It is important to note that good mental health depends on a delicate balance of factors including environmental circumstances working together to contribute to mental health conditions. Everyone has some risk of developing a mental health condition, no matter their age. Mental health can affect daily living, relationships, and physical health.
Preserving and restoring mental health on an individual basis is crucial, as well as throughout communities and societies the world over. Biological factors, social and economic circumstances, and lifestyle choices can all shape a person’s mental health.
Some people with mental health conditions may exhibit more than one condition at any one time. Factors in people’s lives, interpersonal connections, and physical factors can all contribute to mental health disruptions.
Looking after your mental health can preserve your ability to enjoy life. Doing this involves reaching a balance between life activities, responsibilities, and efforts to achieve psychological resilience. Conditions such as stress, depression, and anxiety can all affect your mental health and disrupt your daily life routine.
Early signs
There are no physical tests or scans that reliably indicate whether a person has developed a mental illness. However, you can look out for the following as possible signs of mental health disruption:
- withdrawing from friends, family, and colleagues
- avoiding activities that you would normally enjoy
- sleeping too much or too little
- eating too much or too little
- feeling hopeless
- having consistently low energy
- using mood-altering substances, including alcohol and nicotine, more frequently
- displaying negative emotions or affects
- being confused
- being unable to complete daily tasks, such as getting to work or cooking a meal
- having persistent thoughts or memories that reappear regularly
- thinking of causing physical harm to yourself or others
- hearing voices
- experiencing delusions
Treatment
There are various methods for managing mental health problems. Treatment is highly individual, and what works for one person may not work for another. Some strategies or treatments are more successful in combination with others. A person living with a chronic mental health condition may choose different options at various stages in their life.
You need to work closely with a therapist who can help you identify your needs and provide you with suitable treatment options. Treatment can include:
Psychotherapy/talking therapies
This type of treatment takes a psychological approach to treating mental health conditions. Psychologists, psychotherapists, and some primary care physicians carry out this type of treatment.
This kind of treatment can help people understand the root of their condition and start to work on more healthful thought patterns that support everyday living and reduce the risk of isolation and self-harm.
Medication
Some people take prescribed medication, such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, and anxiolytic drugs. Although these cannot cure mental conditions, some medications can improve symptoms and help a person resume social interaction and a normal routine while they work on their mental health.
Some of these medications work by boosting the body’s absorption of feel-good chemicals, such as serotonin, from the brain. Other drugs either boost the overall levels of these chemicals or prevent their degradation or destruction.
Self-help
If you are coping with mental health difficulties, you will need to make changes to your lifestyle to facilitate wellness.
Such changes might include reducing alcohol intake, sleeping more, and eating a balanced and nutritious diet. You may need to take time away from work or resolve issues with personal relationships that may be causing damage to your mental health.
People with conditions such as anxiety or depressive mood conditions, may benefit from relaxation techniques, which include deep breathing, meditation, and mindfulness. Having a support network, whether via self-help groups or close friends and family, can also be essential to recovery from mental illness. The earlier you get help the better and the less the cost of your treatment.