The Facts About Mental Health

Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily functioning. Just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life. Serious mental illnesses include major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

When persons with mental illnesses are untreated or under-treated, the results can be devastating. Homelessness, unemployment, hospitalizations, difficulty in school, dropping out of school, family conflict, family dissolution, isolation, legal problems, economic problems, fear, self-loathing, drug and alcohol abuse and, in severe cases, violence or suicide are real possibilities.

The good news about mental illness is that recovery is possible. Mental illnesses are disorders of the brain that often profoundly disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and the ability to live, work, and participate fully in the community. Mental illness includes such disorders as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, autism, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Mental illness involves body, mood, and thoughts. It affects the way a person eats and sleeps, the way a person feels about him or herself, and the way a person acts. Mental illness is not a sign of personal weakness, lack of character, lack of willpower, or poor upbringing. People with a mental illness cannot simply overcome it and get better on their own.

Mental illnesses can affect persons of any age, race, gender, economic level. Mental illnesses are not the result of personal weakness, lack of character, or poor upbringing. Mental illnesses are treatable. Most people diagnosed with a serious mental illness can experience relief from their symptoms by actively participating in an individual treatment plan. You can find incidents of mental illnesses is most every community, workplace, school, church congregation, and indeed, in most every family. Here are some important facts about mental illness and recovery:

• Mental illnesses are biologically based brain disorders. They cannot be overcome through “will power” alone and are not related to a person’s “character” or intelligence.
• Mental disorders fall along a continuum of severity. Even though mental disorders are widespread in the population, the main burden of illness is concentrated in a much smaller proportion — about 6 percent, or 1 in 17 Americans — who suffer from a serious mental illness. It is estimated that mental illness affects 1 in 5 families in America.
• The World Health Organization has reported that four of the 10 leading causes of disability in the US and other developed countries are mental disorders. By 2020, Major Depressive illness will be the leading cause of disability in the world for women and children.
• Mental illnesses usually strike individuals in the prime of their lives, often during adolescence and young adulthood. All ages are susceptible, but the young and the old are especially vulnerable.
• Without treatment, the consequences of mental illness for the individual and society are staggering: unnecessary disability, unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, inappropriate incarceration, suicide and wasted lives; The economic cost of untreated mental illness is more than 100 billion dollars each year in the United States.
• The best treatments for serious mental illnesses today are highly effective; between 70 and 90 percent of individuals have significant reduction of symptoms and improved quality of life with a combination of pharmacological and psychosocial treatments and supports.
• With appropriate effective medication and a wide range of services tailored to their needs, most people who live with serious mental illnesses can significantly reduce the impact of their illness and find a satisfying measure of achievement and independence. A key concept is to develop expertise in developing strategies to manage the illness process.
• Early identification and treatment is of vital importance; By ensuring access to the treatment and recovery supports that are proven effective, recovery is accelerated and the further harm related to the course of illness is minimized.
• Stigma erodes confidence that mental disorders are real, treatable health conditions. We have allowed stigma and a now unwarranted sense of hopelessness to erect attitudinal, structural and financial barriers to effective treatment and recovery. It is time to take these barriers down.

What Can Be Done?

Mental illnesses are treatable and recovery is a real possibility. Early intervention and appropriate treatment and support improve outcomes for persons with mental illnesses. It is critical for a person to receive care and support when he or she needs it. Gaining knowledge about mental illness, symptoms, and treatment options is very important. Transitions professional staff can assist in this process.

In addition to medication treatment, psychosocial treatment such as cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, peer support groups, and other community services can also be components of a treatment plan and that assist with recovery. The availability of transportation, diet, exercise, sleep, friends, and meaningful paid or volunteer activities contribute to overall health and wellness, including mental illness recovery.

The best treatments for serious mental illnesses today are highly effective. Between 70 and 90 percent of individuals have significant reduction of symptoms and improved quality of life with a combination of pharmacological and psychosocial treatments and supports. Transitions is ready to help. Transitions is where action and compassion meet.