Overview
Mental health is just as significant as physical health. Patients going through mental health problems are in a grave amount of emotional pain that can not be understood so easily by someone that has never experienced it. Some of the following mental health problems commonly affect individuals:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
Causes
Mostly, the exact causes of mind-related disorders are not clearly understood, but the following factors are common to most mental health disorders:
- Genetic factors
- Changes in the brain biochemistry – the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain become unbalanced
- Environmental factors – low socioeconomic background, high-stress jobs, drug, and alcohol abuse
Symptoms
The symptoms associated with mental health disorders are not exclusively mental, some physical signs and symptoms can also manifest. Some of the signs and symptoms of each disorder are listed below:
- Depression – loss of interest, low mood, decreased sleep, loss of appetite, fatigue,
- Anxiety – feeling nervous, having intense fear, increased heart rate, sweating, trembling, palpitations
- Post-traumatic stress disorder – recurrent, unwanted memories of a past traumatic event, avoidance of talking about the event, negative thoughts and hopelessness about the future, emotionally numb, self-destructive behavior, easily frightened
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of mental health disorders is made by following the guidelines given by the diagnostic and statistical manual (DSM) 5.
Treatment
Treatment for these disorders is similar for most diseases, and some therapy modalities are listed below:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Psychotherapy
- Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
- Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs)
- Tricyclic antidepressants
- Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
