When a person has a mental health disorder she often feels isolated, frustrated and overwhelmed. Almost every area of your life is affected, including the way you are think, feel and act. But there are symptoms and signs to detect it in time and receive adequate treatment, according to the psychology.
reactions to stressful situations, changes in relationships, insecurities in the face of new challenges, intense feelings, depression. Who has not reviewed some of these examples one or more times, without giving them too much importance.
However, sometimes these reactions hide something else. The answer is not so obvious, or rather, identify what it is.
A guide to USAGov in Spanish it can be useful when recognize the warning signs and find resources to seek support and provides a key difference to keep in mind.
Mental health is not the same thing as mental illness or disorder
It is common to hear that people use mental health and mental disorders as if they were synonyms, however, They are two very different things.
- Mental health: it includes a person’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It also determines how a human handles stress, relates to others, and makes decisions.
- Mental illness or disorder: it alters a person’s thinking, behavior, and mood. The best known are depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
It is worth clarifying a fundamental distinction: there are conditions that are temporary, while the mental disorders are permanent .
The reference is that mental health can be severely impaired, but this does not necessarily imply that they develop mental illness.
And as a counterpart, a person with a mental illness can pass periods of emotional stability and social well-beingdescribes the health site.
How to identify mental health conditions
To shed light on these gray spots, specialists of the prestigious Mayo Clinic of the United States offer help in identifying mental health conditions.
A mental disorder can occur when patterns or changes in thinking, feeling or behavior cause discomfort or impair a person’s ability to adapt.
A mental health disorder can affect your ability to:
- Maintain personal or family relationships
- function in social contexts
- Performance at work or school
- Learn at a level commensurate with your age and intelligence
- Participate in other important activities
He Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (dsm extensionfor its acronym in English), published by American Psychiatric Associationaddresses the symptoms of hundreds of mental health conditions.
In cases like anxiety, depression, food problems, post traumatic stress AND schizophrenia., to cite a few examples, the DSM provides criteria for a diagnosis based on nature, duration and impact.
Another option is the International Classification of Diseases guideline (International Classification of Diseases, ICD) of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Symptoms and warning signs of mental illness
Both psychiatrists and psychologists have the appropriate tools to evaluate potential patients and determine whether or not they need treatment.
Some points to take into consideration to base a diagnosis could be:
- Medical history of physical illness or mental health disorders
- Complete physical exam to identify or rule out a condition that could be causing your symptoms
- Questions about current concerns
- Questions about recent changes: relationships, work, death of a friend or relative
- Questionnaires to find out your thoughts, feelings and behavior in certain situations.
- Surveys of past and present use of alcohol and drugs
- History of trauma, abuse, family crises, or other major life events
- Interview someone who knows you well, such as a parent or spouse
When help or treatment is needed
It is clear that there are dozens and dozens of mental disorders and each can have a different impact on each person.
Therefore, beyond the generalities, A visit with a professional is always essential to choose the best route.
But even though it’s worth listing a few instances where a professional is used for a mental health condition:
- sleep problems
- Dietary changes
- Inability to cope with everyday problems
- Unusual or “magical” thoughts.
- Excessive and frequent anxiety
- Sadness, depression or apathy for a long time
- Thoughts or statements about suicide or harm to others
- Substance abuse
- Excessive anger, hostility or violent behavior
- Feeling disconnected or withdrawn from normal activities
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.