By Dr Anuj Khandelwal , Psychiatry
The mental or psychological condition of a person can refer to mental health. How good or bad the mental health is, depends upon the condition and behavior of that person.Good mental health is a sense of wellbeing, confidence and self-esteem.
What are mental health problems?
Mental health problems range from the worries we all experience as part of everyday life to serious long-term conditions. They can be difficult to clearly diagnose, unlike physical illnesses.
Some of the Most Common Mental Health problems include:
- Anger.
- Anxiety and panic attacks.
- Bipolar disorder.
- Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD).
- Borderline personality disorder.
- Depression.
- Dissociative disorder.
- Drugs :It tells effects of street drugs such as alcohol, cannabis or cocaine.
- Eating problems.
- Hearing voices:About voices, who hears them and how to cope if they are a problem.
- Hypomania and mania.
- Loneliness.
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
- Panic attacks.
- Paranoia.
- Phobia.
- Postnatal depression.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Psychotic experiences.
- Schizophrenia.
- Self-esteem:Explains how to increase your self-esteem, giving practical suggestions for what you can do and where you can go for support.
- Self-harm.
- Sleep problems:Having insomnia and other sleep problems.
- Stress .
- Suicidal feelings.
- Tardive dyskinesia.
Causes:
The causes of mental problems:
- Genetics (heredity): Mental illnesses sometimes run in families, suggesting that people who have a family member with a mental illness.
- Infections: Certain infections have been linked to brain damage and the development of mental illness or the worsening of its symptoms.
- Brain defects or injury: Defects in or injury to certain areas of the brain have also been linked to some mental illnesses.
- Prenatal damage.
- Poor nutrition and exposure to toxins.
- Environmental Factors involving setbacks or rebuffs in social or occupational life of a person.
Symptoms:
- Confused thinking.
- Prolonged depression (sadness or irritability).
- Feelings of extreme highs and lows.
- Excessive fears, worries and anxieties.
- Social withdrawal.
- Dramatic changes in eating or sleeping habits.
- Strong feelings of anger.
- Strange thoughts (delusions).
- Seeing or hearing things that aren’t there (hallucinations).
- Growing inability to cope with daily problems and activities.
- Suicidal thoughts.
- Numerous unexplained physical ailments.
- Substance abuse.
How can we improve our mental health?
A few tips for positive mental health are:
- Talk about or express your feelings.
- Exercise regularly.
- Eat healthy meals.
- Get enough sleep.
- Spend time with friends and loved ones.
- Develop new skills.
- Relax and enjoy your hobbies.
- Set realistic goals.
- Talk to your GP or a health professional.
Left Ventricular Assist Device or LVAD for Heart Failure
By Dr Manan H. Desai , Cardiology The heart is a pump which works constantly to pump blood to different parts of the body. The heart has 4 chambers, and the left ventricle which is the largest is responsible for pumping pure oxygenated blood to all parts of the body. This is done through a large blood vessel called aorta, which branches into a network of smaller and smaller vessels as it reaches the distant parts of the body. Due to various reasons, the heart may not be able to...
Mini Face Lift or Upper Eye Blepharoplasty: Which to Do First?
By Dr Anubhav Gupta , Cosmetic/Plastic Surgery Your physical appearance changes considerably with progressing age. The skin starts to wrinkle and droop especially in and around your cheeks and the eyes. There are a number of techniques which help you to regain your youthful look. Most common procedures include a facelift which tends to remove the sagginess of the skin around your face or an eyelift which helps to treat the drooping eyelids and bagginess below your eyes. The two procedures can be compared on the following grounds: 1. Type of...
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
By Dr. K. S Somasekhar Rao, Gastroenterology Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a disorder of the digestive system that is characterized by a reflux of the stomach acid or stomach content through the food pipe. This action causes irritation to the lining in the food pipe and leads to GERD. The symptoms of this disorder are common and not problematic unless they occur more than twice a week in a chronic manner. Symptoms- You will experience a burning sensation in the chest (heartburn) that might spread to your throat, and leave a...
Deal with Low Sex Drive after Pregnancy
By Dr. M A Khokar , Sexology Do you shudder at the sheer thought of intimacy and intercourse after having gone through your pregnancy? And all of this despite having a spiced-up sex life previously? Do you find yourself feeling low as your passion and sexual desire take a back seat? Well worry not.. Conceiving a baby might have taken a toll on your libido but the good news is that this phase is transient. You would soon get back your former self and you can certainly deal with this particular phase...