| Out
of your mind? |
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Life today is a balancing act for many. The various
roles one has to juggle include that of a parent,
spouse, son or daughter, student and worker. This
certainly puts a great deal of stress on one’s mental
and physical well-being. So it is not surprising
that mental health problems are fairly common today.
You, yourself, may have felt that you were going
“out of your mind” at one point or another. In most
cases you would have overcome it and got on with
life. However, in certain situations, one may not be
able to cope and mental illness may be the result.
Anyone can get it. However you are more
susceptible if you have:
| • |
a family history
of mental illness |
| • |
suffered a stressful life
event such as the loss of a loved one, loss
of employment or a life-threatening illness |
| • |
certain personality traits |
| • |
no support network of
family or friends |
| • |
a newborn baby |
Other risk factors include poverty,
unemployment and adverse early childhood
events.
Look out for changes in
personality, mood and
sleeping and eating habits.
Other indicators are
excessive worrying, and
difficulty in coping with
daily activities, relationships and school or work
responsibilities.
Depression is one of the major mental health problems
in Singapore. It is a prolonged feeling of sadness
that dominates your life. It is often brought on
by grief, stress or a major loss. The symptoms include:
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loss of interest
in life and motivation to do even simple tasks |
| • |
constant tiredness |
| • |
poor concentration |
| • |
changes in appetite and
sleep patterns |
| • |
feelings of worthlessness,
hopelessness and helplessness |
| • |
suicidal thoughts in severe
cases |
Everyone feels anxious sometimes. But if you start
to worry about non-existent threats or worry about
a problem so much that it affects your daily life,
you could be suffering from an anxiety disorder.
There are many types of anxiety disorders including
generalised anxiety disorder, panic attacks, phobias
and obsessive compulsive disorder. The symptoms
include:
| • |
feeling sad
and constantly worried |
| • |
poor concentration |
| • |
irritability |
| • |
muscle aches |
| • |
tremors |
| • |
palpitations |
| • |
breathlessness |
| • |
dizziness |
Schizophrenia is a chronic, debilitating mental
illness that causes the patient to interpret reality
abnormally. The symptoms include:
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delusions: strongly held personal beliefs not
based on reality, for example, believing that
people are trying to harm and kill him
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| • |
hallucinations: hearing or seeing things that
do not exist |
| • |
abnormal thinking and behaviour: thoughts
and ideas that have no logical connection.
The person often shows no emotion and may
behave inappropriately like laughing after
hearing bad news |
Besides the three types of mental illnesses above,
you may have heard of others such as mania,
alcohol and drug abuse and dementia. If you or
someone you know appears to have mental
health problems, see or get him to see a doctor
without delay. The earlier these problems are
detected, the higher the chance of cure, or at
least, controlling the symptoms. A supportive
home environment is extremely important too.
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