Mental Health and Mental Illness - Essay Example

Running header: Mental health Student’s name: Instructor’s name: Subject code: Date of submission: Health can be defined as the general condition of well being of an individual in every aspect. It is the level of functional or metabolic competence/ efficiency of an individual or an organism. It is being in a state of absolute mental, physical and social well being and not just being without a disease/sickness or frailty. According to Hattie, Myers and Sweeney (2008), health is actually a resource for our every day lives and not merely an objective of living. Health is a constructive concept that emphasizes social and individual resources and also physical capabilities. The reason why I have chosen this definition is because health can only be achieved if one has physical, social and mental well being (health triangle). One can not function properly if any of the above aspects are lacking in his life. For instance, an individual without a disease but has a mental disorder or a physical disability can not be said to be healthy. Mental health on the other hand refers to a level of emotional /cognitive well being as well as the lack of a mental disorder in an individual. It includes a person’s ability of enjoying life and procuring a balance between his life activities and efforts so as to achieve psychological resilience (Elder, Evans and Nizette, 2009). It is an expression of one’s emotions and also signifies one’s ability to adapt to a variety of demands. This definition is appropriate because it is mental health that enables one to realize her/ his abilities; be able to deal with the normal stresses that occur in life and hence work fruitfully and productively .a person with mental disorders will therefore not be able to make informed and personal decisions and is not able to deal with normal stresses of life. Therefore, such an individual can not be said to be mentally healthy. My own ideas on mental health and mental illness have come from a number of sources. Fro example; the Australian health ministers mental health report clearly explains mental health and mental illness. The plan also defines the various mental conditions that are deemed to be mental illness (Australia health ministers 2003). My ideas have also come from observing the people who suffer from various mental illnesses. By observing how they live and comparing them with the normal people, I have been able to understand what mental illness and mental health means. Finally, my ideas have also come from studying various resources about mental health and mental illness. The resources include journals and books written by various health professional s on a number of health issues including mental health and mental illness. The resources have clearly defined the two terms as long as the various conditions that are considered as mental illnesses. I do not believe that it is possible for a person to have a mental illness and still be’ health'. This is contrally to the popularly held believe that as long as one doesn’t have a disease, then he/she is healthy. As earlier discussed, being healthy is not just the lack of a sickness. Health entails being in a state of absolute physical, social and mental well being. A person with a mental illness therefore lacks in one aspect of health triangle (i.e. physical, social and mental well being). Such a person’s mental faculty does not function properly and is therefore unable to properly coordinate all aspects of his/her life. Furthermore, of all the three aspects of health, it is the mental aspect that has the greatest impact on the other two (Harrison and Hart, 2006). A person with mental illness will therefore not be able to take care of his physical or social well being. The proposition that mentally ill people are not healthy can be evidenced by the number of suicides they commit. This is because healthy (mentally) people can not commit suicide since they are able to cope with the stresses of life. According to Groom, Hickie and Daveprot (2003), health is a resource used in our daily lives that enables us to live meaningful lives. Mentally ill people are not capable of living meaningful lives since they are not in control of their own lives or even make decisions regarding their own health. As such, it is impossible for a person to have mental illness and still be healthy. To the mentally ill, recovery means living a meaningful life. To the mentally ill, life has no meaning because they are unable to control their own lives. These individuals are not aware of their many capabilities and can not cope with the normal stresses of life. Therefore they can not live productively/ fruitfully (Muir-Cochrane, Barkaway, and Nizette 2010). Living a meaningful life means that the individual is able to take full control of his destiny/life. It is a state of being in an emotional well being, the capacity and ability to live full and creative lives while still having the flexibility to cope with the inevitable challenges of life. Living a meaningful life means being in charge of the various aspects of life be it at individual level or social level. It also incorporates being able to make informed decision regarding how one wants to live his life and taking control of the various aspects of ones life. It is a situation where one is able to set goals and take the necessary steps towards achieving them and therefore lives fruitful or productive life. A person living a meaningful life is aware of what goes on around him or her and is also able to associate with others freely without being seen as abnormal. Therefore, for the mentally ill people, recovery will entail being able to live normal and meaningful lives or lives that are lived by normal people (people of sound minds). Individuals who live with various mental illnesses experience considerable stigma in a variety of aspects of their lives. The stigma either self inflicted for fear of being labeled as mentally ill or inflicted by others who refuse to accept the mentally ill as a normal part of the society upon recovery. Stigma can affect the following aspects of a person’s life; a) Work A stigmatized person often encounters prejudice in the work market. As such, their chances of getting employed are often slim hence resulting to low economic status. For example, a study carried out in Victoria found that mentally ill patients found it difficult to access housing and jobs. Incase the person was already employed, he or she may feel rejected and as such he may not be able to perform as expected in the work place. As such, he or she may constantly find himself in problems with his bosses which might result to being laid off. This will result in the person’s economic status being low (World Health report 2006). b) Social aspect A traumatized person finds it difficult to associate with other people. In many cases, this people become lone rangers since the society rejects them. As such, these people may lead lonely lives, a situation that usually complicate their situation since they do not have anyone with whom to share their problems (Keyes, 2007). For instance, recent studies on patients with mental illness have found that they are often harassed on the streets and are always socially isolated. c) Health aspects Stigmatization may affect a person’s health and well being. Stigmatization of various illnesses is a crucial factor in preventing patients from seeking for help or even complying with treatment (Mind disorders.com 2009). This is because patients always avoid seeking medical treatment for fear of being stigmatized or the consequences of revealing their status to various parties. For example, patients suffering from AIDS are known to have avoided treatment for fear of being labeled as promiscuous or loosing their jobs. Patients or avoid seeking treatment for stress related disorders and depression since they fear being given negative evaluation of job performance and termination of their jobs. d) Self esteem Stigmatized people normally have very low self esteem. They reject themselves and see themselves as being outcasts. Therefore, they are unable to live to their full potential. They fear associating with others as they see everyone as being against them and hence they become withdrawn. Such people hate themselves and can even take actions that ruin their lives. This usually may lead to depression, stress or even committing suicide as a result (Hattie, Myers and Sweeney, 2008). References: Elder, R, Evans ,K & Nizette,D 2009, psychiatric &mental health nursing, 2nd edition, Mosby/Elsevier, Australia. Harrison, A & Hart, C (Eds) 2006, Mental health care for nurses: applying mental health skills in the general hospital, Wiley-Blackwell, Milton Queensland. Groom, G, Hickie, B & Daveprot, T 2003, Out of hospital, out of mind! A report on mental health services in Australia in 2002 and community priorities for national mental health policy for 2003-2008, Mental health council of Australia, Cabrera. Muir-Cochrane, E, Barkaway, P & Nizette D 2010, Mosby’s pocket book of mental health, Elsevier Australia, Chats wood. Australia health ministers 2003, National mental health plan 2003-2008, Australian Government, Canberra, viewed 15 June 2009, htt://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/mental-pubs-n-plan03. World Health report 2006, mental health: new understanding, new hope, world health organization, 2006 Keyes, C (2007) “The mental health continuum: from languishing to flourishing in life” Australian journal of Health and social behavior, Vol. 43, no. (2), pp .207-222. Hattie, A, Myers, E, &Sweeney, J (2008), “A factor structure of wellness: Theory, assessment, analysis and practice” Australian Journal of counseling and development, Vol.82, pp.354-364. Mind disorders.com 2009, Stigma, viewed 30 July 2010. http://www.minddisorders.com/Py-Z/Stigma.html Read More