EVERYTHING MENTAL HEALTH ISN’T: SEPARATING MYTHS FROM FACTS

Article by Natasha Nsemiwe

Health, in accordance with the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity." Mental health, defined by the World Health Organization, is "a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community".

It was in my first year in tertiary education that I got the privilege of studying psychology. Unfortunately, my ambition of becoming a “mind-reader” didn’t exactly go as planned. It however “baptized” me into a realm of knowledge that I do not take for granted till this day. Mental Health and Psychiatry which was the course I took in my second year was just as fascinating. Unlike it’s preliminary, it was hard to accept as a reality. I wrestled with unlearning what I thought mental health really was. What made it even worse was how I didn’t realize this fact until my third year. I had to acknowledge that what I knew to be my truth was not sound and that was the genesis of my grades taking a higher climb. After numerous interactions with various people from all walks of life, it is safe to say, many others don’t know what mental health really is.

Mental illness is not preventable. Wrong! Mental disorders can be prevented by laser focusing on factors such as exposure to trauma that can take a toll on anyone both young and advanced in age. promoting social-emotional well-being of young people leads to greater overall productivity, better family life, lower health care expenses, improved life quality, longer lifespan and decreased crime rates and powerhouse economies. Another myth I stumbled upon is how we subconsciously ponder children being incapable of being depressed. Because of their innocence and delicacy, we tend to think the horrors of depression cannot envelop them. Mental health concerns can arise as a product of interactions of biological, psychologicaland social factors. To cement this discovery, take for example how some children end up envying the attention their newly born or younger siblings receive. They can easily fall into a pit of anger, frustration and may in rare cases attempt to harm their novel family extensions if their parent or parents neglect their needs. Violence, believe it or not isn’t a trait of most victims of mental health related disorders . Majority of mentally ill people are no more likely to be aggressive than anyone else. Factually speaking, individuals with chronic mental health related issues are more likely to be victims of violence than the general “normal” population.

Fun fact-we are all socially connected to

someone with a mental illness. We cannot pin point who they are because some people with mental health related problems are just as productive as their colleagues. Employers who hire such people testify of decent attendance and punctuality as well as motivation, performance and job tenure on par with or greater than other employees. When employees with mental health problems receive effective treatment, it can yield significant overall productivity increment.

Myth: character inadequacies lead to mental health problems. People with mental health problems can “dehypnotize" out of it if they press towards the mark. Fact: Mental health problems have nothing to do with such and many people require assistance to get better. Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including biological factors which include genetic make up, physical ailment, injury or brain chemistry; personal experiences, such as trauma or a history of abuse; family history of mental health challenges etcetera.

Another fraudulent belief is that once a loved one falls prey to a mental health difficulty, recovery is impossible. Research proves otherwise. Mental health patients get better and many recover completely. Recovery is denoted to the process in which people have the capability to live, work, learn and engage fully in society. Treatments now more than ever are available and they do work.

Therapy is by all means very necessary. Management of mental health problems varies depending on the individual and could include medication, therapy or both. Many individuals thrive alongside a support system during the healing and recovery process.

According to a doctoral dissertation by Etta Y. Mwambwa-Johnson “there is a lack of evidence based official data on the burden of mental health in Zambia. Lack of current data on mental health related illnesses is a challenge and makes it difficult to understand incidence rates on mental health illness in Zambia. Ministry of Health (2011b) reported that 20% to 30% of the Zambian population suffered from mental disorders in 2011. It was not clear where and how the Ministry of Health obtained its data.

Friends and family are cardinal instruments of influence that can help someone get the treatment and services they need by:

•​Reaching out and just being there for them

•​Assisting them to have access to mental health services

•​Learning and sharing the facts about mental health, especially if they hear something that is false

•​Granting them respect as they rightfully deserve

•​Refusing to label them by their diagnosis or using terms such as "mad".

It is evident that mental health illness can attack any age group. It can be prevented and cured. Curbing it can only be done by feeding on the right information and stigma abandonment. Mental health isn’t the responsibility of anyone or just health care practitioners -it is the obligation of every one of us.