by Dr. ANUJ GABA
(Associate Affiliate PHILIPPINES MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION – Davao City Chapter)
Dr. ANUJ GABA
Do you know How to face challenges in life? How to deal with life’s Ups and Downs? How to bounce back from difficult experiences in life?
If NOT, then read this article until end and maybe you will get your answers
But before hurrying to know the solution to these questions understand what’s the major difference between a stone and a human being? Now I know a lot of you will say STONE IS NONE LIVING, HUMAN IS LIVING, that is correct, but the biggest difference between a stone and a human being is that when a STONE is thrown on ground it feels nothing, but we humans if we fall on ground we feel pain, so understand that WE HAVE EMOTIONS, WE HAVE FEELINGS. We have these emotions because we are human beings, we are not stone, stones don’t feel anything, so don’t be a stone its ok to feel sad, happy etc. Now you must understand that feelings can be both POSITIVE and NEGATIVE. Positive feelings like SATISFIED, HAPPY, CAREFREE etc and Negative feelings like STRESSED
SAD LONELY etc.
So firstly, we need to understand that since we are humans, we have emotions and feelings and therefore we are also susceptible to BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE FEELINGS and THEIR EFFECTS, therefore let’s understand more in detail how all these things work.
So, before that lets understand what is MENTAL HEALTH? So according to WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION {WHO} – state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community. OR in SIMPLE TERMS it is the CAPACITY TO ADAPT TO LIFE AND WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU. It includes the way you THINK, FEEL and BELIEVE.
MENTAL HEALTH is NOT just PSYCHIATRIC it also includes PSYCHOLOGICAL, NEUROLOGICAL and SUBSTANCE ABUSE also…
Even before we proceed ahead with this discussion you have to understand that WE ALL HAVE MENTAL HEALTH and hence there is a big chance of HAVING MENTAL ISSUES/ MENTAL PROBLEMS and DISORDERS which we will discuss later what they are and how are they all different from each other
ALWAYS REMEMBER YOU ARE NOT ALONE because right now ¼ patients have diagnosable mental health issues/ mental illness (mostly anxiety or depression), there are always few other people at some point in their life who are also struggling with their mental health issues, 8-12% patients require psychiatric treatment, but 50% of them don’t ever reach out for help.
Now let’s understand what is good mental health?
Good Mental health is basically FEELING POSSITIVE ABOUT YOURSELF, ABILITY TO COPE UP WITH CHALENGES OF LIFE, AND ABILITY TO FORM AND KEEP RELATIONSHIPS
For good mental health – be true to yourself, accept the problems and open up about it, minimise time of bouncing back from the situation, minimise damage while going through the negative phase and ALWAYS REMEMBER ITS BAD PHASE OF LIFE NOT A BAD LIFE. To maintain GOOD MENTAL HEALTH, have proper rest, proper nutrition, enough sleep, regular exercise, healthy lifestyle, family and social interaction and support
Let’s take time and understand WHAT AFFECTS MENTAL HEALTH?
Basically, everything has some affect on you and your mental health, especially in time of COVID 19 mental health is affected in so many ways. Because of covid 19 we stopped interacting with people, hence reducing our emotional interactions leading to disconnection, which leads to stress (financial, economic, emotional) and which leads to unnecessary aggression, anxiety, depression, if you feel these symptoms feel free to undergo mental health check-up and if required proper medical treatment
Especially FRONTLINERS MENTAL HEALTH is affected the most
First let’s understand who all are FRONTLINERS before I explain how they are affected. So basically, FRONTLINER is a worker, especially in healthcare and other essential that are often public-facing jobs. Hence during COVID 19 times they faced a lot of challenges leading to burnout, psychological trauma, increased anxiety, insomnia, and depression.
BURNOUT is currently the biggest issue faced by everyone be it teachers or students, doctors or patients, all are facing this every day, so let’s take some time and let’s understand more in depth about BURNOUT
Basically, burnout is excessive stress that has accumulated and leads to negative effects on attitude and body, Burn-out is included in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as an occupational phenomenon. It is not classified as a medical condition. It is described in the chapter: ‘Factors influencing health status or contact with health services’ – which includes reasons for which people contact health services but that are not classed as illnesses or health conditions. Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job, reduced professional efficacy.
Common causes of BURNOUT include Lack of control, Unclear job expectations, Dysfunctional workplace dynamics, Extremes of activity, Lack of social support, Work-life imbalance
What are SIGNS OF BURNOUT?
DO YOU DRAG YOURSELF TO WORK? DO YOU FEEL CYNICAL and IRRITATED/IMPATIENT with PEOPLE AT WORK? HAVE YOU LOST FULFILMENT IN YOUR CAREER? DO YOU FEEL LOW ENERGY/ LOW CONCENTRATION ON JOB? HAVE YOUR SLEEP AND EATING HABIT BECOME LESS HEALTHY?
Easiest way to get out of this is, is by getting into SELF CARE, Self-care is the practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress, other than self-care
Also build and support your team and community of peers, make society and groups where people can come for sharing their feelings.
I hope it’s clear now WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH, HOW IMPORTANT IT IS and WHAT AFFECTS MENTAL HEALTH
NOW let’s begin the NEXT DISCUSSION about MENTAL ILLNESS, MENTAL DISORDERS.
Even before this discussion you have understand the difference between the terminologies of MENTAL DISTRESS, MENTAL PROBLEM and MENTAL ILLNESS/DISORDER. These 3 are different things they are NOT SYNONYMOUS with each other hence make sure to use the correct terminology to describe somebody’s condition as wrong terminology or justification sometimes is very scarring to patient and causes a lot of hinderance in the recovery.
Now let’s discuss some MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS that are very common in today’s world
A} STRESS – Stress is the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them
B} ANXIETY – Anxiety is what we feel when we are worried, tense or afraid about things that are about to happen, or which we think could happen in the future. Occasional anxiety is a normal human experience. You might also experience physical symptoms such as sleep problems and panic attacks.
C} DEPRESSION -Depression is a feeling of low mood that lasts for a long time and affects your everyday life. It can make you feel hopeless, despairing, guilty, worthless, unmotivated and exhausted. It can affect your self-esteem, sleep, appetite, sex drive and your physical health.
At its most severe, depression can make you feel suicidal, and be life-threatening
D} BI POLAR DISORDER – bipolar disorder (once called manic depression) mainly affects your mood. With this diagnosis you are likely to have times when you experience: manic or hypomanic episodes (feeling high); depressive episodes (feeling low); and potentially some psychotic symptoms.
Everyone has variations in their mood, but in bipolar disorder these swings can feel very extreme and have a big impact on your life.
E} PERSONALITY DISORDER – Personality disorder is a type of mental health problem where your attitudes, beliefs and behaviours cause you longstanding problems in your life. There are several different categories and types of personality disorder, but most people who are diagnosed with a particular personality disorder don’t fit any single category very clearly or consistently. Also, the term ‘personality disorder’ can sound very judgemental. Because of this it is a particularly controversial diagnosis. Some psychiatrists disagree with using it.
F} SCHIZOPHRENIA – Views on schizophrenia have changed over the years. Lots of people question whether it’s really a distinct condition, or actually a few different conditions that overlap. – psychosis (such as hallucinations or delusions), disorganised thinking and speech, feeling disconnected from your feelings, difficulty concentrating, wanting to avoid people, a lack of interest in things, not wanting to look after yourself
G} PTSD – Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder which you may develop after being involved in, or witnessing, traumatic events. The condition was first recognised in war veterans and has been known by a variety of names, such as ‘shell shock’. But it’s not only diagnosed in soldiers – a wide range of traumatic experiences can cause PTSD.
H} OCD – obsessive-compulsive disorder is a type of anxiety disorder. The term is often misused in daily conversation – for example, you might hear people talk about being ‘a bit OCD’, if they like things to be neat and tidy. But the reality of this disorder is a lot more complex and serious. OCD has two main parts: obsessions (unwelcome thoughts, images, urges, worries or doubts that repeatedly appear in your mind) and compulsions (repetitive activities that you feel you have to do to reduce the anxiety caused by the obsession).
I} PHOBIAS – A phobia is an extreme form of fear or anxiety triggered by a particular situation (such as going outside) or object (such as spiders), even when it’s very unlikely to be dangerous. A fear becomes a phobia if the fear is out of proportion to the danger, it lasts for more than six months, and has a significant impact on how you live your life.
J} EATING DISORDER – Eating problems are not just about food. They can be about difficult things and painful feelings which you may be finding hard to face or resolve. The most common eating disorder diagnoses are anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, and other
And many more disorders are there.
To summarise these disorders are 2 types:
EXTERNALIZING DISORDER – Impulsiveness, Aggressiveness, Overactivity
INTERNALIZING DISORDER – Depression, Anxiety, Social Withdrawal
Another Very Important thing to understand about these MENTAL DISORDERS/ ILLNESS or MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS is that the AGE OF DIAGNOSIS variesaccording to the condition and its severity. For example, AUTISM is mostly diagnosed as young as 3 – 4 years of age {childhood}, or conditions like BI POLAR and SCHIZOPHRENIA can be diagnosed as young as 15 years {adolescence} according to DSM – 5, 2014
Now TIME TO ANSWER THE THREE MAIN QUESTIONS
Do you know How to face challenges in life? How to deal with life’s Ups and Downs? How to bounce back from difficult experiences in life?
The VERY SIMPLE ANSWER to that is, BE LIKE A BALL NOT LIKE A GLASS, because when a ball faces ground {challenges} It bounces back, but if someone is like glass, the moment he/she will face difficult situation in life they will shatter.
So BE LIKE A BALL NOT LIKE A GLASS, that’s why
DIVIDE DAY INTO MANAGEABLE MINUTES
CHANGE MOUNTAINS INTO MOLEHILLS
Hence to summarise this whole discussion I would like to say ITS OK TO NOT TO BE OK, HENCE DON’T STOP, ITS OK TO PAUSE AND ASK FOR HELP AS ASKING FOR HELP IS A SIGN OF STRENGTH, NOT WEAKNESS. (Dr. ANUJ GABA)