Matters?

In the past few years, mental health awareness has become an increasingly popular topic in the mass media. Without a doubt, mental health is more of a priority than it was only ten years ago. It is not only discussed as a separate topic, but we're becoming more aware of the importance of mental health care in the corporate world, family life, sports, and our overall well-being.

Mental health care is crucial not only to achieve a more fulfilling life but also to help reduce the percentage of mental disorders across the world. The more we take care of ourselves on all levels, the less mental illness we can expect in the future. However, that is easier said than done. As mental health is more complex to detect and treat, there is still a long way to go to eliminate any significant barrier to raising awareness and mental health promotion.

What Is Mental Health Care?

To better understand mental health, we have to take a look at the bigger picture of mental health care. Our emotional, psychological, and social well-being all influence our mental health. Mental health impacts our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Besides that, it impacts the ways we react to stress, communicate with others, and make decisions.

From infancy to our mature ages, all experiences are critical for mental health. Your thoughts, feelings, and actions can be directly impacted by your mental health issues.

However, mental health is so much more than just the lack of mental illness. Each person experiences it differently, leading to very different social and therapeutic effects. For example, poor mental health can affect or even worsen situations for those facing cancer or fighting a substance addiction. That is why access to mental health services is crucial, whether we're talking about a child or an adult.

Mental health issues consist of different mental conditions and disorders, including psychosocial disabilities and mental disorders. Although it's not always the case, people with mental health disorders are more likely to have lower levels of mental well-being.

Factors Impacting Mental Health

Our place on the mental health continuum might change throughout our lifetimes due to a variety of individual, societal, and structural factors. People can be more susceptible to mental health issues due to a variety of individual psychological and biological characteristics, including emotional intelligence, substance abuse, and heredity.

A person's chance of developing mental health disorders is at bigger risk if a person is exposed to unfavorable social, economic, geopolitical, and environmental conditions. Examples of such conditions can be poverty, violence, inequality, and environmental challenges.

Risks can appear at any time, but they are especially harmful when they happen at developmentally sensitive times, such as early childhood. For instance, bullying is a significant risk factor for mental health disorders, and strict parenting and physical punishment are also known to harm children's health.

Also, local risks can increase the possibility of mental health illnesses for people, families, and communities. Economic downturns, disease outbreaks, humanitarian crises, forced migration, and the worsening climate crisis are just a few examples of global challenges that increase risk.

The predictive power of each individual risk and protective factor is limited. When exposed to a risk factor, the majority of people will not develop a mental health disorder, while many people who have no known risk factor nevertheless could experience a mental health issue.

Mental Illness & Mental Disorders

Mental illnesses are problems that can impact a person's thinking, emotions, and behavior. They can range in severity from moderate to severe. Although the exact nature of the association between stress and mental illness is unknown, it is known that stress can make a mental illness episode worse. The majority of people can use medicine, counseling, or both to manage their mental condition.

However, research and education on these matters are crucial to removing the stigma around mental health and gaining access to needed healthcare services.

These are just some of the mental illnesses and conditions that can arise due to the above-mentioned factors:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Behavioral disorders (ADHD, conduct disorder, etc.)
• Bipolar disorder
• Dissociation and dissociative disorders
• Eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia)
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Paranoia
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Psychosis
• Schizophrenia

Although these mental health conditions differ from each other, and each person dealing with them might have their own unique experience, there are certain signs that could signal a mental health problem in the future.

These are some of the most common signs of mental health illnesses:

• Changes in eating or sleeping pattern
• Isolating yourself from social activities
• Loss of energy and motivation
• Feeling numb
• Smoking, drinking, substance abuse, or engaging in similar harmful activities
• Fighting or creating scenes with family, friends, or coworkers
• Experiencing strong mood swings
• Thoughts of suicide, self-harm, or harming others
• Inability to perform your usual abilities, tasks, and responsibilities

If you're experiencing a few of these symptoms, it doesn't have to imply immediately that you have one of the mental health conditions. For something to be qualified as a mental health condition, it requires a period of six months. In other words, if you're experiencing any of these symptoms for more than six months, it's probably that you have one of the above-mentioned mental health conditions.

That said, it doesn't mean that you should ignore your mental health crisis. Seek mental health services if you're suffering from these symptoms.

Mental health awareness aims to prevent any of these mental health conditions by reacting on time and taking care of yourself properly. After all, a major reason for the appearance of a certain illness lies in the lack of mental health awareness.

How to Improve Your Mental Health

It might be challenging to define mental health awareness or mental well-being. Mental health goes beyond how you're feeling, how well you're handling day-to-day life, or what are your options right now.

Being cheerful all the time does not equate to having good mental health. Or that your experiences have no effect on you. Being in good physical condition doesn't mean your mental health is perfect.

To improve your mental health, focus on everything that can help you relax. Make an effort to integrate something you like every day. This could be taking a bath or a shower, or listening to your favorite music.

If faced with a stressful situation, try to take a break. Even for a brief while, a subtle change might help you de-stress, become more relaxed, and recharge your batteries. Make an effort to schedule regular time to engage in a hobby or other activities that make you feel good. This could be watching TV, contacting friends, or preparing a meal.

If you're under a lot of stress, you can begin to feel overwhelmed or uncontrollable. Stress can also have physical impacts on your body. Focusing on the here and now or your senses can be beneficial for you. You can employ methods like breathing exercises or meditation. You can also practice mindfulness. Focus on your senses when performing daily tasks like eating or cleaning to stay present in the moment.

It has been demonstrated that living in the present moment can increase one's awareness of one's thoughts and emotions. You will be able to manage your emotions better once your mental health is strengthened.

Conclusion

Whether you're experiencing major depression or anxiety, strengthening your mental health is crucial. The more important mental health awareness is in our society, the easier it will become to recognize the signs of mental health conditions. Not only that, but we will also be able to recognize the mental health condition of other people and offer support, which can be crucial for recovery.

Mental health problems require more awareness in different areas because ignoring them leads to poor mental health. Mental health awareness helps us receive treatment for a mental disorder on time and educates us on the impact different mental health conditions can have on our lives.

Whether you think you have a mental illness or simply want to raise awareness around mental well-being, it's never too late to do your research and learn about the importance of factors that contribute to feeling fulfilled.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Examples of Mental Illnesses?

There are numerous mental illness examples. Anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and behavior disorders are common examples of mental illnesses. For a condition to be classified as a mental illness, a person needs to experience the symptoms of this mental illness for at least six months. Common treatment options for any mental illness are therapy and/or medications. Individuals can also take care of their mental health by implementing healthy habits in their everyday lives.

How Can We Improve Mental Health Awareness?

Numerous resources are available to raise mental health awareness and create a better quality of our lives. If you want to raise awareness of the importance of overall health, it's crucial to learn about different mental illness treatments. This will help you understand which habits, emotions, and experiences lead to mental illness. Learning about your family history is also important for understanding the trauma and difficulties you need to cope with today as adults.

What Is the Treatment for Mental Illness?

Treatment options will depend on the mental illness. The treatment for depression will not be the same as a treatment for an eating disorder. A mental health expert considers different factors such as a family situation, medical history, past trauma experiences, and other factors adults experience during their lives. If a child is experiencing a mental illness, adults should ensure they provide them with adequate access to treatment and medical care.