Mental Health Through Another Lens

Jul 31

Despite the existence of hundreds of different mental illnesses, their importance and legitimacy are frequently questioned. Similar to physical illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and the flu, mental conditions are diagnosed. However, mental health issues are often not taken as seriously as neurological disorders such as epilepsy or cancer.

People with mental illnesses face additional barriers, including a lack of knowledge, awareness, and stigma that obstruct proper care. These barriers are especially challenging for individuals from different cultural backgrounds who may not fully understand mental health issues. Many people believe that mental health problems can simply "go away" with enough effort or can be "ignored."

Today, we will address myths, provide accurate information, promote different perspectives, and explore the science behind mental health.

Mental Health

The term "mental illness" is broad and includes a wide range of conditions affecting a person's thinking, mood, behavior, and overall mental functioning. These conditions vary greatly in severity, symptoms, causes, and treatment approaches. For example, mental illness includes mood disorders like depression and bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders like schizophrenia, eating disorders, personality disorders, and many others.

To make it simpler, mental disorders can be broadly categorized into mental illnesses and neurological disorders. Examples of mental illnesses include depression, anxiety, ADHD, OCD, and schizophrenia, while neurological disorders include epilepsy, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson’s.

There are also indirect causes of mental health issues, such as past trauma and genetic predisposition.

Most scientists believe that many mental illnesses result from issues with brain cell communication, known as neurotransmission, where brain molecules send signals to communicate with the rest of the body. Neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine play crucial roles. For instance, people with depression often have lower serotonin levels, leading to specific medications. Dopamine imbalances—whether too high or too low—can affect various mental health conditions, including aggression, impulse control issues, depression, schizophrenia, and psychosis. Dopamine imbalances are also linked to ADHD and addiction.

Complex Disorders Due to Environmental and Social Factors

Some disorders, like autism and schizophrenia, have a strong biological basis and are more straightforward from a scientific perspective. However, disorders such as depression and anxiety are more complex and require consideration of environmental and social factors.

The complexity of mental disorders often makes diagnosis challenging because there is no clear-cut definition for conditions like PTSD or depression.

Diagnosis

Dr. Jennifer J. Newson outlines five challenges in diagnosing mental health conditions. The first challenge is asking the "right questions" during clinical interviews to accurately map out symptoms. The second challenge is whether subjective questionnaires are sufficient, as they may be influenced by cultural differences. The third challenge involves missing symptoms, which can narrow the diagnosis too much. The fourth challenge is the overlap between different disorders, and the fifth is determining the appropriate course of treatment.

Stigma and Myths

Mental health stigma involves unfair or negative attitudes toward individuals with mental illnesses and can also refer to the negative self-perceptions of those with mental health issues. Stigma often arises from a lack of understanding, ignorance, or prejudice, leading to discrimination.

Unconscious biases contribute to myths about mental health by reinforcing harmful stereotypes and stigmas. For instance, biases may cause people to view individuals with mental health issues as dangerous or weak, which undermines the legitimacy of these conditions. These biases can also minimize the impact of mental health issues, leading to misconceptions that such problems are less serious than physical health conditions. Common misconceptions include:

Mental health issues are a result of personality flaws: Mental health conditions are not caused by personal weaknesses.
Mental illness is obvious: It’s not always easy to identify if someone has a mental health issue.
People with mental illness are violent: Individuals with serious mental health conditions are actually more likely to be victims of crime.
There's no hope for people with mental health issues: Many people with mental health conditions improve and move toward recovery.
If a person has a mental health condition, it means the person has low intelligence: Mental illness, like physical illness, can affect anyone regardless of intelligence, social class, or income level.

Social stigma and discrimination prevent many people from seeking the support they need. Addressing this issue is crucial. One effective approach is integrating mental health education into school curricula to dispel myths and build understanding. Additionally, creating more accessible care facilities for those facing financial or social barriers is essential. This is a major concern that needs to be addressed.