Why is Mental Health so important?

It is estimated that mental health problems and mental Illness will affect more than 20 per cent of the adult population in their lifetime and between 10-15 per cent of young people in any one year.

Many will recover spontaneously. Of the remainder, the vast majority can be treated and will fully recover. However, a small number will experience longer periods of distress and disability.

Mental Illnesses are just like any other illness, such as heart disease, diabetes and asthma. Yet the traditions of flowers, sympathy and support provided to those with a physical illness are generally denied to those with mental illness.

In the past, the more severely affected people were isolated and treated in psychiatric institutions, having little opportunity to decide how and where they wished to live their lives. Others received no treatment or support at all.

Treatments have improved and although some people with severe mental illness will still require hospitalisation, the emphasis is on treating and supporting people in their own communities.

What is "Mental Illness"?

'Mental illness' and 'mental disorder' refer to a medically diagnosable range of disorders that result in a significant impairment of a person's thinking - or emotional/ relationship abilities.

Mental illness and mental disorders generally require treatment and rehabilitation to treat and manage the symptoms.

'Mental health' on the other hand means emotional and mental well being. Mental health is much more than the absence of Mental Illness. It is the realisation of a person's potential and the sense of wellbeing. Mental health includes all those things that assist people to live fulfiling lives - ideally the right of every Australian.

The Myths, Misunderstanding... And The Facts

Myths, misunderstanding, negative attitudes and stereotypes surround the issue of Mental Illness. They result in stigma, isolation and discrimination.

Common questions concerning Mental Illness are:

• Is Mental Illness incurable and lifelong?
• No. When treated appropriately and early, it is possible for many people to recover fully from most mental illnesses. For other people, mental illness is like many physical illnesses which require on-going treatment, but which can be managed so that the individual can participate in every day life. Mental Illness is often transient and can come and go in peoples lives. Some people have only one episode and will recover completely. For others, it recurs throughout their lives and requires ongoing treatment. Mental health problems are not an insurmountable barrier. While a number of people do become disabled as a result of a chronic mental illness, many people who experience even major mental illness manage to live full and productive lives. They are able to work and participate in family and social life, while continuing to receive treatment and medication for their illness.


• Are people born with Mental Illness?
• The causes of mental illness are unclear. A predisposition to some mental illness, such as schizophrenia, can run in families. Many other factors can contribute to the onset of mental illness in people with a predisposition such as stress, bereavement, relationship breakdown, child abuse, unemployment, social isolation and times of accidents or lifethreatening illness.


• Can anyone develop a Mental Illness?
• Yes. In fact mental illness is very common. It’s estimated that as many as one in five Australians may develop a mental illness at some stage in their lives. We are all vulnerable to mental health problems. Many people feel more comfortable with the notion of having “a break down” than having mental illness. This reluctance to talk openly about mental illness can be a barrier to seeking early treatment.


• Are people with a Mental Illness dangerous?
• No. This is a false perception and underlies some of the most damaging stereotypes. People with a mental illness are seldom dangerous. Even people with the most severe mental illness are rarely dangerous. People who do not have any mental illness carry out the great majority acts of violence.


• Do people with a Mental Illness need to be isolated from the community?
• No. Most people with a mental illness recover quickly. The majority do not need hospital care – or have only brief admissions. Treatment discoveries of recent decades have removed the need for isolation and confinement as was common in the past. There are small numbers of people with a mental illness (less than 0.01 per cent of the population) who are at risk and need hospital care, sometimes against their will. It is important to recognise that this is not true for the vast majority of those who might have an episode of mental illness.

Common Types of Mental Illness

Depression

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the community.

In Australia, one in four women and one in six men will experience depression at some time in their life.

Depression is a mood disorder characterised by feelings of extreme sadness and dejection – not just the feeling of sadness we all experience at times.

There is a range of safe and effective treatments for depression.

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder; like depression, is a mood disorder. It used to be called manic depression.

Bipolar disorder affects the functioning of the brain, causing exaggerated swings of mood from being high, over-excited and self-important to feeling extremely low and helpless – and having difficulty in making decisions.

Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders, of which there are a number, have in common an intense and paralysing sense of fear or a sustained pattern of worrying when there is no real danger or threat.

Anxiety disorders include panic disorders, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post traumatic stress disorder.

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia interferes with the mental functioning of a person and limits their ability to think, feel and act.

Symptoms include delusions, phobias, hallucinations and confused thinking.

Approximately one in a hundred people will develop schizophrenia. Some may experience only one or more brief episodes, while for others, it remains a life-long condition.

Eating Disorder

Anorexia and bulimia are the two most recognised and serious eating disorders. Each involves having a preoccupation with control over eating; body weight and food.

People with anorexia are determined to control the amount of food they eat, while people with bulimia tend to feel out of control where food is concerned.

This article is brought to you by:

The Australian Rotary Health Research Fund (ARHRF)

The ARHRF is Rotary’s major community service programme, established in 1981 to provide financial support to health research projects in Australia

The ARHRF has pledged to invest in research into Mental
Illness with the aim of funding research projects that will
result in better treatment and services. It also aims to
promote greater understanding in the community through
education, which will reduce stigma and improve the lives of Australians affected by mental illness. For further information, or to make a tax deductible donation, contact:

• Australian Rotary Health Research Fund
• PO Box 779 Parramatta NSW 2124
• Phone (02) 8837 1900 Fax (02) 9635 5042

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