case study

Walden University

Case Study 4 on Mental Health

Introduction

The brain is one of the most important and sensitive body organs and used even without one's consciousness that it is being used. The reason is that the brain is used for various purposes which include sensation and perception and in most cases; people get worried or are happy of the end results of their decisions and actions and grants little or no attention to the original source of the thought, decision, and eventually action. The brain like any other part of the body is faced with different challenges that can easily compromise its operation. The challenge is that most issues and ailments affecting the brain are not granted attention until weird and unexpected things start to take place. That is the time the friends and society close to the affected person takes the initiative of seeking medical attention to have the mental abilities and wellness of the person checked. Surprisingly, the brain is a part that requires constant consideration and medical checkup to ensure that its health is perfect and that cases of instability are addressed before they can become chronic. This persuasive essay shall focus on placing emphasis on mental health and why it is important for people to seek medical checkup constantly as a way of promoting mental health.

Discussion

Mental health is important for proper brain functioning and it helps in preventing a lot of adverse consequences that emanate from mental instability. When the brain is healthy, it is able to receive the right sensations and interpret them accordingly thus leading to the making of quality decisions and taking of the right decisions (Manderscheid, et al., 2010). Mental illness is challenging by itself and people affected directly or indirectly face the massive stigma that automatically lowers their quality of life. The reason is that the actions that one does when mentally ill and absurd, awkward, and weird and one does not realize until he/she is treated and gets to know about them (Chekroud, Loho, & Krystal, 2017). Moreover, the society, in general, has never been kind to mentally challenged persons and it is for this reason people should take care of their minds so as to remain safe and lead a health and quality life.

Mental health helps one to live a longer life because the decisions and actions that one takes are determined by mental stability. For instance, being mentally challenged makes one make moves that place one's life at a greater risk (Tomlinson, & Lund, 2012). For instance, mentally challenged people contemplates ideas that place their lives at risk, for instance, committing suicide as they tend to feel that life is no longer important. Others are pushed to do things that cannot be reversed for instance committing murder and other capital offenses like rape (Manderscheid, et al., 2010). Apart by being attacked by members of the community through mob justice after committing such crimes, they also increase their condition due to the guilt and stress that comes with committing such crimes. Moreover, it is sad to feel that one can allow things to get desperate while as there is a simple way out which is to get tested often to remain conscious of one's mental health or be advised on things to do and those to avoid to build and maintain a quality mental health.

According to Henderson, Evans-Lacko, & Thornicroft, (2013); there are so many things that people have to live with and face constantly that compromises the mental state of a person. To start with daily life stress is one of the things, unhealthy living conditions, and abuse for instance family violence and sexual abuse are things that affect the mental ability. Traumatic and painful experiences like accidents where the head is hit or experience murder taking place are things that affect the normal mental operation. Sadly, some of these things cannot be avoided and this means that one has to face and live with situations that can make one have mental instability (Henderson, Evans-Lacko, & Thornicroft, 2013). However, it is possible to remain safe from all these by seeking medical attention to determine the mental stability levels that one is in. this is especially important when a person undergoes traumatizing, stressing, depressing, and painful situations so as early signs of mental illness can be detected and treated.

There are also ailments that affect the brain for instant stroke which kills some of the brain cells causing the brain not to function normally. When suffering such ailments may not be avoidable, it is important to realize that mental treatment should also be considered to rule out the possibility that one is mentally affected. Moreover, Chopin, (1899); claims that when mental instability is left untreated for long can get to the chronic stages which are irreversible. This means delay when it comes to mental health can have long-lasting consequences that the victim, close family members, and friends would live to regret (Tomlinson, & Lund, 2012). It is wise to take the best option out of the problem which is taking interest in learning the various signs of developing a mental disorder and seek early treatment. The more reasons are that some signs are clear and easy to note and such actions would go a long way in saving the situation.

The society, family, and friends have a role to play in promoting mental health. The reason is that society has developed a negative attitude towards mentally challenged people thereby making them feel stigmatized and also to suffer from low esteem even after seeking medical attention (Chekroud, Loho, & Krystal, 2017). The manner in which a person is treated by the society and closely related after recovering from mental illness determines how well the patient will sustain the mental health and keep away from situation and events that would trigger the ailment. It also determines how courageously such people would come out and become mental health ambassadors to avoid future cases of mental health.

Conclusion

Mental health is vital but situations that threaten it are enormous and at times hard for people not to experience a moment of mental instability. There are some signs and symptoms of mental instability and with proper attention to these signs; one can easily know when it’s time to seek medical attention. Early treatment helps in avoiding the situation from getting worse and getting to situations like contemplating suicide or capital offense. Again, the society and family members have a role to play of ensuring that mentally unstable people are treated with respected and those that have recovered are treated like any other member of the society. Having a different way of treating such people negatively affects their mental health and also increases their levels of life discomfort. In overall, the state of mental health that one has and intends to keep is a personal decision until the situation gets out of hand forcing family, friends, and society to take charge.

References

Chekroud, A. M., Loho, H., & Krystal, J. H. (2017). Mental illness and mental health. The Lancet Psychiatry, 4(4), 276-277.

Chopin, K.  (1899). The awakening. Chicago, IL:  Herbert S. Stone & Company.

Henderson, C., Evans-Lacko, S., & Thornicroft, G. (2013). Mental illness stigma, help-seeking, and public health programs. American journal of public health, 103(5), 777-780.

Manderscheid, R. W., Ryff, C. D., Freeman, E. J., McKnight-Eily, L. R., Dhingra, S., & Strine, T. W. (2010). Peer-reviewed: Evolving definitions of mental illness and wellness. Preventing chronic disease, 7(1).

Tomlinson, M., & Lund, C. (2012). Why does mental health not get the attention it deserves? An application of the Shiffman and Smith framework. PLoS medicine, 9(2), e1001178.