 1 in 4 people in the UK experience significant mental distress
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What is a mental distress and who does it affect? It is estimated that between 1 in 7 people in the UK experience some form of significant mental distress at any one time. This figure may be as much as 1 in 4, if the number of people who do not seek help and are not diagnosed is considered. It is thought that some mental illnesses are congenital, or that an individual can be genetically predisposed to a particular condition. However, such illnesses are also often a response to, or exacerbated by, a negative or dramatic change of physical or social environment or emotional circumstances. Many mental illnesses are treatable or at least manageable by medication, therapy or change of lifestyle, while others may pass naturally when aggravating socio-emotional factors subside. Anxiety disorders are experienced by 3.1% of the population, with a higher incidence in women then in men, 9.9% to 5.4% respectively. Most panic disorders occur in the 45-65 age group, with women outnumbering men 3:1 and 2% of people experience phobias (a focus on specific situations or objects). Anxiety disorders take many forms and can include feelings of constant dread with disturbing body symptoms such as shaking, periods of excessive nervousness or irritability, panic attacks or phobias. While experiencing such a condition the person may appear restless, anxious, sweat, shake, feel nauseous, dizzy or have a dry mouth. Anxiety attacks may be caused by a family predisposition or periods of stress, physical illness, a major life event - bereavement, divorce etc. Depression occurs in 10% of the British population, around 5 million people. Around 7% to 12% of men will suffer diagnosable depression in their lifetime. The figure is from 20 to 25% for women. It is characterised by disinterest, fatigue, insomnia or hypersomnia, rapid weight gain or weight loss, feelings of worthlessness, inability to concentrate and thoughts of suicide. There are different forms of depression including: major depression - severe and disabling, occurring only once or so in a lifetime; dysthymia - mild but long term and chronic, preventing "full steam" functioning; manic depression/bipolar - cycles of depression and elation or mania where judgement and thinking may become irrational and anti-social; Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) - recurs each winter when deprived of bright light, includes fatigue, hypersomnia and carbohydrate craving; post natal depression - severe condition beyond the common 'baby blues', this is longer term and experienced by between 10-15% of all mothers; and bereavement - often considered a 'normal reaction' to death of a loved one and demonstrating similar depressive symptoms, if prolonged however it may spiral into Major Depression. There are many factors that are thought to cause and contribute to depression, these include: genetic factors, stress, low self esteem, hormones, social environment, drugs, lack of sunlight, illness, chemical factors in the body etc. Eating disorders are increasingly common, especially in adolescent girls and young women. There are three main types of eating disorders and some people may experience the pendulum of all of them, they include: Anorexia Nervosa (AN) - affects 3% of young women and involves starvation, weight loss of 15% below normal, excessive fear of weight gain, loss of periods and sexual interest; Bulimia Nervosa (BN) - affects 2% of young women and involves binge-eating and then induced vomiting, laxative/diuretic abuse, excessive exercise or compensatory starvation, obsession with weight and shape though of normal size; Binge Eating Disorder - involving excessive episodes of overeating - often in secret - without any compensatory behaviours, often weight gain above normal. Starving, vomiting and bingeing can have other health ramifications including: disorders of the blood, gastric system, salt balance and therefore kidney and heart problems/failure. There are various perspectives on what causes eating disorders, such as low self esteem, difficulties in maturing into adulthood, family problems, poor body image or obsession with notions of thinness and beauty. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is experienced by around 2% of people at some point in their lives. It is characterised by the invasion of senseless ideas, thoughts and images that make the sufferer feel disturbed, afraid or guilty driving them to enact certain compulsions to distract or disengage themselves from such feelings. The compulsions are usually repetitive, ritualistic and regimented actions or thought patterns developed to rid oneself of the obsession. They are irrational and excessive and even when conscious of this, the sufferer is unable to control them. Examples may be checking, washing, cleaning or mentally repeating phrases. OCD can be severe enough to take over a person's life and can hence interrupt relationships and employment. It can cause the person to feel highly uncomfortable or depressed. There is no known cause to OCD. It is only known that sufferers are unable to ignore/dismiss normal intrusive thoughts in the usual way but feel upset, personally responsible and compelled to push it away or do something to correct it. Dementia is experienced by 500,000 elderly people in the UK, amounting to 10% of people over the age of 80 and 6% over the age of 65 in the UK. However, it is not an inevitable by-product of the ageing process. Dementia is a slow, progressive illness involving a decreasing ability to remember, to think and to reason. Some forms are often caused by treatable conditions such as: brain tumour, head injury involving blood clots, fluid pressure on the brain, thyroid deficiency, long term alcohol abuse. Forms of dementia that are considered irreversible include: Alzheimer's Disease, Huntington's Disease, Parkinson Disease and Creutzfeld Disease. Schizophrenia - around 1% of people in the UK will develop schizophrenia in their lifetime. Between 20-25% of sufferers will have only one episode of illness and/or make a complete recovery. It is a popular misconception that schizophrenia involves a 'split' or 'multiple' personality. Rather, symptoms can include hallucinations, delusions, rapid and confused thinking, jumbled speaking, preoccupation with vague, mystic ideas, extreme mood swings during an 'acute phase'. In the consequent long-term phase, symptoms may also include withdrawal from people and usual social activities and lack of motivation. It is unknown what causes schizophrenia. It is likely that genetic factors play a part and that the illness involves damage or disruption to the brain's 'message carrying' neurotransmitters. It is also thought that social and emotional factors can trigger/aggravate periods of illness. Phobias vary in their incidence, but estimates suggest up to 18% of people in the UK experience them. A phobia of flying, visiting the dentist or of blood are experienced by around 10% of people a year. Agoraphobia occurs in about 3% of people each year and social phobia about 2.5%. Women are roughly twice as likely to experience such phobias. A phobia is an excessive response to something a person fears. When a person with a phobia anticipates or actually comes into contact with the thing they are frightened of, they will exhibit the common symptoms of anxiety and/or panic including extreme discomfort, headaches, difficulty breathing, chest pains, tremors, dizziness, stomach upsets, feeling faint, bowel and bladder problems and so on. The extreme avoidance of the object/situation of fear can be socially and emotionally debilitating for the sufferer and lead to other problems eg. inability to go out to work or travel abroad. Assistance for those experiencing mental distress There are various treatments available for those experiencing mental illness. Here we look briefly at talking therapies, medication and alternative therapies: Talking therapies. Therapy essentially means the intervention into an individual's life with the intention of positively affecting the way they function. Research has shown that the effectiveness of a talking therapy has more to do with the relationship that a client and therapist form than the particular type or school of therapy used. Talking therapies vary and there is considerable debate as to why and how such therapies differ. Common talking treatments include: Counselling is generally considered to be the provision of a safe environment with a trained listener who can help a person develop their own ways of better problem solving, making decisions, self-understanding or coming to terms with a particular crises or period of distress. Counselling can be in person, over the phone (eg Samaritans or other help-lines) or even online. Sessions may be on a one-off basis, a few weeks or some months in duration. There are also many different types including individual; family; relationship; bereavement; pastoral - provided by religious organisation; rational emotive - counsellor works with clients to counter obstacles to self-set goals by identifying and changing their "irrational" and debilitating thoughts, emotions and actions; person-centred - counsellor offers client a relationship characterised by acceptance, understanding and empathy enabling client to feel safe enough to disclose and work through hidden and often painful or shameful issues; self-help groups - often self-led, these groups are helpful for those wishing to confront and overcome problems shared by others eg. drug or alcohol abuse, depression. Psychotherapy includes most of the above processes found in counselling, but is often considered to be a deeper, more probing evaluation of prolonged psychological issues that may have built up over time. Looking at a person's childhood and past relationships or traumas, its aim is to help a person gain a greater understanding of themselves and why and how they currently perceive and respond to people and situations. Sessions may take place for longer periods of time, maybe years. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is a problem-solving talking therapy. The therapist helps the client to recognise how their emotional difficulties may be caused or exacerbated by their negative thinking processes, feelings and behaviour. The client plays an active part in their therapy and agrees to specific tasks that enable them to develop practical skills in countering troublesome situations. A period of therapy is usually brief, between 6 to 20 weeks. Etiquette There are many misconceptions about mental distress which contributes to the public's response and behaviour towards those with a mental health problem. When considering or interacting with people with mental health problems, some points to remember are: • Be clear on what a mental health problem is. • Rethink pejorative descriptions about mental health - replace 'mad', 'loony', 'schizo' with terms such as 'a person with mental health problems', 'a person in mental distress' or 'a person diagnosed with schizophrenia'. Ensure you know the difference between a learning disability (mental handicap) and a mental health problem. • Reconsider negative stereotypes - negative media portrayal of people with mental health problems provides damaging stereotypes ie. that they are dangerous, aggressive, unpredictable, self-piteous or an object of ridicule. This fosters an attitude of 'them' and 'us' when the truth is you are likely to personally know someone in your lifetime (if not yourself) who experiences mental distress. • Challenge your fears - acknowledge that the vast majority of people receiving mental health services are not violent. In fact over 95% of British homicides are committed by people who are not diagnosed with a mental health problem at all. Statistically, a person is still more at risk from someone they know than a stranger in the community with a mental health problem. • Rights of a person with a mental health problem - legally, a mental health problem that has been diagnosed and persisted for 12 month period or more can be considered a disability under the Disability Discrimination Act. This entitles a person with a mental health problem to expect employers, most service providers and commercial businesses to make reasonable adjustments to enable access to goods, services and employment. • Check your prejudices - a person's race, gender, age, sexuality and class is also likely to have a great impact on how their mental health problem is perceived by the public, how they are treated in the psychiatric system and how they are reported on in the media. • Most mental health problems are manageable - many people experiencing mental distress are able to manage their condition through therapy, medication and support and enjoy full, productive and worthwhile lives. |