There's one sad truth in life I've found
While journeying east and west -
The only folks we really wound
Are those we love the best.
We flatter those we scarcely know,
We please the fleeting guest,
And deal full many a thoughtless blow
To those who love us best.
~Ella Wheeler Wilcox
During last week’s topic, Mind, Behaviour and Global Health, we covered many interesting aspects of this broad and important theme.
Last Thursday Dr. Shahi’s lecture refreshed my memory on psychology tactics. Of course, the readings and video clips were a great introduction toward the big picture and concept of the day.
Probably most of us have known people whom we thought were not normal, and often we have called them “ABNORMAL.”
I want to share something with you, which I found eye opening in regard to society that we in!
National Institute of Mental Health conducted a nationwide survey of over 20,000 individuals, in which over 20% of the adults interviewed had at least one psychiatric disorder during the past six months. The most common mental illnesses were found to be:
1. Anxiety disorders (10-12% of the population)
2. Alcohol and drug abuse (6-7%),
3. Affective disorders (5-6%)
4. Schizophrenia, (1%) and antisocial personality (1%)
In this study men and women were found to have an equal chance of developing a mental disorder while women suffered proportionately more from depression and men from antisocial personality.
Multiple studies have shown that all of us have a one in three chance of developing a mental illness in our lifetime. I can imagine that this number will be increasing in the next decades by growth of technology, industry, hectic life style, traffic, air pollution and etc. This issue will be one of the main challenges for society to deal with in the near future and depressive, antisocial people do not communicate well with others, which is of critical importance for a useful life.
I believe one way to help individuals in developing good mental health is to show them how wonderful life is, motivate them to get out and meet other people, have a hobby and/or a goal for the future, so they can approach life with a positive attitude! I want you to check out the website below and see what are the 10 keys to a happy life! http://iranscope.ghandchi.com/Fun/Secrets/index.htm
I am open to other thoughts you have on attaining and promoting good mental health and subsequent behavior!
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4 comments:
Liyan,
I really like that quote you up with this entry. In my culture, we do treat guests much better because there's the idea that you never know who the person is (it might be God manifested in a human). Mental health is such a touchy issue all over the world. I think it is mostly because we can't see the disease as we do others, and the symptoms are expressed in ways that we've accepted as unnatural and abnormal.
I agree that a way to get a person to develop "good mental health is to show them how wonderful life is, motivate them to get out and meet other people, have a hobby and/or a goal for the future, so they can approach life with a positive attitude." But I think most people in really dire financial situations are just not able to do that even though they are the ones who will benefit most from it.
Like you, I come from a culture that stigmatizes those with mental health issues and categorizes them as crazy, even if the illness they suffer from is as common as depression. It provides disincentives for people to admit to their mental illness to family and even to themselves, which further hinders people from seeking treatment.
Also, anxiety and panic disorders in addition to depression have become commonplace since 9-11 and our government's fear tactics are only contributing people's anxiety. Moreover, therapy in this country is vastly under-appreciated and much too expensive, which is a pity because therapy can not only help people deal with mental illness but it's a wonderful personal development tool.
These are some great suggestiong for addressing mental health. Some of the most benefits come from patients who are being treated with both medication and some sort of therapy including behavioral phsycotherapy - which includes the types of activities you mentioned. Great ideas.
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