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Psychiatric diseases and Mental Health
Introduction
Psychiatric diseases are also referred to as psychiatric disorders. This are mental illnesses diagnosed by mental health experts which are considered to significantly trouble the thinking, frame of mind (mood) and behavior of individuals and thus acutely escalating the possibility of incapacitation, death or severe pain. Such diseases are also associated with the loss of freedom (Bajwa et al.). Such diseases are a threat to mental health since they can bring about complications that interfere with the mental state of individuals. This being the case, psychiatric disorders entail either behavioral or cognitive patterns that bring about substantial levels of anguish and distress hand in hand with disablement of personal functioning. With this in consideration, such characteristics may turn out to be persistent, regressive and remitting. However, they might also happen as a sole episode. It is worth noting that various disorders have been recounted with symptoms that differ extensively. The root causes of psychiatric diseases are at most uncertain. Furthermore, they are regularly defined by a fusion of how an individual conducts himself, feels, or contemplates. Therefore, psychiatric diseases are considered as among the aspects of mental health (Barden et al.). This paper discusses psychiatric diseases and mental health based on related, reliable sources and an interview of Sandra Mekhael who is currently a Lewis Katz School of medicine medical student.
Mental Health
According to Sandra, mental health entails emotional, cognitive and social welfare. This affects how individuals think and conduct themselves. Furthermore, it provides assistance on how individuals deal with stress, associate with others and make decisions. With this in consideration, mental health is significant at every phase of life. This means it is essential from the time a child is being born through adolescence and finally adulthood. Sandra Mekhael further claimed that over life’s course, if an individual’s mental health is in jeopardy then the individual’s conduct and way of thinking might be greatly impacted. Various aspects lead to a decline in mental health and thus resulting in problems. Such aspects include: biological facets for instance genes that run in the family and brain chemistry. Life experiences are also another factor which include issues like trauma or abuse of any kind. The final aspect is family history whereby certain families may have a history of mental health concerns.
There are certain characteristics that are linked to the disruption of mental health. This are considered to be early warning signs that one might suffer from mental disorders (Mental Health). These signs include either eating and sleeping excess or very minimally, isolating oneself from individuals and regular routines, experiencing numb feelings, constant baffling aches and agony, feelings of hopelessness, using drugs in a manner that is considered to be excessive, going through acute mood swings that may bring about various concerns to the individuals’ family and relations and finally, experiencing feelings of confusion and anger (Russell-Mayhew et al.). On that note, positive mental health allows individuals to reach their full potential, manage life’s stresses, work constructively and finally, make significant contribution to society. Finally, the means through which positive mental health can be sustained include acquiring professional assistance whenever needed, associating with other individuals, remaining positive, assisting other individuals, obtaining enough sleep and coming up with coping prowess (Mental Health).
Psychiatric diseases
Based on the interview with Sandra Mekhael, psychiatric diseases also referred to as psychiatric disorders are numerous. The burden of such diseases has across time continued to put pressure on health issues across the world. Sandra continues to say that the mental disorders are brought about by more than individual attributes, with the other factors including socio-political and economic aspects like living standards, national policies and societal support. This being the case, the four main psychiatric diseases mentioned in the interview are as follows. Neurodevelopmental disorders which usually begins when an individual is in childhood stages. Examples in this case include numerous learning disorders and autism spectrum disorder. Schizophrenia Spectrum disorder was also mentioned. This is considered as among psychotic disorders which can be described as those which bring about isolation from reality. Individuals with such disorders encounter delusions, deliriums and disorderly thinking and speaking. Therefore, Schizophrenia is considered as the most common psychotic disorder. Bipolar affective disorder was another psychiatric disease mentioned. This entails certain disorders whereby incidents of frenzy and hysteria: where the individual experiences uncontrolled excitement and energy take turns with instances of depression. Finally, Depressive disorders were also mentioned. This entail disorders identified by feelings of utmost sorrow and emptiness, hand in hand with lessened interest in formerly amusing activities. A good example in this scenario is major depressive disorder.
Apart from the main ones mentioned in the interview, their exists several other psychiatric diseases based on related, reliable sources. According to Mayo Clinic, other psychiatric diseases are as follows. Anxiety Disorders which entail individuals concentrating on unpleasant or horrible things that could occur and being concerned extremely about them. An example is various phobias and panic disorder. Obsessive- Compulsive disorder is also another whereby individuals experiencing this type of disorder go through recurrent and undesirable desires and thoughts or even obsessions and at the same time feel steered to conducting recurrent actions in retaliation to them. This is usually called compulsions, with examples including hoarding disorder and trichotillomania (Mayo Clinic). Trauma Disorders are the next psychiatric disorder. This occur when or after nerve-racking and traumatic experiences. An Example in this instance include acute stress disorder. The next psychiatric disease is Dissociative disorders. These entails instances whereby an individual’s sense of self is thrown into disarray an example being dissociative amnesia. Elimination Disorders is also another psychiatric condition. This entails the unseemly release of urine or faeces either accidentally or deliberately. An appropriate example is bedwetting. Eating disorders are also another condition whereby there exists various disruptions associated with eating, such as bulimia nervosa (Mayo Clinic).
According to World Health Organization, additional psychiatric disease includes: firstly, Somatic Symptom Disorders. An individual with this disorder may experience troubling and disabling physical symptoms with no comprehensible medical cause. Examples include factitious disorders. Secondly sexual dysfunctions are also part of psychiatric diseases. This entails disorders such as premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction. Thirdly, gender dysphoria is also another condition. This disorder arises from the anguish and agony that accompanies individuals who have a desire of being of a different gender. For instance, an individual of male gender who prefers to become a female may experience a certain pain and anguish. Fourth, Disruptive and conduct disorders are also among the main disorders. Individuals with such conditions exhibit signs of struggling with both emotional and behavioral conduct, with a good example being kleptomania (WHO). The fifth disease is neurocognitive disorder. This disorder affects individuals’ capacity to do two things: thinking and reasoning. An excellent example of such a condition is delirium. Personality disorder are also commonly recognized. This involves a persisting pattern of emotional precariousness and unstable conduct that gravely throw into disarray normal living and relations. Finally, sleep-wake disorders entail acute sleeping disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea (WHO).
Psychiatric diseases’ impact on mental Health
Psychiatric diseases had earlier on been described as This are mental illnesses diagnosed by mental health experts which are considered to significantly trouble the thinking, frame of mind (mood) and behavior of individuals and thus acutely escalating the possibility of incapacitation, death or severe pain while mental health was described as containing mental health entails emotional, cognitive and social welfare. This affects how individuals think and conduct themselves. This being the case, according to Sandra Mekhael psychiatric diseases have a negative impact on mental health. These conditions can cause individuals to be isolated from their peers due to discerned undesirable personality attributes or ways of conduct. When they feel left out by their peers, such individuals tend to “self-destruct” in that they engage in activities that worsen their mental states. Such activities include engaging in drugs and substance abuse that result in more psychiatric disorders that worsen the individual’s health.
According to Krystal and State, psychiatric diseases impact on mental health of individuals in that they make the individual not to know or comprehend what is going on. When this happens, exasperation, fear and feelings of remorse and helplessness encompass the individual. This is on a short-term basis (Krystal and State). However, on a long-term basis, psychiatric conditions can escalate to such a point that the individual suffering may commit suicide (Krystal and State). With this in consideration, it is evident that psychiatric diseases have an impact of mental health in that they destroy all the emotional and cognitive attributes that lead to social welfare. Since this affects how individuals think and conduct themselves, lack of proper mental health directly results in mental breakdowns thus force individuals into situations like suicide or causing harm to themselves.
Conclusion
This paper has discussed psychiatric diseases and mental health based on related, reliable sources and an interview of Sandra Mekhael who is currently a Lewis Katz School of medicine medical student. Primary emphasis was laid on mental health as all the body’s processes and functions depend on it. Psychiatric diseases also referred to as psychiatric disorders including Neurodevelopmental disorders and Schizophrenia Spectrum disorder negatively impact mental health.
Works Cited
Bajwa, SukhminderJit Singh, et al. “Psychiatric Diseases: Need for an Increased Awareness among the Anesthesiologists.” Journal of Anesthesiology Clinical Pharmacology, vol. 27, no. 4, 2011, p. 440, 10.4103/0970-9185.86572. Accessed 1 Apr. 2020.
Barden, Sejal, et al. “Integrating Health and Wellness in Mental Health Counseling: Clinical, Educational, and Policy Implications.” Journal of Mental Health Counseling, vol. 37, no. 2, Apr. 2015, pp. 152–163, 10.17744/mehc.37.2.1868134772854247. Accessed 18 Apr. 2019.
Krystal, John H., and Matthew W. State. “Psychiatric Disorders: Diagnosis to Therapy.” Cell, vol. 157, no. 1, Mar. 2014, pp. 201–214, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4104191/, 10.1016/j.cell.2014.02.042.
Mayo Clinic. “Mental Illness – Symptoms and Causes.” Mayo Clinic, 2020, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mental-illness/symptoms-causes/syc-20374968#:~:text=Untreated%20mental%20illness%20can%20cause.
Mental Health. “What Is Mental Health?” Mentalhealth.Gov, 28 May 2020, www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-health.
Russell-Mayhew, Shelly, et al. “Mental Health, Wellness, and Childhood Overweight/Obesity.” Journal of Obesity, vol. 2012, 2012, pp. 1–9, 10.1155/2012/281801.
WHO “Mental Disorders.” Who.Int, World Health Organization: WHO, 9 Apr. 2018, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-disorders?