Is Mental Health Illness Or Well Being?

 What does your mind conjure up when you see the words 'mental health'? Yes, the phrase does reek with all sorts of connotations doesn't it!

When you think of the phrase Mental Health..... is it about

People who are strange or not normal.

Mental illness is a stigma or label to be avoided or kept quiet about

Referring to issues of incapacity of the mind and behaviour

A term that is a label to describe insanity, madness, weird people

Pathologies like depression, schizophrenia.

Or even the Mental Health department in your State's Health Department?

The World Health Organization defines mental health as "a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community."

Not the first thing that comes into many people's minds with that phrase is it?

Part of the problem is the actual term 'mental health' - it conjures up images of illness, yet the word health is the opposite of illness - if we have health, we have wellness, not illness.

Formally, it is a term used to describe either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience.

The problem lies in the term itself - it is not accurately descriptive of what it means

So perhaps mental wellbeing or wellness is more to the point when encouraging or doing something positive about your own inner health.

Mental good health can also be defined as an absence of a major mental condition (for example, one of the diagnoses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, IV) though recent evidence stemming from positive psychology suggests mental health is more than the mere absence of a mental disorder or illness. Therefore the impact of social, cultural, physical and education can all affect someone's mental health.

We live in a society that takes great care of physical health or well being/wellness - look at the tremendous technological, pharmaceutical and research advances occurring every day.

Consider all the resources for physical health we have put before us constantly - weight loss programs and diets, gyms and exercise programs, fitness activities, sports, obesity concerns, nutritional supplements and so on.

Yet where is the equivalent education and push for mental well being? We readily take steps to ensure we avoid infections, injury and organic conditions (e.g. heart) - yet what do we do to avoid negative effects on our mental wellness?

So do you think of your own inner health as it were? And take care of it?

This is critically important when you consider that depression and anxiety affect so many, let alone more serious mental illness diagnoses.

In families, do we put as much conscious focus on mental well being as we do on physical health. Many know lots about good physical well being activities, but are we as informed about good mental health equivalents as we raise and teach our kids.

And, what State doesn't have under-funded mental health department?

We have lost the concept of an holistic approach to our bodies, lives and society. We too readily compartmentalize - and put mental health into the too hard basket or simply neglect it.

We have 'abnormalized' mental health, instead of seeing it as important to our well being and a normal part of life - even if someone suffers from a mental illness.

People who suffer adverse mental well being conditions are still 'normal' people - just as an injured person is 'normal, or just as a deaf person is normal.

Mental health is something all of us want for ourselves, whether we know it by name or not. There are no easy answers here - mental fitness is the awkward stepchild you sent away to the state hospital in the country and visited once a year.

In fact good mental health is an integral part of good overall health for people with HIV. Primary Care Mental Condition is a new, peer-reviewed journal on research, education, development and delivery of mental health in primary care. But mental health is far more than merely the absence of mental illness.


Depressions are the greatest Problem


People are four times more likely to break off a romantic relationship if their partner is diagnosed with severe depression than if they develop a physical disability. Overall, the two strongest predictors for thinking about suicide were depression and substance abuse.


Through compelling personal stories told through television, video, the Internet, and print media, the campaign encourages men to recognize depression and its impact on their work, home, and community life. However it will also enable Cam-mind to launch a project designed to help employers tackle stress, anxiety and depression in the workplace. But what's the difference between "normal" feelings of sadness and the feelings caused by depression.


Topics covered vary widely, from healthy self esteem in adolescence and signs of depression to resources for diagnosing mental health problems in children.


Problems about Mental Condition


Those with schizophrenia are particularly likely to face problems: 20% of women said they would break up with a partner who was diagnosed with the condition. The research team have also found that stress at work is associated with a 50 per cent excess risk of coronary heart disease, and there is consistent evidence that jobs with high demands, low control, and effort-reward imbalance are risk factors for mental and physical health problems (major depression, anxiety disorders, and substance use disorders).


The Mental Condition and Poverty Project called on the SAHRC to consider setting up a commission that will primarily focus on the needs of people with mental health problems. Even the best-trained psychiatrists do not necessarily have an internship in the problems of normal living. "What many people don't realise is that we all have mental health - just as we have physical health - and that mental health problems can affect anyone, whatever their age or background.


Psychological therapies are based on talking and working with people to understand the causes and triggers of mental health problems and on developing practical strategies to deal with them.


Searching for Information


The first step is to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illnesses, using targeted public education activities that are designed to provide the public with factual information about mental illnesses and to suggest strategies for enhancing mental fitness, much like anti-smoking campaigns promote physical health.


It therefore makes good sense for people with HIV to have information about the ways in which HIV can affect their mental health and about common mental fitness issues such as depression, anxiety and emotional distress. This comprehensive information resource for child mental Condition and parenting information includes articles, resources, a glossary, an Ask the Expert section, a disorder guide, publications, and FAQs.


Offers useful information explaining educational evaluations, and also lists interventions that may be used to address various mental fitness conditions, including anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, and more.


Mental Condition is more important than physical health. Mental fitness is more than the absence of mental disorders Mental health can be conceptualized as a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.


In this positive sense, mental health is the foundation for well-being and effective functioning for an individual and for a community




The mental health system is a unique culture. Psychiatry itself is, unlike any other medical specialty. Mental health is an enclosed system. That means it is a world within a world. The doctors, therapists, patients, and support workers play roles. It's a reciprocal environment. Each player in the system allows the other person the opportunity to act out his or her role. For example, the psychiatrist gives you a diagnosis that has no basis (Yes this does happen from time to time). You, the patient, having complete faith in the powers of the behavioral health system, accept this diagnosis as the gospel truth. In time, you begin to notice certain behaviors and thoughts that you believe may be a sign of your supposed illness. You return to your doctor and report these symptoms. Your psychiatrist agrees with your observations and writes them down in your medical record. He also inserts his authoritative comments to support his opinion. Therefore, both parties in the relationship are mutually validated in their roles.


When one has been playing the patient role for so long, a person begins to identify himself or herself as a "psych patient." That's who you are. This is the term that defines your very existence. You belong to the mental health system. Soon enough you find that every activity you engage yourself in is related to your disorder and the medication your doctor prescribed to suppress it. It's a sad commentary indeed. It's sadder still for the person who needlessly struggles against an undefinable defect in his or her character as if the diagnosis were the irrefutable truth. I acknowledge the fact that the unsettling scenario I am painting here is not true for every psychiatric patient.


At some point, the psychiatric patient discovers the benefits of being labeled mentally ill. There are mental health workers, such as case managers who assist the "consumer" in obtaining a free living allowance from the Federal government in the form of Social Security Disability Income or Supplemental Security Income in whatever minimal amount it may be https://mentalhealthwellnessnow.com/.. I will add for comfort that social security disability benefits are reported (by the government) to run dry in 2016. A consumer is often entitled to free housing, health care, food assistance, and much more. The mentally ill person may even have the right under certain disability laws to bring a pit-bull into a no-pet residential community. Technically speaking, you could even take it on a commercial airliner. The reason is simply because your therapist deemed it necessary that you have an emotional support animal (oops was that a secret?). Don't get me wrong. I'm sure there are people who require a companion animal for their emotional health. I'm not trying to be disrespectful to those who are struggling. What I'm saying that there are incentives built into the system for many people to accept their diagnosis and play out their role.


There are case managers and outreach workers that will go to court with you, and advocate on your behalf before the judge when you run afoul of the law. They will help the mentally ill with all of their personal affairs. What a bargain! Run out and tell all of your friends about it. Let the government take care of you. It makes being a psychiatric patient seem so much more attractive. Why wouldn't anyone want a psychiatrist label to them disabled? Again, I'm being sarcastic to make my point that people, who are improperly labeled with a DSM V diagnosis, run the risk of becoming dependent on the mental health system for their needs.


This kind of social welfare encourages people to give up their ambition and motivation. It instills the idea that living a marginal existence is sufficient. I, for one, believe in the greatness people can achieve for themselves and the world by applying themselves.


Remember this. Once you get into the mental health system your chances of getting out are slim. There are a number of reasons for this. Primarily because the psychiatrist or psychologist has you convinced that you have a serious medical problem, which you can't handle yourself. We all know that's ridiculous. Many people manage their depression and anxiety remarkably well without the use of psychiatric medications. If Ativan calms your nerves and helps you function, then that's great. On the other hand, I have seen plenty of people become addicted to sedatives. These drugs are unsafe. I wouldn't put your faith in the safety of the anti-depressants either. I think the pharmaceutical giants are quick to point that out as a result of the numerous class action lawsuits filed against them.


Some blame can be placed on the pharmaceutical companies for this unnatural drug dependence. As I was writing this article, I surfed NAMI's website (National Alliance for Mental Illness) and noticed "In Our Own Voice," a public education program, is funded by a grant from Eli Lily. This is the pharmaceutical giant that manufactures psychiatric drugs like Prozac, Zyprexa, and Cymbalta. I gather (without too much mental effort) that Eli Lily's generosity is a publicity campaign to make them look like one of the good guys in the mental field, and as a result, boost sales. As I surfaced the Internet, I found that NAMI has been receiving their fair share of criticism for their questionable association with pharmaceutical companies. I will not say NAMI is immoral or unethical. That would be too easy. If Ely Lily offered me thousands of dollars, I would have to seriously consider taking it. Sometimes the decision to cross the line depends on one's real life needs. Other times it just has to do with making a buck. There is no denying that this kind of corporate misconduct adversely affects the mental health system and exacerbates the suffering of its consumers. Again, I know some people require the assistance of the pharmaceutical companies and the psychiatric community. The screening process for prescribing these medications is a big part of the problem. That's because there is no adequate process in place for dispensing these potentially dangerous drugs.


Society itself contributes to this dysfunctional culture. The general attitude of the public is "As long as they are not bothering us you can do what you please with them." This gives the mental health providers even more authority to do as they please. And so the psychiatric patient is stripped of his or her rights. As I see it, a psychiatric patient is a human being without respect or dignity. You can call my words dramatic if you like.


It may seem as I am playing the blame game and the taking on the victim role. Allow to clarify the role of the patient in the mental health system (those like myself). I will be the first to admit that the informed psychiatric patient is the one who is primarily responsible for his or her unfortunate situation. We have to accept our role in the system. No one can twist your arm behind your back, and say, "Go see a therapist about your anxiety." At least that's true in most cases. When you reflect on why you did it, you will say, "It seemed like a good idea at the time."


The worst thing a mentally ill person could ever do, is telling someone about his or her condition. As soon as you do, the other person looks at you differently. An automatic flash goes off in the person's brain, "Oh God. Here we go. His illness is acting up." This attitude is especially noticeable in the face of a mental health professional, your family members, and closest friends. It's a universal reaction. From the moment you reveal your secret, everything you do will be blamed on your illness. The ways in which you express yourself as a normal human being will be measured against your supposed disorder. If you are frustrated about something, the people in your life will conclude, "His meds aren't working." When people think you cannot hear them, they will gossip amongst themselves, "Oh he's a psych patient. That's why he looks agitated. That's part of his illness." This attitude is quite common. It comes from a lack of understanding. How could a person know, unless he or she has personally experienced it.


If you should attempt to verbalize your rights as a human being, the mental health provider will proceed to have you committed to a psychiatric hospital against your will. The patient can be held for an indefinite period of time until a clinician decides the person has come to his or her senses. The mental health professionals can essentially do whatever they want with you because no one is going to speak out against them. In Massachusetts, psychiatric patients must retain a specially trained lawyer to represent them before a mental health court in order to be released. This is where we are in 2013. I'll bet most of you reading this article didn't know how our behavioral health system works. We are still in the dark ages.


The only time the state of the mental health system is brought to light is when a patient commits suicide or kills someone. Then there is a public uproar and the psychiatrist or therapist are blamed or in some cases sued. In their defense, no doctor can control the behavior of their patient in society. That is not their job as I see it The mental health professional cannot be held responsible for the actions of their patients, unless they were grossly negligent in some way. We are free and sovereign human beings. In the United States, people are generally allowed to operate freely without undue interference from others. The American attitude is "No one has the right to tell me what to do." It's a slightly different story if the patient states that he or she intends to commit suicide or kill someone. Then the call to duty is activated.


John Backster is an advocate for the mentally ill and an activist for reform in the behavioral health system. Mr. Backster believes that the over reliance on medication as a primary treatment for psychiatric illness has led to a decline in the quality of mental health care nationwide. He is employed as an advocacy speaker for the National Action Committee for Mental Health Care Reform. He considers himself an activist for the rights of the mental ill. Mr. Backster is dedicated to bringing awareness to the alarming deficiencies that exist within the behavioral health care system. His goal is to curb the over-reliance on dangerous pharmaceutical drugs as the preferred treatment for patients with debilitating psychiatric disorders.