Who are the mentally ill?
Mentally ill persons are the people with medical conditions which make it difficult for them to cope with normal life’s demands and activities. These conditions affect their moods, their normal brain functionality, their thinking, feeling and even their relationships and that’s why it becomes really difficult for a mentally ill person to act normal all the time. The most common mental illness registered are schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anti social personality disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, dyslexia, multiple personality disorders, autism spectrum disorders, self harm, post traumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder.
Where health services for mentally ill started
In the sixteenth and seventeenth century mental illness was deemed as possession by evil spirits those unlucky to have been mentally ill were tortured in an attempt to drive out the evil spirits and if there were no change in their behaviour they were executed. This was a barbarous and inhuman act brought about due to misunderstanding of the mental illness and false belief. Later in the eighteenth century the mental illness came to light as more of a permanent condition and the word madness was now used to refer to the mentally ill persons whom where now taken and confined in dungeons to suffer away from the general public. After that period is when now the asylums were build and finally medical health services and medicine began to be investigated.
Available Heath services for the mentally ill today
Medication: Psychotropic medications are given to persons of mental illness and this are used to relive the various medical conditions from schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, depression to even bipolar disorders, this medications help control negative behaviours that are associated with mental illness. Specialised therapies and Counselling: there are professional counsellors who help and guild the mentally ill persons by diagnosing to even performing therapeutic practices that help the patients recover. This form of treatment has been proving effective. Self help programs: this is a program that enables a person with mental illness come together voluntarily and share, comfort, reach out to each other and communicate in a judgement free convenient environment. Pharmacological and psychosocial treatments and support are very much available and are most effective if combined.
Facts and myths on mental illness
Mental illness has been misunderstood and unreal myths generated such like, mentally ill persons are the same as mentally retarded, mental illness is a curse, mental illness in children come up due to bad parenting, therapy and other programs for the mentally ill are a waste of time all this myths are completely wrong and educative programs should be launched to generate awareness, this could be very effective in clearing out this unreal myths.Mentally ill persons are not the same as mentally retarded, the mentally retarded have limitation on intellectual functioning and even daily living skill unlike mentally ill persons who have a varied intellectual functioning, mental illness is just like any other illness it’s not a curse, therapy and other programs like self help programs are very effective and have even made people with mental illness live normal lives.
