Mental Health

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Mental Health

• affects every aspect of our daily lives. Our
  sense of personal well-being has a major impact
  on our physical health and interaction with
  others.

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What causes mental illness?

• Mental illnesses are
• biological, linked with disturbances in the brain
  or other body-system chemistry,
• psychological, linked with disturbances in
  thought or emotion, and
• social, linked with life events and stresses
• Mental health professionals account for all three
  areas of a persons life when they design a plan
  for dealing with the illness
• Biological factors that may affect whether
  someone becomes seriously mentally ill include
• pre-natal damage
• birth trauma
• viral infection
• faulty brain chemistry

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• Genetics may play a part too
• Studies show that close relatives of someone with
  schizophrenia or an affective disorder be much
  more likely to have the same illness.
• However, people dont inherit the illness itself.
  They just inherit the tendency to get it.
• Psychological and social factors could include
• lack of support from relationships
• child abuse
• family violence
• unemployment
• major changes in life

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What are the most common serious mental
illnesses? How do I recognize them?

• The most common serious mental illnesses are
  schizophrenia, depression and manic depression.
  In general, the major mental illnesses tend to be
  "episodic".
• This means the symptoms come and go, leaving
  periods in between when people can lead fairly
  normal lives.

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Schizophrenia

• People with schizophrenia can have confused
  thoughts,
• hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that
  others don't),
• extreme anxiety,
• delusions (irrational beliefs),
• passivity,
• depression, and
• lack of motivation

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• Schizophrenia is rarely a constant state. People
  generally go through periods of illness, followed
  by periods where they are at least partly
  recovered.
• What happens over the long term is mixed as well.
  Ten years after schizophrenia first appears, most
  people probably will improve to some extent.
• Some of these people will still need a lot of
  support, while others will be living quite
  independently.
• About 25 will recover completely.
• Unfortunately, around 15 of people will not
  improve, and around 10 will die, mostly by
  suicide

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Depression and Manic Depression

• Depression and manic depression are also called
  mood disorders or affective disorders. Depression
  is the most common of the two.
• People with depression may
• suffer from anxiety
• feel helpless and hopeless
• lose interest in activities they used to enjoy
• feel guilty
• think of suicide

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• Physically, they may gain or lose a lot of
  weight, and their appetites may change. Their
  sleeping patterns may be different, and they may
  have less energy as well.
• People with manic depression (also called bipolar
  disorder) go through mood swings between
  depression and mania.
• The most obvious sign of mania is an outgoing
  "feeling up" kind of mood.
• People in manic phases appear sociable,
  talkative, very energetic and full of
  self-confidence.

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• On the other hand, they may also become
• very irritable,
• unpredictable,
• overly self-important, or
• reckless.
• For example, they may go on spending sprees, even
  to the point of financial ruin or trouble with
  the law

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Other illnesses

• Other common mental illnesses fall into the
  category of anxiety disorders. These include
• phobias (unreasonable fears)
• panic disorders (intense episodes of sudden fear)
  
• obsessive compulsive disorder (unwanted thoughts
  or actions that keep repeating)

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How many people are affected by mental illness?

• We can say for sure that at least one percent of
  a population is likely to have a serious and
  persistent mental illness at any given time.
• This is equal to about 300,000 Canadians at any
  given time.
• Approximately one out of every five people is
  likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness at
  some time during their entire life.
• In other words, close to six million Canadians
  will have a mental illness during some period in
  their lives.
• The rates of mental illness vary from one illness
  to another. For example, it is estimated that
• schizophrenia affects about 1 of Canadians,
• mood disorders affect about 10, and
• anxiety disorders affect about 12.

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Factors affecting mental illness rates

• A number of factors affect how many people will
  have a mental illness. One of these is the
  support of family and friends.
• For example, people who are divorced or separated
  are more likely to go through a depression than
  those who are married.
• Another factor is gender. Twice as many females
  report depression as males.
• There is also a link between physical and mental
  health.
• It is reported that 25 of people with serious
  physical health conditions will develop a major
  depressive disorder along with their condition.
  These other health conditions include diabetes,
  heart attack, cancer and stroke.

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Are people with mental illness dangerous?

• Advocates for people with mental illness insist
  that they are no more likely to be violent than
  members of the general population.
• The evidence backs up this position. Researchers
  have not been able to show clearly that mental
  illness causes people to be violent.
• Still, it is common to see mentally ill people
  portrayed as unpredictable and dangerous.
• This view comes mainly from the media, who may
  not have correct information.
• Things are made worse when a mentally ill person
  does commit a violent crime, and it ends up on
  the front page of the paper

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• The vast majority of people with mental illness
  are not violent.
• Likewise, most people who commit violent crimes
  are not mentally ill.
• For example, a violent family life is likely to
  increase someone's chance of being violent,
  whether or not they have a mental illness.
• There is a very small group of people with
  certain types of mental illnesses who may become
  violent.
• For example, recent research suggests that some
  people with neurological damage and psychoses are
  more likely to become violent than the general
  population.
• This is especially true if they are also abusing
  drugs or alcohol.

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Is mental illness related to poverty?

• We can look this question in two different ways
• Whether being poor causes mental illness, and
• Whether having a mental illness can lead to
  poverty.

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Does poverty cause mental illness?

• Poverty increases the level of stress in
  someones life.
• The constant struggle to survive can take a great
  toll on their mental health, and bring about
  mental health problems.
• Clearly, it is easier to have good mental health
  if you have material comfort than if you live in
  poverty.
• However, the causes of mental illness are varied
  and complex.
• Its hard to say that poverty alone directly
  causes mental illness.
• Mental illness occurs in all classes of society,
  and the great majority of people who live in
  poverty do not have mental illness.

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Does mental illness cause poverty?

• Having a mental illness can make it very hard to
  find a steady job.
• The chances of becoming poor are greater if
  someone is mentally ill.
• For instance, recent Canadian studies show that
  the numbers of homeless people with a mental
  illness are rising.
• Many people with mental illness hold down
  well-paid jobs. A key factor for many of these
  people is a strong support network of family and
  friends.
• So we can say that poverty may contribute to
  mental health problems, and that mental illness
  can make it difficult to live above the poverty
  line.
• After that, the connections are not simple.
  Again, the support of family and friends is key.

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• Poor people who dont have support networks are
  at higher risk of becoming mentally ill.
• Likewise, people with mental illness and no solid
  support networks are more likely to become and
  stay poor.