World Mental Health Day

"Harness Depression, Ignite Transformation"

In recent years, there has been a growing focus on the topic of mental health, emphasizing its importance for individuals in today's rapidly evolving world. From fear, sadness, grief, distress, depression, and anxiety, various emotions are battled by people today. Some people are unaware of their mental health, while people with awareness don't know how to communicate.

Every year, the 10th of October marks world mental health day globally to raise awareness among people regarding mental health. This day was first announced by the world federation of mental health (WFMH) in 1992, and the theme for world mental health day 2023 is "mental health is a universal human right."

10 Reasons to Prioritize Mental Well-Being

 The mental health is important for the following reasons

• Poor mental health also leads to bad physical health like heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
• Caring about our mental health can also help to prevent mental illness development.
• Having good mental health gives a more positive vibe and helps us to enjoy our lives more.
• Face difficult times in our lives will not be a challenge, if our mental health is good.
• Creative thinking will be improved with good mental health.
• Better relationships with people can be increased by good mental health.
• Helps us to work more productively with full potential.
• It allows us to provide meaningful contributions to our beloved family, community, and society.
• It Improves our clarity of thought.
• Self-esteem is also enhanced with good mental health.

Type Of Mental Disorder

It is characterized by clinically significant trouble in a person's intelligence, emotional regulation, or behavior. In the year 2019, approximately one out of every eight individuals, totaling 970 million people, experienced a mental health disorder. The pandemic in 2020, primarily fueled by the widespread impact of COVID-19, with noticeably exacerbated issues related to anxiety and depression among a significant portion of the population. Some of the types of mental disorder are given below

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Bipolar disorder
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Schizophrenia
• Eating disorders
• Disruptive behavior and dissocial disorders
• Neurodevelopmental disorders

Causes Of Mental Disorder

Even though the mental disorder's root cause is unknown, it came to be concluded by research that many of these conditions are due to a combination of biological, psychological, and environmental factors.

Biological factors

• Genetic factor, mental illness can be passed through genetic factors (e.g., identical twins).
• Infections, pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder (PANDAS) associated with the streptococcus bacteria.
• Brain defects, injury in the brain leads to mental illness.
• Prenatal damage of oxygen to the brain may lead to autism spectrum disorder.

 Physical factors 

• Childhood trauma like emotional, physical, or sexual abuse.
• Early loss of beloved ones (parents).
• Ignored.

Environmental factors

• Death or divorce.
• An unstable family life.
• Feelings lonely, low, anger or anxiety.
• Changing jobs or schools.
• Social or cultural expectations (eating disorder).

Signs And Symptoms

The mental illness can be determined by the symptoms which are given below

• Sleep or appetite changes: Sudden changes in sleeping and eating habits.
• Mood changes: Rapid mood swings like feeling depressed or irritated.
• Withdrawal: Sudden disconnection with people around you or not interested in doing the things you like to do.
• Drop in performance: Sudden change in performance in school or workplace or feeling difficulty in performing the familiar task.
• Thinking about problems: Always thinking about problems or emotions that cannot be explained.
• Increased sensitivity: Sensitive to small things like sound, smell, or even touch.
• Apathy (lack of interest): Not interested in participating in any activities.
• Feeling disconnected: Always feeling disconnected from people around you.
• Irrelevant thinking: Unusual or illogical thinking or magical thinking.
• Nervousness: Always feeling nerves or fear.
• Unusual behavior: Sudden changes in behavior that are very unusual.
• Changes in school or work (worsening performance): Taking frequent leaves or difficulty maintaining relationships with coworkers or classmates.

Top 9 Tips To Take Care Of Mental Health

• Recognize and watch out: There are good and bad days. But when something is disturbing and stressing you out constantly, it becomes important not to ignore it. Recognizing the signs of mental health problems is important and seeking help before the condition worsens.
• Communicate your feelings with the person you trust: Talking to your family, friends, or colleagues and sharing your feelings can help to calm your anxiety and relieve stress.
• Get help from a professional: Talking to your near and dear ones is often difficult as you cannot figure out your emotions. In such conditions, seeking professional help (psychiatric, doctor) is important before your mental health is further worsened.
• Take care of your physical health:  Both mental and physical health are connected, so it is important to take care of your physical health by doing regular exercising and eating a healthy diet to maintain good mental health.
• Meditate: Medication or simple breathing exercises can help to relieve stress, improve concentration and mental health.
• Get enough rest: Sleeping is important to maintain a better body functioning. Sleeping at least 7 to 8 hours per day is necessary, and changing your sleeping habits can affect your mental health, too.
• Practice gratitude: Writing down things you are grateful for, in a diary or journal and talking about them is a positive thing. Despite tough times, gratitude will help you overcome it by positively seeing life and situations.
• Practice self-care: Do things you love and enjoy, like painting, listening to music, playing games, or reading books. It will make you feel peaceful and happy, which will help you to achieve better mental health.
• It's okay to take time off: Many times, workload, work pressure, family situations, financial stresses, etc., can make a huge dent in our mental health. In such times, taking a short break and recovering your mental health is okay.

Science In Mental Health

According to scientists, mental illnesses are connected with changes in neurochemicals because individuals who are depressed may have lesser levels of serotonin (neurotransmitter helps to regulate the mood). Special medications like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) help to relieve depression by increasing the amount of serotonin. Similarly, hormones such as dopamine (feel-good hormone), oxytocin (love hormone), and endorphin (relieving hormone) are released when you begin to take care of your mental health.

Your Mental Health Is Your Priority, Your Mental Health Matters

Life is not easy; every day is a new day with new challenges, and mental health often takes a back seat with increasing lifestyle changes. Looking after mental health is very important as it affects not only us and those around us. Some people might think that taking care of mental health is irresponsible or selfish.

However, taking time out for yourself is essential, as your mental health matters the most. Take care of yourself, and do the things that make you happy. Let's raise awareness about the importance of mental health in your surroundings and respect and value other people's mental health. To celebrate this mental health awareness day, do something to make someone happy and bring a smile to someone's face, as happiness is contagious.