Lets go there, how is your mental health?








It is Mental Health Awareness Week and one that brings our collective mental health to the fore; that we can no longer afford to leave discussing it behind but as a matter of urgency to truthfully embrace and openly start talking about.

Now, this is not the time to be binding and rejecting in the holy ones name as stigma and denial-cultural practices  enable this endemic public health issue remain a big monster in the room.


The world as we know it today is filled with different stress factors and as mere mortals we respond to stress in different ways. But the different ways in which we respond to stress not only affects the sufferer but us all, just look around you, be honest, you know a friend, a family member  or have  read or heard of a celebrity or the other, who has been a sufferer and probably committed suicide.  And our children are not left behind. Mental Health of children  and teenagers is equally as alarming   We have been stunned by recent revelations of the growing  drug and substance abuse culture of our youths.  Indeed no one social group is left out.

To bring it home, the fact is, if you have at any point experienced the below listed signs and symptoms: then you need to stop being in denial or in denial that your loved ones, someone you know is suffering from mental health illness and start  tackling the issue head on by getting a professional diagnosis, treatment and care earnestly.

·          Continuous feeling of sadness or  feeling down
·         Confused thinking or reduced ability to concentrate
·         Excessive fears or worries, or extreme feelings of guilt
·         Extreme mood changes of highs and lows
·         Withdrawal from friends and activities
·         Significant tiredness, low energy or problems sleeping
·         Detachment from reality (delusions), paranoia or hallucinations
·         Inability to cope with daily problems or stress
·         Trouble understanding and relating to situations and to people
·         Alcohol or drug abuse
·         Major changes in eating habits
·         Sex drive changes
·         Excessive anger, hostility or violence
·         Suicidal thinking
And of course when  the issue of mental health is mentioned, the image of a sufferer of the more advance mental disorder schizophrenia  is usually what comes to mind but like the symptoms above has shown it’s has to do with many little things building up but here is the definition; Mental Health illness according to Wikipedia  is medically  called   mental disorder or psychiatric disorder,  a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitting, or occur as a single episode. Many disorders have been described, with signs and symptoms that vary widely between specific disorders.

At some point these problems will then, begin to  affect the sufferers daily life, relationships and or their physical health too as some symptoms of a mental health disorder appear as physical problems, such as stomach pain, back pain, headache, or other unexplained aches and pains.

In the UK, 1 in 4 the statistics say suffer from mental health condition- one or the other. Yet if 4 people are gathered randomly, myself included we will all say we are fine, simply because we don't want to be judged nor labelled. But it’s time to face our reality, to thyself be true is a motto I personally aspire to live by.
We must talk about mental health, it is part of our lives, it is a reality, it is a slow killer, and in the process a lot is affected and wrecked; like family, career, friendships and potentials lost.

Let’s stop here for today and do leave your comments below,  I do hope this as inspired you enough to begin to take action either for yourself or someone you know.  You can do something, like Nike says; "just do it". Do expect more on mental health discussion from me until it becomes a mainstreamed societal topic. 

 I am available to come give a tailor made talk, training, presentation to individuals,  schools, youth programs , groups , speak to parliaments, governments and corporate organisations.

Email: thinkingbee@gmail.com
Whatssup: +234 8088 453707.



Resources:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mental-illness/symptoms-causes/syc-20374968
https://www.nhsdirect.wales.nhs.uk/encyclopaedia/m/article/mentalhealth
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_disorder

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