Mental health problems

1. Understanding
Mental Health
& Mental Illness

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

3. 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.

4.  MNS problems Imposes a significant burden on individuals,
families and the society
 Major depressive disorders - top 5 causes YLD in India ( GBD 2010)
 Results in long term morbidity, disability, socioeconomic
losses and poor quality of life among those affected and their
families
 Mental health is a cause and consequence of different NCDs,
hence included under Non Communicable disorders
 Need to strengthen, improve and expand services for persons
with MNS disorders through National Mental Health
programme (NMHP)
Mental, Neurological and Substance
use disorders in India
4

5. Problem
• Overall prevalence rate in India ranges from
10-370 Per 1000 as quoted by NIMHANS
study.
• There is lack of comprehensive nationwide
mental health survey comprising repres
• Available data is neither representative nor
provides true burden of illness tentative
population.
• Mental health always remained ignored
component.

6. Mental illness can occur when the brain
(or part of the brain) is not working well or is
working in the wrong way.

7. Thinking
When the brain is not working properly,
one or more of its 6 functions will be disrupted
Perception
Emotion Signaling
Behavior
Physical

8. Symptoms can include
Sleep problemsExtreme emotional
highs and lows
Thinking difficulties or
problems focusing
attention

9. When these symptoms
significantly disrupt a person’s life,
we say that the person has a
mental disorder
or a mental illness.

10. Epidemiology of major
psychiatric disorders
• Schizophrenia & non-affective disorder-
Psychotic symptoms like hallucinations,
delusions, negative symptoms & cognitive
symptoms.
• Two types of determinants - Hereditary &
organic brain damage.

11. Epidemiology of major
psychiatric disorders
• Bipolar disorders – Depressive & manic
episodes.
• Intense emotional drive with tendency to
reverse to premorbid condition.
• Manic are more common in young &
depression more common in old age group.

12. Epidemiology of major
psychiatric disorders
• Major depressive disorders – Disturbance in
mood.
• Sadness, anger, irritability & loss of interest in
usual pursuits & decrease energy or drive.
• Loss of pleasure, feeling of hopeless but
represents with fatigue, aches or other
physical symptoms.
• High chances of missing these at
primary care level

13. Epidemiology of major
psychiatric disorders
• Anxiety disorders – Panic disorders &
generalized anxiety disorders, also include
PTSD, OCD etc.
• Inability to appropriately regulate fear or
worry & occasionally panic episodes.

15. So, what are the
CAUSES
of mental illness??

16. Well, the causes of mental illness are
COMPLICATED!!
Genetics Environment
+ →
Brain Disorder

17. What do we know about the
causes of mental illness?
The symptoms of mental
illness are a result of abnormal
brain functioning.
Mental illness is a brain
disorder.
Mental illness is rarely if ever
caused by stress alone

18. What do we know about the
causes of mental illness?
It is not the consequence of poor
parenting or bad behavior.
It is not the result of personal weakness
or deficits in personality.
It is not the manifestation of malevolent
spiritual intent.
Only in exceptional cases is it caused by
nutritional factors.
It is not caused by poverty.

19. Many mental illnesses begin
during childhood and
persist into adolescence.
Some of these include:
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADHD)
• Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD

20. BUT… some illnesses begin during
adolescence.
The illnesses that most often
begin during adolescence include:
• Major Depression (MD)
• Schizophrenia
• Bipolar Disorder (BD)
• Panic disorder
• Social Anxiety Disorder
• Eating Disorders
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• Addictions

22. • Most people with mental disorders live productive
and positive lives while receiving treatments for
their mental illness.
• Some people have severe and persistent mental
disorders which respond poorly to current
treatments (as in all other illnesses)
• Mental illness does not respect any boundaries of
race, class or geography.
• The majority of people have a friend, acquaintance
or family member who has or has had a mental
disorder.
What do we know about
people with mental illnesses?

23. Mental health problems can be treated!
If you feel VERY sad, stressed or worried, it might help to talk
to someone about how you are feeling.

24. Do you ever…
• Often feel very angry or very worried?
• Do reckless things that could harm you or others?
• Feel grief for a long time after a loss or a death?
• Think your mind is controlled or out of control?
• Use alcohol or drugs?
• Exercise, diet and/or binge-eat obsessively?
• Hurt other people or destroy property?

25. Do you ever…
• Often feel very angry or very worried?
• Do reckless things that could harm you or others?
• Feel grief for a long time after a loss or a death?
• Think your mind is controlled or out of control?
• Use alcohol or drugs?
• Exercise, diet and/or binge-eat obsessively?
• Hurt other people or destroy property?
If you feel any of these
things, it might help to talk
to a parent, teacher, school
counselor or physician.

26. Prevention in mental health
• Relatively difficult than other illness because
of relatively vague and multifactorial
aetiology, stigma & misconceptions and non
availability of resources.
• Moreover subjectivity is more for diagnosis.

27. Primary Prevention
• Creation of optimum socio-economic
environment at community level –Improve
education, more employment opportunities,
optimum nutrition, population control.
• Socio-legal aspects- Legal actions against
dangerous substances like alcohol, hashish
etc.
• Community education- Removing stigma

28. Primary Prevention
• Specific protection – Iodization of salt, good
diet for children with phenylketonuria,
vaccination like rubella, IFA supplementation
• Community genetics – application genetics to
control genetic disorders like turner
syndrome, tay sach’s syndrome etc.
• Community education to adopt measure to
reduce stress.

29. Secondary Prevention
• More opportunity as compare to primary
prevention.
• High suspicion & good diagnostic acumen by
medical & paramedical personnel.
• Early symptom include irritability, change in
behavior, mood fluctuations, forgetfulness,
suicidal tendency, feeling of worthlessness, etc.
• Certain exposure to jobs industry, defense etc.
• Inmates of prison or delinquent homes.
• School children showing learning difficulties.

30. Tertiary Prevention
• Focuses on prevention of disability and
relapse in already diagnosed patients.
• Team of psychiatrist, clinical psychologist,
MSSO and counselor.
• Working in hospital-community-home
environment is required.
• Patient & family education on treatment.
• Psycho-emotive & vocational / financial
support to patients.

32. Keep smiling…..