MENTAL HEALTH

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others and make healthy choices.

Some mental health conditions include

1. Anxiety- anxiety disorders are characterized by persistent worry, fear and stress that interferes with one everyday life.
2. Depression- Persistent low mood, fatigue and profound sadness are prominent symptoms of major depression.
3. Substance use disorders- The frequent use of alcohol and drugs that interferes with a person behavior in day to day life.
4. Bipolar disorder- it consists of radical shifts in depressive or low moods and manic high moods that can last week’s long.
5. Schizophrenia- it is a chronic and severe mental disorder that affects a person thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
6. Eating disorders- are illnesses that affect a person relationship with food and body image.
7. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)- OCD is a chronic long- lasting anxiety disorder where a person experiences unreasonable, uncontrollable, recurring thoughts followed by a behavioral response.
8. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)- PTSD is a disorder that develops in some who have experienced a shocking or dangerous event and have difficulty recovering from the trauma the event caused.

How common is mental illness?

1. 95% of Assam Youth Suffer from mental health issues due to cyberbullying.
2. 970 million people worldwide have a mental health or substance abuse disorder. (Our World in Data 2018)
3. Anxiety is most common mental illness in the world affecting 284 million people. (Our World in Data 2018)
4. Globally mental illness affects more females (11.9%) than males (9.3%). (Our World in Data 2018)
5. It is estimated mental disorder are attributable to 14.3% of deaths worldwide or approximately 8 million deaths each year. (JAMA Psychiatry 2015)
6. 6 million adults have panic disorders. (ADAA 2020)
7. 15 million adults have social anxiety. (ADAA 2020)
8. Nearly half (47%) of survey respondents experience anxiety regularly. (Single care 2020)

Anxiety vs Depression

It is important to note that there is a difference between anxiety and depression in a very basic sense, anxiety is an excessive feeling of worry, where depression is excessive feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness. It is possible for someone to have both anxiety and depression at the same time.

Six signs when we need to speak Mental Health Professional

1. You are unable to function normally.
2. Your loved ones are concerned.
3. You don’t enjoy things you normally do.
4. Your distress won’t go away
5. Your coping strategies are not working
6. Major behavioral changes

Tips for Suicide Prevention

1. Creating healthy and meaningful relations.
2. Recognized the mental health concern of your own self.
3. Decreasing to access danger of lethal means to attempting suicide.
4. Seeking support from loved ones or mental health professionals.

Is Your Insurance company covered Mental Health Illness

• All mental disorders including dementia, depression and bipolar disorder shall be covered unless some specific exclusions are mentioned in the policy.
• For children with mental health concerns is still a grey area because the majority of the disorders in this group are linked to mental retardation and they are not mandated to have coverage according to the Mental Health Act.
• From November 1, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has made it mandatory for all health insurance providers to now include coverage for mental illnesses.
• Because this coverage is required, both the old and new policies must take into account mental illnesses in the same manner that they do physical ones and will include hospitalization costs associated with the treatment of mental illnesses.

Conclusion

1. "ONE EARTH, ONE HEALTH” a universal vision for Mental and Physical Wellbeing- Narendra Modi.
2. Whenever you talk to yourself, start appreciating your own values and your life, motivate yourself by talking positively, and try to cheer up yourself and stop the cycle of negative self- talk.
3. Allow yourself to cry.
4. Do something you enjoy listen to music or dance.