Mental Health

Naresh Chauhan
Govt Medical College, Surat

Teaching and Learning Aims

There is ignorance, superstition,
stigma and fear around Mental
Illness
Etiology, pathogenesis diagnosis
and treatment are imperfect.
There is a different paradigm
and a less rigorous epidemiology

What is

Mental Health??

Mental health refers to the maintenance of

successful mental activity.

What is

Mental Health??
Mental health refers to the maintenance of
successful mental activity.

This includes maintaining productive daily

activities and maintaining fulfilling
relationships with others.
It also includes maintaining the abilities to
adapt to change and to cope with stresses.

When the brain is not working properly,

one or more of its 6

functions will be disrupted

Behavior

Thinking
Perception

Physical
Emotion

Signaling

Symptoms can include

Thinking difficulties
or
problems focusing attention

Extreme emotional
highs and lows

Sleep problems

More of an art than a science

Treatment is pragmatic
Prevention is about the
politics of health

Mental Health is a worldwide problem

India
18-20 per 1000 population
NMHS (national mental health survey) 2015-16
Available resources
Doctors/counsellors/ hospitals /beds

Budget allocation
Policy

Mental illness is common 6 in 10 women and 4 in 10 men

Mental illness can affect any one of us
Mental illness occurs in all societies and cultures

10

Which mental illness is most common?

Depression with anxiety
affects 9.2% of the population
1 in 20 experience severe
depression

What is mental health?

- How you think, feel, and act in order to face lifes situations
- For example, how you handle stress.

- How you look at yourself, your life and the people in your life
- For example, how you relate to others.

- How you evaluate your options and make choices

- For example: how you make decisions.

Key component of mental health: what you think

Thinking is the cognitive component of mental health.
Its important to recognize your thoughts and to determine if
they are reasonable for the situation.
For example, a friend invites another friend to go to a movie. Do
you think Thats OK. She can do that. I know well get together
another time. Or, do you think Shes not my friend anymore. A
real friend would always invite only me

Its important how you respond to your thoughts.

Thoughts produce feelings in us.

Key component of mental health: what you feel.

Feeling is the emotional / sensory component of mental health.
Thoughts produce feelings.
Thinking the same thoughts over and over in your mind will create feelings
negative thoughts will create more negative feelings and positive
thoughts
will create more positive feelings.

Its important to recognize your feelings.

For example, I am angry and upset!

Its important to understand where these feelings are coming from.

Ie: your thought processes and how you interpret whats happened.

Its important how you respond to your feelings.

I feel this way so its right to feel this way.

Ask yourself questions such as: Is this a legitimate feeling that is appropriate
for the situation?

Key component of mental health: how you act.

Action is the behavioral component of mental health.
Thoughts and feelings result in actions.
For example, you dwell in your mind about how your friend has
slighted you until you feel really angry and then you take an
action as a result of your thoughts and feelings.

Actions can be unhealthy.

For example, you could pick up the phone and yell at your
friend and damage the relationship.
For example, you could go out for a smoke or take a drink and
hide away in your room.

Actions can be healthy.

For example, you could talk over your thoughts and feelings
with your friend or with someone else who could help.

The Subconscious Mind

The Conscious

The Subconscious
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Small group exercise

1. Have a short discussion about how you would define the
term mental illness.
2. What you feel to be the causes of psychological distress.
You may wish to think about a client youve worked with or
even a family member. Make list of your findings.

Mental health pulse

Always worrying
Unable to concentrate
Continually unhappy
Loss your temper easily and often
Insomnia
Wide fluctuation in your mood
Continually dislike to be with person
Upset
Afraid without real cause
William C Menninger

Why is mental health so important?

Here are just a few reasons

Mental health is important because:

It affects your relationships with others:
Mental health problems lead to new problems with friends, family, law
enforcement or school officials( National Mental Health Association, 1997)

It affects how you learn:

Your
Your
Your
Your
Your

attentiveness,
concentration,
classroom conduct,
ability to organize,
ability to communicate.

Source: SAMHSA. http://allmentalhealth.samhsa.gov/school_modules.html#mod2

Mental health is important because:

Mental health problems can lead to other
problems such as:
Experimenting with drugs or alcohol,
Being sexually promiscuous,
Being hostile and aggressive,
Taking risks in behavior

A Classification
Affective Disorders

Substance abuse problems

Anxiety,depression,mania,obsessional disorders

Drugs, alcohol

Schizophrenia
Simple,Hebephrenic,Catatonic,paranoid

Learning disorders
Subnormality

Organic states
Delirium,dementia

Personality Disorder
Abnormal personality,Psychopathy

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The Classification of Mental Illness:

The Neuroses
Depression, Anxiety, Mania, Obsessions and compulsions
(usually the patient retains insight and orientation; they experience
deep distress and may commit suicide)

The Psychoses
Schizophrenia, puerperal psychosis
(the patient is disorientated, deluded, and lacking in insight)

The Dementias
Progressive deterioration with loss of recent memory and deterioration
of a normal personality,
They may be primary or more commonly secondary to another
condition e.g. alcohol, stroke

The Classification of Mental Illness

Drug Problems
Addictive drugs, (Heroin, Cocaine, Amphetamines,) alcohol and drug related
illness-psychosis, delirium and dementia
Personality Disorders
A personality and behavior that is damaging to the individual and/or to
society and which is not tolerated by the dominant culture
Mental sub normality/learning disorders:
Problems around intelligence and ability to learn on the basis of teaching and
experience

Clinical Diagnosis

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Aetiology
Inheritance-Genetics/Intrauterine environment
Schizophrenia,Huntingtons

Drug Abuse
Alcohol,Heroin etc

Upbringing

Neurological diseases

Mothering,education,
parenting
Trauma/head injury

MS,Brain tumour
Biochemistry/metabolic
Porphyria,Diabetes

InfectionsHIV,Syphilis,CJD

Vascular-CVA
Nutrition/PCM

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Treatment and Care

Hospital Care
Community Care

Preventive Networks
Holy places, Family, Home, Friends, Work

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The Mental Health Act 1987

Compulsory Psychiatric
Treatment
Criminal responsibility
Power of attorney

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The Mental Health Care bill 2013 is pending in parliament

Dementia

What can I do to help protect my mental

health?
Eat healthfully
Exercise adequately
Care for your health daily
Take time for yourself regularly
Sleep bountifully
Manage stress diligently

What can I do to help protect my mental

health?
Play
Learn to do something new and fun

Know yourself
Be attuned to your thoughts and feelings.
Keep a journal.
Recognize when this just doesnt seem like I usually think or act.

Say no sometimes. Dont overbook your schedule or

your life.
Make time for quiet
Turn off the cell phone, TV

What can I do to help protect my mental

health?
Recognize warning signs in
How you think,
How you feel,
How you act.

Practice stress management and other self care strategies

throughout life.
Know when and where to get help.
Get help as soon as you suspect you need it.
Get help from a trained counselor or through a medical referral.

Mind over body

or
Body over mind

Maslows model

Nurse reveals the top 5 regrets people make on

their deathbed
1. I wish Id had the courage to live a life true to
myself, not the life others expected of me
2. I wish I didnt work so hard
3. I wish Id had the courage to express my
feelings
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier

Harvest moon:
Around the pond I wander
and the night is gone
-Basho

Thank you !