What is Mental Health
Mental health includes your psychological, social, emotional, and overall well being, which can affect your thoughts, actions, and feelings. It helps determine many everyday things such as how your handle stress, your mood, your productivity, or how you interact with others.
Why do Mental Health
Problems Occur?
There are many reasons mental health problems can occur. A few reasons may include, but are not limited to biological factors, personal experiences like trauma, and or family history of mental health problems.
Signs and Symptoms
The Mayo Clinic classifies symptoms and signs of mental health problems as...
- Feeling sad or down
- Confused thinking or reduced ability to concentrate
- Excessive fears or worries, or extreme feelings of guilt
- Extreme mood changes of highs and lows
- Withdrawal from friends and activities
- Significant tiredness, low energy or problems sleeping
- Detachment from reality (delusions), paranoia or hallucinations
- Inability to cope with daily problems or stress
- Trouble understanding and relating to situations and to people
- Problems with alcohol or drug use
- Major changes in eating habits
- Sex drive changes
- Excessive anger, hostility or violence
- Suicidal thinking
Classes of Mental Illness
The Mayo Clinic also lists many different classes of mental illnesses, one or more of which may affect you or your friends or family. This list covers many classifications, however, it is not an exhaustive list.
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Neurodevelopmental disorders, schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders, bipolar and related disorders, depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, trauma- and stressor-related disorders, dissociative disorders, somatic symptom and related disorders, feeding and eating disorders, elimination disorders, sleep-wake disorders, sexual dysfunctions, gender dysphoria, disruptive, impulse-control and conduct disorders, substance-related and addictive disorders, neurocognitive disorders, personality disorders, paraphilic disorders.
Prevention
There is no 100% proven way to prevent mental illness from affecting you or your loved ones, however taking these steps may help to control the symptoms associated with the specific illness.
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An important first step toward controlling symptoms in yourself or others is to look for and recognize warning signs. If comfortable, you may consider informing others to also watch for warning signs. Another important step would be to come up with a plan to follow when warning signs or symptoms come up.
Another important thing to do is take advantage of the resources you have access to. It is important to visit your doctor or therapist regularly to talk or ask questions about any issues or health problems you may be facing. It is crucial to get help when you need it, and not to wait until it is too late. It is easier to treat symptoms when they first come up. Resources and help are always readily available.
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Finally, it is important to practice self care and take care of your body and mind. This includes things such as getting enough sleep, keeping a healthy diet, keeping a moderately regular schedule, and keeping your body and potentially mind fit.
Doing these things wont 100% prevent mental illnesses, however it may help prevent or manage symptoms and keep a healthy lifestyle.
Information on Children's Mental Health
Children experience Mental Health struggles differently than adults. Symptoms in children are subtle, and the responsibility of parents to assess and recognize at earliest opportunity. The CDC outlines symptoms as:
-Excessive crying or irritation in younger children
-Returning to behaviours they've outgrown
-Excessive worry or sadness
-Unhealthy eating or sleeping patterns
-Poor school performance or total avoidance
-Unexplained headaches or body aches
-Use of tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs
How frequent is mental health problems among children?
1 out of every 5 children in Canada (which equals to 20%) has a diagnosable mental health condition. Some of the following examples may include ADHD, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, and learning disabilities.
Mental health issues can affect adolescents at any age. Other factors and situations may place a child at higher risk by the following:
- Family history of mental illness.
- Immigrants and refugees who may experience difficult economic situations
- Indigenous children who have poorer overall health, living in isolated communities, and have inadequate educational and work-related opportunities.
- LGBTQ youth who experience bullying and/or rejection from their families.
- Life changes – such as moving to a new school, city or separation of parents, serious illness or death in a close relative or friend.
- Facing or witnessing trauma, including abuse.
- Substance abuse.
It’s unfortunate that many children don’t get the help they need soon enough. Mental health disorders can prevent children from achieving in school, making friends or becoming independent. If children do not get the help they need, they may fall behind on their developmental stages.
To find more resources and ways to help your child or others visit:
Covid-19
Covid-19 poses additional stresses on the Mental Health of all. A fear of protecting yourself, and your loved ones leads to additional worry. According to the CDC, ways to properly address Mental Health during this troubling time are as follows:
-Know the facts, of what to do if you were to contract the virus
-Make time to connect with your loved ones
-Take care of your body
-Know where to turn to for assistance should you need it
-Avoid excessive drug and alcohol use
-Make time to unwind, do what you love to do