Mental Illness Today
Mental illness today is one of the world’s most common and misunderstood health problems. The statistics provided from the AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare), in 2018 – 2019 shows that around one fifth of the population received mental illness related prescriptions. This is a very large number for the country, however one of the biggest problems with mental illnesses is that many people who suffer from a mental illness aren’t aware that they do and this leads to individuals being unable to receive help when they need it.
Being educated about what a mental illness is and what the symptoms are integral. Having the ability to identify the symptoms in ourselves and others and to have access to treatment for everyone who needs it is vital in being able to control how much mental illnesses affect our community.
What Is a Mental Illness?
Before we go onto the most common types of mental illness, we need to look at the definition of what a mental illness is. In simple terms, a mental illness affects how you think and behave in everyday situations. Although it affects the mind, sometimes majorly, it can affect you physically as well.
Common Causes
The main cause of mental illnesses is not known. However, there are three factors which are often believed to have affected or caused a mental illness. The first factor is that someone is ill or has passed away, so going through a difficult time can make you confused and you can struggle to understand and control your emotions. The second factor is genetics, you might have gotten the mental illness since someone in your family has it. The third factor is drugs, drugs can take away the control of you making decisions.
Mental Barriers
Mental barriers are not considered mental illness however they can have a large effect on people when they are trying to seek help.
A mental barrier is a restrictive belief that we place upon ourselves that makes us reconsider our self worth, ability or potential. This can also stop people from looking for or asking for help when they need it most. One of the most common barriers is stigma.
Stigma is when a person is very aware of the stereotypes society has attached to a mental illness and believes that when seeking help, they will be judged, faced with prejudice, discrimination or simply be misconceived.
Other barriers include, family, friends, money, availability and residence, however, there are many more.
Common Mental Illnesses
Now that we know what a mental illness is, we need to look at the types of mental illnesses. There are many types of mental illnesses, but 5 of the most common are - Anxiety, Depression, Borderline Personality Disorder, Schizophrenia and Bipolar. Although mental illnesses are different for everyone, below are the broad generalisations of what they are.
Anxiety: Worrying/having fear in everyday situations, one of the most common symptoms is having difficulty controlling worry or anxiousness.
Depression: Always feeling sad and moody. The main symptoms are withdrawing on family and friends, not doing usual enjoyable activities and a loss or change of appetite
Borderline Personality Disorder: Everything about you and your life feels unstable. Symptoms of this are anti-social behaviour, loneliness, and self-harm
Schizophrenia: A disorder that can disturb how you think, feel and behave. The symptoms that happen are hearing what feels like real voices in your head, hallucinations and delusions.
Bipolar: Is when your mood alters from being very happy to very sad. Symptoms that can happen are depressive episodes which is when you are in a low mood and are having a lack of interest and pleasure in things and manic or hypomanic episodes which is when you are in a high mood and you are in a little need for sleep.
The Future of Mental Illness
Although mental illnesses can be difficult and confusing for everyone it’s in relation to, there are many upsides to it and mental illnesses aren’t always a bad thing and can change people's perspectives a lot. Mental illnesses can be cured and there are many ways to seek help and support. Learning about mental illnesses can be beneficial for yourself and others around you who may be, unbeknownst to you, going through experiences like the ones spoken about today.