Mental Disorders

Mental problems as well as physical health problems indicate that there is imbalance in person’s health state. The goal of doctors is to identify causes of mental disorders because only their absence guarantees that a person may become healthy totally. According to this fact, health consists of two important components, which are physical and mental wellbeing, and the last one plays a prevailing role in person’s health state. Indeed, some mental disorders can be also reflected on the physical health of an individual.

Bipolar disorder is also known as a manic-depressive illness, which is characterized by periods of depression and elevated mood. Scientists cannot explain causes of this mental disorder, but they state that environmental and genetic factors have a significant impact on it. During the periods of elevated mood, a person feels happy and excited and can make quick decisions without thinking about possible consequences. The periods of depression have an opposite effect. A person has a negative outlook for life, avoids direct eye contact and may even cry. He or she may even commit a suicide or cause self-harm. This state may be associated with anxiety and drug use disorder.

Bipolar disorder usually appears in the late teens or early twenties. At the early stage, a person may be diagnosed by the following symptoms:

Abnormal slowness and tiredness;

Concentration and memory problems;

Unreasonable irritation;

Change of eating, sleeping and other usual behaviour;

Having the unrealistic belief in personal strengths;

Jumping from one idea to another;

Reduction of sleep.

Bipolar disorder cannot be cured, but a doctor may offer treatment that will help to reduce periods of depression and mania. Proper treatment helps to control a rapid swing of mood and the effect of the related symptoms. In order to achieve this goal, the doctor may prescribe mood stabilizers, such as lithium, to treat both maniac and depressive episodes.

The relationships between obesity and mental health are complex, but researchers have found out that there is an interdependent connection between them. People who suffer from obesity are more vulnerable to mental disorders. About 55 percent of those with obesity are more likely to have depression or other mental problems. The reason for this phenomenon is expectations of modern society and the inability to satisfy these expectations by those people who have extra weight. Today, persons who suffer from obesity are viewed as the ones who do not correspond to the image of an attractive social individual.  Despite the fact that it is only a stereotype, many overweighed people view their extra weight as a barrier to a full social life, which leads to their isolation and the development of mental disorders.

Mental disorders may also become the reason for obesity development. Fifty-eight percent of people who suffer from mental disorders may gain extra weight. Reasons are almost the same, but they work in the opposite way. People with mental disorders spend less time with others; they are less active, which reduces their everyday physical activity. They prefer staying at home to being outside and, as a result, demonstrate carelessness towards others and personal individuality. The indifference to their lifestyle, nutrition, necessity of physical activity and social contacts makes people with mental disorders overweighed. In case of obesity, intervention programs should be oriented at improving both the physical and mental states of a person. One of the strategies includes counselling sessions aimed at increasing self-worth and self-esteem and helping the patient in overcoming stress. Support of close people is very important in the process of treatment.

The absence of physical health problems, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, heart diseases and others means that a person is fully healthy. Mental problems often have a bigger impact on person’s health state. When people suffer from a physical health problem, they usually have a strong desire for recovery. However, many patients with mental disorders do not understand the problem that they have faced. People with bipolar disorder are those who may have perfect physical health, but their mental health is not in order and requires special treatment. According to this fact, the strategy ‘no health without mental health’ shows that a healthy person is not the one who does not have physical illnesses only, but the one who is first of all mentally healthy. Without mental health, people cannot live a full social life. The perception of reality is changed for them, and they do not feel good in an environment they live. Being healthy does not only mean the absence of illnesses, but also living a life, which satisfies person’s expectations of normality.

Taking into consideration the information mentioned above, one can state that bipolar disorder and obesity are mental problems, which require special treatment since the causes of these phenomena are not fully understood yet. As it has been mentioned above, bipolar disorder and obesity may be interconnected, and one problem may become a starting point for the development of another. According to this fact, it is necessary to provide effective psychological support for those people who experience discomfort in modern society. Loneliness and misunderstanding are the main factors, which contribute to the worsening of both obesity and bipolar disorders. The assistance of a professional on an early stage may prevent the progress of the future mental disorder. Hence, the current need is on-time help to those people who experience some social problems and require an advice of a professional in order to find answers to the questions that disturb them and prevent side effects of mental disorders.

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