Mental health (GSA)

Current issues in Malaysia

Mental health

Currently, there are a lot of issues going on Malaysia. There are issues like scams, child marriage, child abuse, plastic issues, environmental issues, drugs and so on. But today I am going to talk about mental health. To move further on, first, we need to know what it meant by mental health. If we go simply by the meaning, it means that is a level of psychological well-being or an absence of mental illness. If we go for an elaboration, it is the psychological state of someone who is working at a satisfactory level of emotional and behavioral adjustment. From the perspective of positive psychology or holism, mental health may include a person’s ability to appreciate their life, and create a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve mental flexibility. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health includes "subjective well-being, professed self-efficacy, autonomy, aptitude, inter-generational dependence, and self-actualization of one's intellectual and emotional potential, among others." The WHO further states that the well-being of an individual is incorporated in the realization of their abilities, coping with normal stresses of life, productive work and contribution to their community. But today we here to talk about the negative side of mental health and that is mental illness. Mental illness is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant suffering or weakening of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, reverting and dispatching, or occur as a single episode. Many illnesses have been described, with signs and symptoms that differ widely between specific disorders. The causes of mental disorders are often unclear. Theories may integrate findings from a range of fields. Mental disorders are usually defined by a combination of how a person behaves, feels, perceives, or thinks. This may be associated with particular regions or functions of the brain, often in a social context. A mental disorder is one aspect of mental health. The most likely cause of mental illness is reliant on many factors related to the disorder itself, the person as a whole, and the social environment. Some illnesses are temporary, while others may be more chronic in nature.

There are many types of mental illness. The following are some of them:

Anxiety disorder.
Bipolar disorder.
Depression.
Eating disorders.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Personality disorders.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Psychosis.
Self-harm.
Suicidal feeling.

As there is a lot of things to talk about which I will not be able to do so as I am limited to my words. So, I will talk about anxiety disorder. So, what do we mean by anxiety disorder? Anxiety disorders are a group of mental disorders branded by significant feelings of anxiety and fear. Anxiety is a worry about future events, and fear is a reaction to current events. These feelings may cause physical symptoms, such as a fast heart rate and trembling.

Everyone feels anxious now and then. It’s a normal emotion. For example, you will feel nervous when faced with a problem at work, before taking a test, or before making an important decision. Anxiety disorders are different, though. They are a group of mental illnesses, and the suffering they cause can keep you from carrying on with your life normally. For people who have one, worry and fear are constant and devastating, and can be spiking. But with treatment, many people can manage those feelings and get back to a fulfilling life.

Now let us talk about types of disorder:

Anxiety disorder is an umbrella term that includes different conditions:

Panic disorder. You feel terror that attacks at random. During a panic attack, you may also sweat, have chest pain, and feel palpitations(unusually strong or uneven heartbeats). Sometimes you may feel like you’re choking or having a heart attack.
Social anxiety disorder. Also called social phobia, this is when you feel devastating worry and self-consciousness about everyday social situations. You fixate about others judging you or on being embarrassed or ridiculed.
Specific phobias. You feel intense fear of a specific object or situation, such as heights or flying. The fear goes beyond what’s appropriate and may cause you to avoid ordinary situations.
Generalized anxiety disorder. You feel disproportionate, unlikely worry and tension with little or no reason.

Symptoms

All anxiety disorders share some general symptoms:

Panic, fear, and uneasiness

Sleep problems

Not being able to stay calm and still

Cold, sweaty, numb or tingling hands or feet

Shortness of breath

Heart palpitations

Dry mouth

Nausea

Tense muscles

Dizziness

Causes

Researchers don’t know exactly what brings on anxiety disorders. Like other forms of mental illness, they stalk from a mixture of things, including changes in your brain and environmental stress, and even your genes. The disorders can run in families and could be linked to faulty circuits in the brain that control fear and other emotions.

Diagnosis

If you have symptoms, your doctor will examine you and ask for your medical history. The doctor may run tests to rule out medical illnesses that might be causing your symptoms. No lab tests can explicitly diagnose anxiety disorders.

Treatments

Most people with the condition try one or more of these therapies:

Medication: Many antidepressants can work for anxiety disorders. They include escitalopram (Lexapro) and fluoxetine (Prozac). Certain anticonvulsant medicines (typically taken for epilepsy) and low-dose antipsychotic drugs can be added to help make other treatments work better. Anxiolytics are also drugs that help lower anxiety. Examples are alprazolam (Xanax) and clonazepam (Klonopin). They’re prescribed for social or generalized anxiety disorder as well as for panic attacks.
Psychotherapy: This is a type of concealing that addresses the emotional response to mental illness. A mental health specialist helps you by talking about how to understand and deal with your anxiety disorder.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy: This is a certain type of psychotherapy that teaches you how to identify and change thought patterns and behaviors that activate deep anxiety or panic.

Managing Symptoms

These tips may help you control or reduce your symptoms:

Cut down on foods and drinks that have caffeine, such as coffee, tea, cola, energy drinks, and chocolate. Caffeine is a mood-altering drug, and it may make symptoms of anxiety disorders worse.

Eat right, exercise, and get better sleep. Brisk aerobic exercises like jogging and biking help release brain chemicals that cut stress and improve your mood.

Sleep problems and anxiety disorder often go hand in hand. Make getting good rest a priority. Follow a relaxing bedtime routine. Talk to your doctor if you still have trouble sleeping.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking any over-the-counter meds or herbal remedies. Many contain chemicals that can make anxiety symptoms worse.

For more information please search up:

https://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/anxiety-disorders#1

Now after all that research, if I am told to tell my opinion about mental health, I will simply tell that it varies from person to person because each and every one of us have different mindset. So, it hard to generalize the idea about mental health or illness. Still, I would like to say that try to confront to your close ones and don’t try to keep it to yourself, in that way it might reduce the pain.

Updated on 16 December 2018, 7:54 PM; 336 page visits from 16 December 2018 to 20 November 2025

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