Importance Of Mental Health: Being both physically and emotionally fit is the key to success in all aspects of life. People should be aware of the consequences of mental illness and must give utmost importance to keeping the mind healthy like the way the physical body is kept healthy. Mental and physical health cannot be separated from each other.
What is mental health?
Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences cognition, perception, and behavior. It also determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health affects how we think, feel and act. Mental health should be looked after. How we feel and think is central to the way we live our lives. Just like our physical health, our mental health can also have ups and downs.
What is mental illness?
Mental illness can also be termed a ‘mental disorder.’ Mental illness/ disorder is a wide range of conditions that affect the mood, thinking, and behavior or a combination of these. Mental illnesses are associated with distress and/or problems functioning in social, work, or family activities.
Causes of mental illness
A number of factors can contribute to the risk for mental illness or disorders such as-
- Genes
- Family history
- Life experiences
- Stress
- History of abuse
Not only these, but it can also be due to any psychological, biological or social causes. Human psychology is a vast subject after all. So, it can’t be precisely determined what exact cause is the reason for the mental illness or disorder, but it can gauge and determined from these examples.
Types of mental illness/disorders
There are many types of mental illnesses and they can vary from person to person depending upon the situation of one. Some examples of the most common mental illnesses are as follows:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Bipolar disorder
- Eating disorders
- OCD
- Phobias
- Panic attacks
The above-mentioned mental illnesses and disorders are just the tip of the iceberg. There are much more serious mental health issues that people face in their day-to-day lives and are coping with them.
How to cure mental illness/disorder?
Different types of mental illness require different types of solutions. The first and foremost step is to recognize which type of mental illness is a person suffering from. After determining the illness, the person should then visit a psychologist and start their medications. It is still believed by many people that visiting a psychologist is a shameful act and that you are not “right in the head.” But that should not be the case. Just like when you have any issues with your physical body and you visit a doctor, when you have an issue with your mental body, shouldn’t you also visit a doctor?
Mental health awareness and its importance
A person’s mental well-being is as much important as much as their physical well-being. Mental health is not a destination, but a process. What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversations. There is a need to spread awareness among people regarding the importance of mental health and well-being. “There is no health without mental health.” It is very important to spread the word about mental health and well-being among the masses and to help people suffering from it.
It is up to you today to start making healthy choices. Not choices that are just healthy for your body, but healthy for your mind. We can start by asking for help first and not suffering alone.
“It’s okay not to be okay.”
Published By: Simran Mulani
Edit By: Khushi Thakur
