A well-established and widely understood health phenomenon, mental health has its roots in a wide range of biological, genetic, psychological, environmental and social factors, including life events, childhood, early adulthood, family history and social isolation. It is unclear whether mental health has a biological basis and there are questions around its nature, causes and the nature of the relationship between well-being and mental health. This article looks at what is known about these connections and what their importance entails for health care practice and policy.
Treatment varies depending on the patient's needs, but the most common mental illness treatments are medication, inpatient psychiatric hospitalization, and brief sessions of group therapy. These treatments are not available or reimbursed in many places, so individuals may try to deal with their mental illness through a variety of means.
Maintaining good mental health is a daily battle with its fluctuating aspects. It is a struggle not to slide into depression and in the majority of cases good help is available. The way into and out of depression is different for each person and their family. There is no one 'right' approach to a mental disorder. In many cases the right help may take a lot of courage.
Individuals with very severe mental health problems do not appear to be candidates for self-rated “full recovery” from their mental health problems. Their chances to be recovered depend to a large degree on the nature of their mental health problem, in particular their level of functioning in the job or in the social sector at baseline. Individuals who have a limited ability to function within the social sector have a better possibility to recover from their mental health problem, whereas individuals who need regular care from the social sector will face a greater relapse risk after recovery.
Mental health has a large range of symptoms and signs. A person need not display two or three symptoms in order to be diagnosed with a mental health disorder. Rather, mental health problems can be broadly categorized into five broad domains of distress or impairment: cognitive, behavioral, emotional, interpersonal, or physical. Some signs of mental health disorder include a lack of energy, poor sleep, loss of appetite, poor concentration, poor short-term memory, guilt, fearfulness, a change in sex drive, mood swings, poor self-image, and difficulty adapting to the problems of living with serious psychiatric illness. To optimize patient care when working with people with mental health concerns, clinicians may take into account the signs of mental health disorder as they manifest.
The prevalence of mental illness among US adults is not higher than rates seen in similar populations around the world. In the last decade, there have been no major changes, and no major decreases. However, mental illness remains undertdiagnosed among many individuals. Improved understanding of the public health significance of mental illness is essential for the implementation of effective mental health resources and services throughout the US.
There is a need to raise awareness in general and public health concerning the need to increase clinical trials related to mental health care. This will strengthen the credibility of the fields of psychiatry/mental health and psychiatry research, and ultimately improve patients’ health.
The question has always been, if mental health is the new mainstream, but is the question changed or not? What we found in the latest research, is that mental health can be a part of, and not a standalone entity, but the health of the whole human being.
Results show that MSP significantly reduces the risks of legal status change. The MSP should be considered as an adjunct to the conventional treatment rather than as the sole approach.
Doctors perceive medical-legal partnerships in a way as a form of medical power and this may result in a shift away from empowerment of the patient. The power to provide and to take away decision makes the patient powerless, but this is not so for the patient when he/she decides to participate in such a partnership.
Identical twin discordance was found for a range of psychiatric and non-psychiatric disorders. However, a greater proportion of identical twins were discordant for internalizing and externalizing disorders and less so for affective disorders. This suggests that genetic factors play a major role in triggering certain disorders but that other factors also contribute to the persistence of disorders between identical twins. Identical twins discordant for other non-psychological disorders tended to be more closely related than identical twins discordant for psychiatric disorders.
Data from a recent study do not necessarily indicate that patients seek healthcare services when suffering from mental health problems or when having experienced severe life events. Given the low number of patients visiting the outpatient facility the results are more of a descriptive analysis than a statistical analysis - but the data provide a useful introduction to other studies on the effects of the collaboration between professionals in the area of medical-legal partnership. Further research is needed in order to fully describe the impact of the collaborative approach and to find out the best ways to increase patients' willingness and motivation to participate in consultations. Data from a recent study of this study should also help us to identify factors contributing to a more supportive environment and more effective support at our outpatient facilities.