Accommodating patients

Is Mental Illness Viewed as a Health Problem?

The short answer is: If it's not, it should be. Some people simply may not see mental health as a health problem, but more of a state of mind.

Controlling Mental Illness Try this little exercise-put on headphones and play a loud podcast or music -put flashing lights in the room and have them going -have a person enter the room and begin talking to you.

-now, imagine a deceased person that you knew, talking to you, or a person you never met talking If you followed this exercise, you have just experienced what a schizophrenic person can feel. How much could you comprehend under these circumstances? It's unlikely you could keep up that pace for more than 5 minutes, just imagine living with it 24/7.

Think about a time in your life that was very difficult. Perhaps you only were upset for a short time, but recollect that feeling. What if you had to live with that feeling nonstop, it never went away, and that would mean that you were clinically depressed, just as millions of others are.

What is your biggest fear? Heights, darkness, insects? If In fact its heights, just pretend for a few moments that you are taken out on a ledge over Mount Everest. A plank/ledge that is 18 inches wide, and extends out 30 feet from the mountain. If you are placed there, how would you feel?

Terrified, alone, helpless, like you would rather be dead than where you are at that moment. That is exactly how someone suffering from anxiety feels.

Related: Household Stains and Removal Solutions With all of the above conditions, they are real, and affect millions every day.

If you are already under extreme duress, and finally have the courage to seek help, how disheartening would it be to be told to get over it. Those words could literally push you over the edge. Mental Illness is becoming a topic that is more understood and accepted as a true medical condition. For years, many people did not view a mental condition as anything that could not be controlled. Consider, who would ever choose to live as a depressed, or schizophrenic person? No one, just as no one would choose to live with a terrible case of flu, instead they seek treatment.

Mental illness is real, and there are varying forms, no one diagnosis fits all, and no one cure fits all. For many patients, it takes years to gain a proper

diagnosis, and can take just as long to determine the proper treatment.

Patients should never be afraid to visit their health care provider or embarrassed to discuss their symptoms. Just was symptoms of a cold or flu would be discussed, any mental disorder or concern should be discussed as well. If it's not openly discussed it cannot get better.

Family members of patients with a mental disorder may need to be educated on what to expect, and how to best provide care for their family member.

Many families refuse to believe there is a problem, which can only add to the complexity of the situation. Most hospitals offer support groups and trainings to help family members cope with a loved one’s diagnosis. Mental illness can be treated with the right combination of therapy, and medications. With the help of a psychiatrist and therapist, most patients that suffer from mental illness can live normal productive lives; it just requires finding the right medical team, and the right combination of medication.

NAMI is the National Association of Mental Illness, and is a great source of information for anyone with mental illness, or family of anyone with mental illness. Most counties in the United States have programs to work with patients seeking help for a mental disorder.

Throughout history, many great minds have suffered with and later controlled a mental illness. It's important to remember and remind that there is always hope.

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