Mental health includes:
One way of describing mental health is to describe mentally healthy people.
Some characteristics of mentally healthy people:
Mental Illness
Mental illness is identified by symptoms. These include anxiety, depression, intense fear, thought disturbances, paranoia, delusions (false beliefs), hallucinations and unusual elation.
Causes
It is unclear what causes mental disturbances. It is often preceded by emotional stress and difficulty coping with conflict or adjusting to adverse events. Other factors are biochemical imbalance, deterioration of brain cells (especially in elderly people) and alcohol or drug abuse.
Types
Different types of mental illness are distinguished by their symptoms. Some of the more usual types are:
Schizophrenia
A schizophrenia episode occurs at any age, although people in the 16-33 age group tend to be most at risk. Genetic inheritance, childhood experience, personality type and biochemical abnormality have been cited as possible factors. Some of the symptoms include fear, withdrawal, mood fluctuations, loss of energy and self neglect.
Depression
Depressive disorders occur among all ages, races, and cultures. Some causes of depression include: family environment, life events, biological factors, serious loss or stress – i.e. a divorce, death of a loved one, retirement. People suffering from depression experience both physical and emotional symptoms, including excessive fatigue, disturbed sleep, appetite and weight loss, difficulty in concentrating, a failing memory and diminishing sexual interest.
Manic Depression
A person with manic depression has extreme and unpredictable mood changes. The cause is unknown but studies have shown that it could be inherited. Stress may be another cause, for e.g. finding a new job or death of a relative. These symptoms include: talkativeness, big spending, risk-taking behavior and sleeplessness, alternating with symptoms of depression.
Anxiety
Anxiety is one of the more common reactions to mental stress. 10% to 15% of people are affected by some form of anxiety disorder. Long term problems like living in a crowded house can be stressful and even happy events – getting married or switching to new jobs – can cause anxiety. Anxious people feel tense most of the time, having problems with sleeping, are dry in the mouth and are unable to relax.
The above information is abstracted from the website of the Malaysian Mental Health Association (MHHA)
Visit the Malaysian Mental Health Association website here.
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