Mental Health has been a topic of discussion for a long time. Today, it has been a crucial issue affecting the global community. According to a WHO report, over 300 million people out of a worldwide population of 1.3 billion are suffering from mental illnesses and there is an enormous gap between the treatment availability and its use due to lack of awareness.
The treatments for such illnesses so far have been mostly non-evidence-based or traditional methods, which can lead to stigmatization in some societies. As much as 90% of patients with Mental Disorders access primary care services, such as general physicians and nurses, before specialized care. This leads us to believe that, usually when people suffer from problems related to their mental health, they actually prefer consulting their general physician rather than undergoing expensive psychiatric treatment in special hospitals. Therefore, it becomes important to understand the importance of mental health and mental illness in primary healthcare.
Mental illnesses are real medical conditions that cause mild, severe, or extreme changes in mood, thought, and behavior. These symptoms affect a person’s capability to deal with his daily activities and/or relationships. Such problems are prompted by adverse life events (divorce, loss of job, etc.), any other chronic diseases (diabetes, hypertension), high levels of stress, etc. Mental Health has been linked to other non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disorders, respiratory, endocrine, gastrointestinal disorders. Also, the treatment for such disorders lies not only in pharmaceuticals but in certain other non-pharmaceutical methods like yoga, meditation, etc. which can help reduce the symptoms of mental illness.
Stigma, discrimination, and social exclusion accompany mental illnesses. Such discriminating attitudes make us form negative opinions about people suffering from mental health disorders. This may lead to avoidance of such patients, making them not seek much-needed medical care. Also, when a patient is out in public, just by seeing someone whose expression shows he/she has a problem with his/her mental health could also change our attitude towards him/her. In this way, just because one is suffering from a chronic condition, it doesn’t mean they have to be avoided or discriminated against. The focus should be on how such people can be helped and made to become productive parts of society.
The importance of education, health promotion, and community participation in achieving better mental health cannot be undermined. It is only by making people realize it is just like any other chronic ailment and there is no need for them to show discrimination or negative attitudes towards such patients that we can reduce their stigmatization and also help in providing treatment at the initial stages itself without leading to further complications. A multidisciplinary approach involving medical doctors, nurses, social workers, etc., along with some non-pharmaceutical methods like yoga, meditation, etc., will help improve people’s mental health, leading to a better quality of life.
It is only by making people realize it is just like any other chronic ailment and there is no need for them to show discrimination or negative attitudes towards such patients that we can reduce their stigmatization.
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