Last week, I discussed mental disorders. Often, mental disorders (or
mental illnesses) are conditions that affect your thinking, feeling, mood,
and behavior. They may be occasional or long-lasting (chronic). They
can affect your ability to relate to others and function each day.
Common mental disorders include anxiety, depression, bipolar, eating
disorders, PTSD, and more. Mental disorders are common, and it's
reported that more than half of all Americans will be diagnosed with a
mental disorder at some time in their life. Diagnosing mental-health
issues may seem easy enough. Patients discuss their symptoms and a
doctor matches those symptoms to a disorder and determines an
appropriate treatment. It usually involves some type of therapy. You
may also take medications, and some people also need support and
education on managing their conditions. We see these challenges
continue and on a rise with individuals, especially young people, coming
out of a troubling couple of years from the pandemic. In addition, you
cannot ignore the awful things happening in our communities, including
violence.
It's been found that therapy has been a great resource for those
suffering with a mental disorder. Psychotherapy is the therapeutic
treatment of mental illness provided by a trained mental health
professional. Psychotherapy explores thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors, and seeks to improve an individual’s well-being (Mental
Health Treatments, n.d.). Essentially, talking, expressing, and sharing
those thoughts and feelings is so important. The social communication
that goes hand in hand with dealing with these sorts of disorders can be
a great release. In addition, we find great success in which two
individuals can come together and find common ground, and support
each other during their difficult times. Success groups, and personal
studies each help contribute to a strong mind.
References:
Mental Health Treatments. (n.d.). Mental Health America. Retrieved
August 1, 2022, from https://mhanational.org/mental-health-
treatments
