Impact of friends/family support on mental health

Discussion

The contribution of friends and family in mental health is crucial. From the results, the researches show the importance of family and friends in enhancing the recovery of people living with mental challenges. How fast or slowly people recover from mental health issues is dependent majorly on the social support they get from friends and family. These are the closest people that the patient has with them. The findings from the five studies brought out a great insight into the role played by family and friends in helping people with different mental disorders like depression.

The results supported the primary hypothesis that family and friends have been the most important components in supporting the people suffering from mental health problems. From the sampled research articles, social support for those with mental disorders is majorly provided by family and friends. People who have mental issues and lack social support take long to recover even when therapies are being undertaken. They also find it hard to associate with other people. By looking at the university students presented by Alsubaie et al (2020), family and friends support can evade people from mental health challenges. From the sample, the university students who have mental health issues lack social support from their families and friends. These students end up in depression and stress which becomes a major setback to their mental health. Additionally, those who have mental health issues take long time to recover when they lack social support.

Lack of social support is majorly quantified as stigmatization. People with mental health problems feel stigmatized and left out of families and friends groups if these people are not close to them. These people may sometimes feel like they are not accepted. The feeling of being segregated makes them think more of their mental conditions resulting into more instances of depression. The preference for mental health issues among those who receive social support from their families and friends is very low. This shows that the families and friends have a great role to play in mental health of those either with mental disorders or those at risk of getting these diseases. This help should be rendered at all times to increase the rate of recovery for those already affected. One of the best ways of reducing the instances of new mental health issues in the community is by offering social support to those already suffering from these disorders in order to recover faster. Additionally, when those in the verge of getting these disorders, especially the adolescents and the young adults are given this support, their chances of getting the disorders will be low and in that case, the community will be safe from mental disorders. The results thus support the hypothesis that of the research that family and friends support is important for mental health.

 

References

Alsubaie, M. M., Stain, H. J., Webster, L. A., & Wadman, R. (2019). The role of sources of social support on depression and quality of life for university students. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 24(4), 484-496.