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Mental illness or what is also known as mental health disorders is a term that refers to various conditions that affect a person's thoughts, feelings, moods, or behavior. This condition can occur only occasionally or last for a long time.

Mental illness is of many kinds. Each type has different symptoms, depending on the severity.

Because it is related to thoughts and feelings, this condition arguably requires quite complicated treatment. Even so, mental illness can still be treated and controlled with a combination of psychotherapy and medication from a doctor.

Types of Mental Illness

There are more than 200 types of mental illness that a person can experience. However, some of them occur quite frequently. What are they?

1. Anxiety disorders

Anxiety disorders are a common type of mental illness. This disorder can make the sufferer feel afraid or threatened when faced with certain objects or situations.

2. Depression

Depression is also a common type of mental illness. Depression is classified as a mood disorder that can cause symptoms, such as feelings of sadness, loss, or prolonged anger.

3. ADHD

Attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a type of mental illness that most commonly occurs in children and can continue until they grow up. People with ADHD tend to be hyperactive and have difficulty maintaining focus on something.

4. Eating disorders

Eating disorders are a type of mental illness associated with food consumption. Sufferers can eat too little or too much food. Generally, this disorder is related to the sufferer's anxiety regarding his weight and body shape.

5. Post-traumatic stress disorder

This is a disorder that occurs after a person experiences a traumatic event, such as abuse, war, natural disasters, or a serious accident. This disorder can make the sufferer continue to feel afraid and stressed because of the image of a traumatic event, even long after the event has ended.

6. Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a type of mental illness that occurs when a person is unable to distinguish between reality and his own thoughts. This disorder can cause sufferers to experience unrealistic thinking, hallucinations, and behavior changes.

Symptoms of Mental Illness

Symptoms mental illness can vary, depending on the disease and its severity. These symptoms can come from disturbances in the sufferer's emotions, thoughts, or behavior.

The following are some examples of general mental illness symptoms:

• Prolonged sadness
• Difficulty thinking or reduced ability to concentrate
• Fear, worry, or excessive guilt
• Extreme mood swings
• Withdrawal from the social environment
• Prolonged fatigue
• Changes in sleep patterns
• Inability to cope with daily problems
• Difficulty understanding other situations or people
• Major changes in eating habits
• Addiction to alcohol or drugs
• Having suicidal thoughts

In addition to the above symptoms, people who suffer from mental illness can also experience physical symptoms, such as stomach pain, back pain, or headaches. Symptoms like this are called psychosomatic symptoms.

Causes and Risk Factors for Mental Illness

Until now, the cause of mental illness is not certain. However, mental illness can be influenced by biological, psychological, and environmental factors. The following are examples:

Biological factors

• Disorders of nerve cell function in the brain, for example due to stroke
• Family history of a mental illness
• infection
• Thyroid gland disorder
• Brain disability or injury
• Alcohol consumption and the abuse of illegal drugs
• Malnutrition

Psychological factors

• Traumatic events, such as sexual harassment, domestic violence, or accidents
• Difficulty getting along with other people
• Lonely and isolated

Environmental factors

• Losing loved ones, such as parents and spouses
• A family life that is not harmonious
• Moving to a new environment, such as the workplace or school
• Stigma or false negative labels from society
• A pandemic or disease outbreak, such as a COVI pandemic D-19

Diagnosis and Treatment of Mental Illness

To diagnose mental illness suffered by the patient, the psychiatrist will start by reviewing the symptoms and complaints felt by the patient or those around the patient, the history of drugs or supplements the patient has taken, and the history of mental illness in the patient and his family.

After that, the psychiatrist will also perform a physical examination, starting from physical, neurological, laboratory and radiological examinations. It is important to rule out the possibility of physical illness that can cause mental illness, such as thyroid disease or stroke.

If a psychiatrist diagnoses a patient with mental illness, generally the treatment that will be given is as follows:

1. Cognitive behavioral therapy

This is a type of psychotherapy that is done to change and develop a patient's mindset and behavior from negative to more positive. This therapy can be given to people with bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia.

2. Interpersonal therapy

Interpersonal psychotherapy is carried out with the aim of improving the patient's relationship and the way the patient interacts with other people, such as a partner, family, or friends. Patients will be taught how to empathize and resolve conflicts with others.

3. Dialectical behavior therapy

Generally, this therapy is used for patients with borderline personality disorder, but it can also be used for other types of mental illness. This is a type of psychotherapy that is done with the aim of helping mental illness patients manage and respond positively to these emotions.

4. Medicines

In addition to psychotherapy, psychiatrists may also prescribe medication for mental illness patients. The prescription of these drugs is to reduce the symptoms felt by the patient, not to cure the mental illness. Here are some examples of medications:

• Antidepressant drugs, usually prescribed for patients with depression, anxiety and eating disorders
• Antipsychotic drugs, usually prescribed for patients with schizophrenia and anxiety disorders chronic
• Mood stabilizer, usually prescribed for patients with bipolar disorder
• Sleeping pills and sedatives, usually prescribed for patients with sleep and anxiety disorders

Mental illness can take many forms. Although it is not seen as something that disturbs the function of the body's organs, this condition can cause the sufferer to not be able to function and socialize properly. Mental illness also makes sufferers vulnerable to hurting themselves.

Therefore, mental illness needs to be found and addressed. Unfortunately, often mental illness is not considered a disease and is even labeled as bad by society. This makes mental illness sufferers embarrassed to go to a doctor and suffer more.

In fact, mental illness is not something to be embarrassed about. Just like a physical illness, such as a cold or diabetes, mental illness is a common medical problem that can be treated.

So if you experience symptoms of mental illness as mentioned above or have relatives who experience it, do not hesitate to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist immediately.

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