Mental Health Is The Elephant In The Room; 5 Major Mental Health Issues That Need To Be Addressed

by Shatakshi Gupta

World Mental Health Day is observed every year on 10 October all over the world to create awareness about mental health issues among people. According to the World Health Organization, World Mental Health Day gives an opportunity to all those working for mental health to talk about their work and also to show that mental health services should be made a contribution to people around the world.

If we compare the present situation with the past, there is no doubt that awareness about mental health has increased in the last few years.But despite this, there are still a large number of people who feel hesitant to talk about it. This is something we need to address because the data suggests that in every 40 seconds a person dies due to mental illness. This shocking statistic shows how important it is to talk about mental disorders and how we can deal with them. Today we will talk about 5 mental disorders with which millions of people are struggling.

Major depressive disorder or Stress:

Also read: Depression: Warning Signs and Symptoms to Watch Out for

In the parlance, Major depressive disorder is known as depression. This is a very serious disease related to the brain. In this disease, a person can feel depressed for months, even years.

 When a person has depression, he loses interest in the work he once enjoys, loose appetite, suffers from insomnia, lacks energy, feels lethargic. After a point of time, people start feeling worthless, find it difficult to concentrate and find it difficult to make decisions.

 In such a situation, the family members or friends of the patient play a big role in his treatment. They can help not only to recognize that a family member or friend is under stress but also to get it treated in time. At the same time, they can also help the person to come out of depression by motivating him. 

Schizophrenia:

Schizophrenia is also a serious mental illness. Under this, a reality becomes elusive for a person. People experience confusion and disorganized thinking. Schizophrenia is not common, but its symptoms are severe. It can be difficult to recognize the symptoms of schizophrenia in adolescents at a young age because symptoms such as distance from friends and family, lack of motivation, and sleep problems are common in the teenage years.

In such a situation, self-help, counselling from a psychologist and medication can help reduce the symptoms of schizophrenia. 

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder:

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a disorder associated with anxiety, characterized by obsessive thoughts and feelings of compulsion to see or do things in a certain way. People who suffer from OCD see everything differently. They have thoughts that are uncontrollable and get desperate to do certain things.  Actions like washing or sanitizing hands frequently or continuously, checking your body, following a kind of routine daily are some of the symptoms of OCD. A little deviation from regular things causes them so much discomfort.

Persistent depressive disorder:

This disorder is also known as Dysthymia. In this state, a person remains in constant depression. Person experience a constant sense of sadness, decreased productivity, low energy, hopelessness, changes in appetite, low self-confidence and poor self-esteem.

Traumatic life events, constant anxiety, bipolar disorder and even a type of chemical imbalance in the brain can be major causes of Dysthymia.

Bipolar disorder:

Bipolar disorder is a type of mental illness in which people experience a sudden change in mood. A person suffering from bipolar disorder goes through a variety of emotions, sometimes experiences such as excessive excitement, deep sadness, suicidal thoughts. If someone is going through extreme stress, physical illness, traumatic experiences, these can promote the development of the bipolar disorder.