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Loice Vavi Health Matters

What is mental illness

It is a wide range of conditions that affect mood, thinking and behaviour.

Most common types of mental disorders

Anxiety disorder — It is a mental health disorder characterised by feeling of worry , anxiety or fear that are strong enough to interfere with one’s daily activities.

Signs and Symptoms

Worrying about daily life including school, job and social life. Worrying is uncontrollable and causes distress.

Inability to set aside worry and restlessness. Usually its self diagnosable.

Irritability, restlessness cognitive, racing thoughts or unwanted thoughts, fatigue, angor animi (strong perception that one is going to die), fear, insomnia, palpitations, nervous and sense of impending danger or doom.

Dimentia

It is a group of thinking and social symptoms that interferes with daily functioning.

Signs and symptoms

Experience memory loss, poor judgement and confusion.

Difficulty speaking, understanding  and expressing thoughts.

Wandering and getting lost in a familiar neighborhood.

Repetition.

Disoriented to persons, time and place

Misplacing things.

Depression

A mental health disorder characterised by persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairement in daily life. Possible causes includes a combination of  biological, psychological sources of distress.

Signs and symptoms

Low energy, low motivation, loss of interest in daily activities

Suicidal thoughts.

Persistent feeling of sadness.

Bipolar /maniac

Episodes of mood swings ranging from depressive to maniac highs. The exact cause is not known but, a combination of genetics, environment,  altered brain structure and chemistry may play a role and there is no treatment.

Signs and symptoms

Hyperactive, insomnia and agitation.

Loss of touch with reality.

Unusual talkativeness.

Racing thoughts, exaggerated sense of well-being and self confidence (euphoria.)

5. Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

It is a mental disorder triggered by a disturbing outside events.

Signs and symptoms

Night mares, flash backs and feeling ‘numb.’

Avoiding certain activities, people or places.

Intense feeling such as anger, fear or worry.

Insomnia.

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

Excessive thoughts (obsessions) that lead to repetitive behaviours (compulsions).

Signs and symptoms

Checking repeatedly for problems. This includes:

Checking taps, alarms, door locks and appliances to prevent damage.

Checking their body for any signs of illness.

Repeatedly checking communication, such as messages for fear of having made a mistake or offending the recipient.

Fear of contamination, repeating words silently or counting.

Schizophrenia

This is a chronic, severe and disabling mental illness.

Signs and symptoms

Unkempt (loss of hygiene), hallucinations, delusions, fatigue and social withdrawal.

Not caring about things one used to, feeling sad, down and hopeless most of the time.

Weight gain or loss.

Sense of being controlled by outside forces.

Feeling of guilty or worthless, forgetfulness, confusion and suicidal thoughts.

Risk factors for mental illness

• Genetics or family history of the disorders.
• Chemical imbalance in the brain.
• Substance abuse.
• Trauma during childhood such as child abuse or neglect.
• Poverty and low levels of social support.
• Stressful circumstances during childhood
• Academic failure.
• Early pregnancies, substance abuse during pregnancy, low birth weight and perinatal complications

Risk factors for mental illness

• Exposure to violence or trauma.
• Family conflicts.
• Parental substance abuse.
• Poor work skills and habits and social incompetence .
• Personal loss, low social class, loneliness and medical illness.
• Work related stress, racism and injustice.
• Unemployment and poverty.
• Access to drugs and alcohol.
• Peer rejection leads to low self esteem

Protective factors for mental illness

• One should have copying mechanisms and survival skills in place.
• Literacy, autonomy, self esteem, stress management and problem solving skills.
• Social support of family and friends.
• Positive parent-child interaction and early bonding.
• Empowerment , social participation , social responsibility and tolerance  and community networking.

1. NB. Mental illness treatment varies with type of mental disorder but, almost always involves psychiatric counselling. Sometimes medications may be prescribed.

Education, employment, social well-being, availability of food and housing play a pivotal role in prevention of mental disorders because these factors are also responsible for better physical health

For more information:  Contact [email protected] or 0772224231