11/10/2021
Today is World Mental Health Day!
When we talk about Mental Health we mean the state or condition of the MIND. The mind can be healthy or sick. Man's daily activities are full of stress which could be emotional, physical, social, or economic stress. A person is said to have a healthy mind when such person possesses the ability to respond and adjust to every day stress in an acceptable manner. On the contrary, any disturbance in ones ability to handle stress leads to a sick mind or what is also called MENTAL ILLNESS.
Mental Illness can show up as Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder. There are many things that could be responsible for mental Illness such as: chemical imbalance, alcohol, inability to cope, social and cultural factors and long term disease such as Alzheimer's disease. There are myth around mental Illness. People tend to hold several views on mental illness which is contrary to fact. We would want to use this opportunity to inform the public that those myth are false. It is a common believe that mentally ill people never get well especially those who have run into the market square. This believe is misleading and erroneous like every other myth. Mentally ill people can recover with adequate treatment. It is a common believe that mentally ill people are unable to work. This again, is not true. If mental Illness is not severe, work is possible. It is believed that mentally ill people can turn symptoms on and off at will. People have abandoned their loved ones in hatred because of this believe. Know it today that no mentally ill person can turn symptoms on and off. They are not on their own responsible or control what happens to them at any given time. Note that addiction to drugs and alcohol is a disease not a will power.
Myth on mental Illness is majorly held up by people who have shallow understanding about mental Illness. Most people think that mentally Ill people are only those picking food from waste bins and roaming naked on the streets. According to WHO complete Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The extension to all peoples of the benefits of medical, psychological and related knowledge is essential to the fullest attainment of health. Looking at the above definition shows that there are more explanation to Mental Health than what most people know. There are levels of madness. It has
