Mental health is a term that is collectively used to understand illnesses that include symptoms that might have an impact on the thinking, mood, and behavior of a person. Mental health problems might make it difficult for people to concentrate on work or maintain a positive work-life balance. There might even be problems pertaining to relationships when a person is dealing with mental health problems. While mental health and stress have a complex but definite relationship, the latter can gravely be worsened by the former.
What is the solution? While some people resort to counseling for mental health problems, some might turn to medication. A combination of both can also be a good and effective solution for some.
Symptoms of mental health problems
The symptoms of mental health illness can vary depending on the individual, the depth of the problem, and how a person is looking to cope with the problem. There can be emotional and behavioral repercussions of mental health illness, and the best way to cure is to identify it early on and support the person suffering from mental health issues as well as possible.
Some of the known symptoms of mental health illnesses include:
- Feeling sad or low
- Inability to concentrate on the job or even on leisure activities like watching TV or reading the newspaper
- Extreme feeling of guilt
- Irrational fears or worries, especially about the future
- Mood swings
- Withdrawal from family, friends, and all sorts of social activities
- Detachment from the real world and a sense of delusion or hallucinations
- Inability to keep up with daily tasks or powerlessness in handling the stress of simple jobs
- Difficulty in understanding people and situations
- Excessive alcohol use
- Sudden change in eating habits
- Change in sex drive for the worse
- Change in temperament and sudden hostile behavior and loss of patience
- Suicidal thoughts
- Physical symptoms such as stomach ache, back pain, and headaches
Causes of mental health problems
Multiple causes can be associated with the occurrence of mental health illnesses. Some of the causes can be recent, while some causes could have occurred several years back and still have an impact on the mental health of an individual. Let’s look at some of the common causes of mental health illness.
- Abuse during childhood or childhood trauma
- Loneliness or social isolation
- Experience of social stigma or discrimination
- Loss of a loved one
- Long-term stress related to family, finance, health, etc.
- A recent unfortunate event at work like losing a job or losing money
- Homelessness
- History of alcohol
- Victim of domestic violence or bullying
- Critical trauma as an adult, like being involved in an accident or being a victim of a crime such as a robbery, or theft
- A recent physical injury like a head injury or any incident involving a shock to the neurological system
Risk factors for mental health illnesses
Several factors put you at a higher risk of getting mental health problems than other people. In such circumstances, one must try to keep oneself happy and people around the individual must also support him. Some of the risk factors include a previous mental illness, substance abuse, traumatic experiences, a current chronic illness like diabetes, or a stressful condition like a financial problem.