Could we take a few minutes to acknowledge and demystify mental illness – talk mental.
The past few years have seen a tremendous improvement in the acknowledgment that mental health is paramount.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI); mental illness is a condition that affects a person’s thinking, feeling or mood. Such conditions may affect a person’s ability to relate to others and to function each day. However, different people present different symptoms regardless of the diagnosis being the same. Every case is unique and needs to be addressed accordingly.
Some of the most common mental illness are ADHD, Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, Eating Disorders, OCD, Schizoaffective Disorder and Schizophrenia. Some related conditions include Psychosis, Self harm, Sleep disorders and Suicide.
Most of these are not as a result of a one-time event, they may be due to genetics, developmental disorders, environmental and lifestyle influences, especially so during this error of social media. They slowly creep in, and that right there is the problem. Before they are diagnosed, many times too much damage is done already. Full recovery is possible especially when detected and treatment begins early. Treatment could vary from medication, a simple conversation, acquiring a new hobby or even taking long walks or exercising.
Talking about mental issues in African settings is still considered taboo. This approach to this touchy subject could worsen the condition leading to the tragic loss of life like in the case of some suicide cases.
We need to begin to talk about these issues. Not only talk but also actively work at eradicating or controlling them. Self-love is the first step, ability to learn from your mistakes and avoidance of self-pity, exercise releases feel-good hormones. It is important to remember lives portrayed on social media are a far cry from reality. So, stop using social media as your benchmark and begin to live a life that causes your soul to dance within your body.
Remember always be kind, you don’t know what the other person is going through.
This article was written by Capital Campus Correspondent Eden Kimondo.
