Mental health is an important part of our overall health and well-being. It touches on our emotional, psychological, and social status and affects how we think, feel, and act.
Our mental health also plays a central role in determining how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. It is important at every step of our lives, from childhood and adolescence all the way through adulthood.
But according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the burden of mental disorders continues to grow with significant impacts on health and major social, human rights, and economic consequences in all countries of the world.
Determinants of mental health and mental disorders include not only individual attributes such as the ability to manage one's thoughts, emotions, behaviors and interactions with others, but also social, cultural, economic, political and environmental factors, for example, national policies, social protection, standards of living, working conditions, and community support.
Stress, genetics, nutrition, perinatal infections and exposure to environmental hazards are also contributing factors to mental disorders.
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One of the most common mental disorders and key causes of disability worldwide is depression. An estimated 264 million people are affected by it globally and more women suffer from it than men.
Depression is characterized by sadness, loss of interest and pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, tiredness, and poor concentration. People with this condition may also have multiple physical complaints with no apparent physical cause. Depression can be long-lasting or recurrent, substantially impairing one's ability to function at work or school and to cope with everyday life. At its most severe, depression can lead to suicide.
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The good thing is that prevention programs have been shown to reduce depression, both for children and adults.
There are also effective treatments. Mild to moderate depression can be effectively combated with talking therapies, such as cognitive behavior therapy or psychotherapy. Antidepressants can also be an effective form of treatment for moderate to severe depression but are usually not the first option for mild cases. They are not recommended for treating depression in children and are not the main choice of treatment in adolescents, among whom they should be used with caution.
Management of depression should include psychosocial aspects, including identifying stress factors, such as financial problems, difficulties at work or physical or mental abuse, and sources of support, such as family members and friends. The maintenance or reactivation of social networks and social activities is important.
Bipolar disorder affects about 45 million people worldwide. It typically consists of both manic and depressive episodes separated by periods of normal mood. Manic episodes involve elevated or irritable mood, over-activity, rapid speech, inflated self-esteem and a decreased need for sleep. (People who have manic attacks but do not experience depressive episodes are also classified as having bipolar disorder.)
Effective treatments are available for the treatment of the acute phase of bipolar disorder and the prevention of relapse. These are medicines that stabilize mood. Psychosocial support is an important component of treatment.
Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that affects around 20 million people worldwide. Psychoses, including schizophrenia, are characterized by distortions in thinking, perception, emotions, language, sense of self and behavior. Common psychotic experiences include hallucinations (hearing, seeing or feeling things that are not there), and delusions (fixed false beliefs or suspicions that are firmly held even when there is evidence to the contrary).
This disorder can make it extremely difficult for people to work or study normally.
Not to mention the stigma and discrimination surrounding it that can result in a lack of access to health and social services. Furthermore, people with psychosis are at high risk of exposure to human rights violations, such as long-term confinement in institutions.
