Understanding Mental Health

& Mental Illness

What is Mental Health??

Mental health refers to the maintenance of successful mental activity.

What is Mental Health??

Mental health refers to the maintenance of successful mental activity.

This includes maintaining productive daily activities and maintaining fulfilling relationships with others.

It also includes maintaining the abilities to adapt to change and to cope with stresses.

MNS problems Imposes a significant burden on individuals, families and the society Major depressive disorders - top 5 causes YLD in India ( GBD 2010)

Results in long term morbidity, disability, socioeconomic losses and poor quality of life among those affected and their families

Mental health is a cause and consequence of different NCDs, hence included under Non Communicable disorders

Need to strengthen, improve and expand services for persons with MNS disorders through National Mental Health programme (NMHP)

Mental, Neurological and Substance use disorders in India

4

Problem

• Overall prevalence rate in India ranges from 10-370 Per 1000 as quoted by NIMHANS study.

• There is lack of comprehensive nationwide mental health survey comprising repres

• Available data is neither representative nor provides true burden of illness tentative population.

• Mental health always remained ignored component.

Mental illness can occur when the brain (or part of the brain) is not working well or is working in the wrong

way.

Thinking

When the brain is not working properly, one or more of its 6 functions will be disrupted

PerceptionEmotion Signaling

Behavior

Physical

Symptoms can include

Sleep problemsExtreme emotional highs and lows

Thinking difficulties or problems focusing

attention

When these symptoms significantly disrupt a person’s life,

we say that the person has a

mental disorder or a mental illness.

Epidemiology of major psychiatric disorders

• Schizophrenia & non-affective disorder- Psychotic symptoms like hallucinations, delusions, negative symptoms & cognitive symptoms.

• Two types of determinants - Hereditary & organic brain damage.

Epidemiology of major psychiatric disorders

• Bipolar disorders – Depressive & manic episodes.

• Intense emotional drive with tendency to reverse to premorbid condition.

• Manic are more common in young & depression more common in old age group.

Epidemiology of major psychiatric disorders

• Major depressive disorders – Disturbance in mood.

• Sadness, anger, irritability & loss of interest in usual pursuits & decrease energy or drive.

• Loss of pleasure, feeling of hopeless but represents with fatigue, aches or other physical symptoms.

• High chances of missing these at primary care level

Epidemiology of major psychiatric disorders

• Anxiety disorders – Panic disorders & generalized anxiety disorders, also include PTSD, OCD etc.

• Inability to appropriately regulate fear or worry & occasionally panic episodes.

So, what are the

CAUSES of mental illness??

Well, the causes of mental illness are

COMPLICATED!!

Genetics Environment

+ →

Brain Disorder

What do we know about the causes of mental illness?

The symptoms of mental illness are a result of abnormal brain functioning.

Mental illness is a brain disorder.

Mental illness is rarely if ever caused by stress alone

What do we know about the causes of mental illness?

It is not the consequence of poor parenting or bad behavior.

It is not the result of personal weakness or deficits in personality.

It is not the manifestation of malevolent spiritual intent.

Only in exceptional cases is it caused by nutritional factors.

It is not caused by poverty.

Many mental illnesses begin during childhood and persist into adolescence.

Some of these include:

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

• Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD

BUT… some illnesses begin during adolescence.

The illnesses that most often begin during adolescence include:

• Major Depression (MD)• Schizophrenia• Bipolar Disorder (BD)• Panic disorder• Social Anxiety Disorder• Eating Disorders• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder• Addictions

• Most people with mental disorders live productive and positive lives while receiving treatments for their mental illness.

• Some people have severe and persistent mental disorders which respond poorly to current treatments (as in all other illnesses)

• Mental illness does not respect any boundaries of race, class or geography.

• The majority of people have a friend, acquaintance or family member who has or has had a mental disorder.

What do we know about people with mental illnesses?

Mental health problems can be treated!

If you feel VERY sad, stressed or worried, it might help to talk to someone about how you are feeling.

Do you ever…• Often feel very angry or very worried?• Do reckless things that could harm you or others?• Feel grief for a long time after a loss or a death?• Think your mind is controlled or out of control?• Use alcohol or drugs?• Exercise, diet and/or binge-eat obsessively?• Hurt other people or destroy property?

Do you ever…• Often feel very angry or very worried?• Do reckless things that could harm you or others?• Feel grief for a long time after a loss or a death?• Think your mind is controlled or out of control?• Use alcohol or drugs?• Exercise, diet and/or binge-eat obsessively?• Hurt other people or destroy property?

If you feel any of these things, it might help to talk to a parent, teacher, school counselor or physician.

Prevention in mental health• Relatively difficult than other illness because

of relatively vague and multifactorial aetiology, stigma & misconceptions and non availability of resources.

• Moreover subjectivity is more for diagnosis.

Primary Prevention• Creation of optimum socio-economic

environment at community level –Improve education, more employment opportunities, optimum nutrition, population control.

• Socio-legal aspects- Legal actions against dangerous substances like alcohol, hashish etc.

• Community education- Removing stigma

Primary Prevention• Specific protection – Iodization of salt, good

diet for children with phenylketonuria, vaccination like rubella, IFA supplementation

• Community genetics – application genetics to control genetic disorders like turner syndrome, tay sach’s syndrome etc.

• Community education to adopt measure to reduce stress.

Secondary Prevention• More opportunity as compare to primary

prevention.• High suspicion & good diagnostic acumen by

medical & paramedical personnel.• Early symptom include irritability, change in

behavior, mood fluctuations, forgetfulness, suicidal tendency, feeling of worthlessness, etc.

• Certain exposure to jobs industry, defense etc.• Inmates of prison or delinquent homes.• School children showing learning difficulties.

Tertiary Prevention• Focuses on prevention of disability and relapse in

already diagnosed patients.• Team of psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, MSSO

and counselor.• Working in hospital-community-home

environment is required.• Patient & family education on treatment.• Psycho-emotive & vocational / financial support

to patients.

Keep smiling…..