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Facts about mental illness
What is mental illness?
Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt thought, feelings, mood, ability to relate to others and the daily functioning of a person. Just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are disorders that sometimes decrease the ability of people to meet the ordinary demands of life.
Serious mental illnesses include: depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD for its acronym in English) disorder, and personality disorder. The good news about mental illness is that recovery is possible.
Mental illness can affect anyone, regardless of age, their race, their religion or their social class. These diseases are not the result of any personal weakness, lack of character or of indiscipline. The important thing is to know that these diseases are treatable. Therefore the majority of people suffering from a serious mental illness can experience a big improvement if they actively participating in an individual treatment plan.
Along with the medical procedure, the treatment psycho-social, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, support groups and other services in the community can be part of the treatment and facilitate recovery. In addition, a balanced diet, physical exercise, adequate rest, interpersonal relationships and paid or voluntary activities contribute the health and overall well-being, including recovery from mental illness.
Some important facts about mental illness and recovery are as follows:
Mental illnesses are physical disorders which depend neither the personality nor the intelligence of the individual, that require professional treatment that can not be overcome only with the 'will'.
Mental disorders have different levels of severity. Although anyone can get them, only six percent of the population suffers from a mental illness; that is, one in seventeen Americans suffers from serious mental illness. On the other hand, it is estimated that one of every five families in the United States is affected by mental illness.
The World Health Organization reported that four out of ten disabled in the United States and other developed countries are mental disorders. By the year 2020, depression will be the leading cause of disability among women and children worldwide.
Mental illness usually attack people at the height of their lives, often during adolescence or early adulthood. All ages are susceptible, but the young and the elderly are particularly vulnerable.
Without proper treatment, the consequences of mental illness for the individual and for society can be severe. These include the: unnecessary disability, unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, incarceration, or suicide. The economic cost, in the United States, of untreated mental illness is more than a hundred billion dollars a year.
Today, the best treatments for serious mental illness are highly effective; between seventy and ninety per cent of patients who receive treatment with medication and support appropriate psychosocial have a significant reduction of symptoms and, consequently, a better quality of life.
With drug treatment and a wide range of services adapted to their needs, most of the people living with serious mental illnesses can greatly reduce the impact of their illness. A very important concept is to acquire expertise in the development of strategies to manage the disease process.
Identification and treatment early are of vital importance.Diagnosis and treatment early will achieve that recovery is faster and that the damage is minor.
The stigma that society gives to mental illness does not believe that these disorders are a real and treatable condition. He has been allowed to stigma and an unjustifiable sense of interfere with the treatment and recovery. It's time to remove these barriers.
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