Written by Antione Red
It wasn’t until the 1970s that the words, ‘mental health’, were spoken without sufferers being labelled as insane. Until then, mental health illnesses caused shame to families ‘cursed’ with a mentally ill mother, father, son or daughter. Thankfully, things have changed drastically since then and, today, mental health organizations around the world have embarked on public awareness initiatives that have lifted the taboos, discrimination and stigmas associated with mental health. Statistics show that one in five Americans is affected by some form of mental illness.
Ignorance in the past presented a perception to the public that a mentally ill person was someone with violent characteristics, shackled in chains and locked away in the family attic, to be kept away from the world forever. Unfortunately, authors and film-makers exploited this myth which resulted in the perception being further exaggerated. Even though much progress has been made, people suffering mental dysfunction still face discrimination.
The Webster Dictionary defines mental illness as “any condition which is characterized as impairment of an individual’s normal cognitive, behavioural or emotional functioning, and is caused by any psychological, biochemical, social, genetic or other factors such as infection or a head trauma”. Mental dysfunction includes conditions such as: substance abuse, alcohol addiction, emotional problems, marriage problems, stress, depression, domestic violence, sexual abuse, anger problems, and problems with self-esteem. Obviously each case of mental dysfunction has varying levels of intensity and will be treated accordingly.
Mental health counselling uses a number of methods to treat mental illness. These include psychotherapy, group therapy, and family or individual counselling. The use of effective modern medications is often accompanied by counselling. A mental health counsellor will gather information about a patient’s condition through a series of interviews and tests before making a diagnosis. The patient’s family will be involved in the process, and the mental health counsellor will conduct interviews with each family member if necessary.
The stress factor of living in today’s fast-paced, hi-tech world is a major cause of mental illness. Many children are pressurised to achieve goals set by well-meaning parents who are unaware that this consistent pressure increases the stress factor. Eventually something will snap and the child will suffer some form of mental dysfunction. Parents, too, are living emotionally fractured lives, with financial and emotional issues all amplifying the stress factor. Emotional issues can manifest themselves in the form of poor self-esteem, interpersonal problems and anxiety. Adults and children, even very young children, suffer with emotional issues that should be referred to a mental health counsellor.
A mental health counsellor should be consulted when a person is experiencing feelings of hurt, mental anguish, frustration, mood swings, peer pressure or any other emotion that makes him/her think their world is falling apart. With mental health counselling, these symptoms can improve remarkably in a relatively short period of time. Counselling sessions should not be stopped even if the patient shows a dramatic improvement. The sessions may be decreased in frequency, but must continue on a regular basis to enable the mental health counsellor to monitor the patient’s condition. Most mental health disorders require maintenance throughout a patient’s life to prevent relapse.
Mental health counsellors will often refer severe cases of dysfunction to centres that provide specialised treatment. These include attempted suicides and drug or alcohol addiction. The patient stays at the centre until there is a notable improvement in their condition, after which they can continue treatment at an outpatient centre. Support groups play a major part in the recovery process. During these sessions patients encourage and support one another to rebuild their lives and to regain acceptance in their families and communities.
Online mental health counselling is now available 24/7. Patients can exchange dialogue with professional counsellors in the privacy of their own homes. Online mental health counselling is extremely popular due to its anonymity and accessibility. Online counselling also permits the patient to interact with the same counsellor in every session, which fosters a good understanding.
Because of the increased awareness of mental health disorders, there is a shortage of trained professional counsellors, and young people are being encouraged to consider this vocation as a career option. After obtaining a master’s degree in health counselling, the graduate will opt to specialise in one of the following fields: marriage/family counsellor, career/school counsellor, substance abuse counsellor or rehabilitation counselling.
We have at last seen the light when it comes to mental health disorders, and people are no longer ashamed to speak about their problems. If you break an arm , your doctor will put it in a cast, but when your spirit is wounded he is not qualified to help. The emotional wound also needs attention, and this is where mental health counselling can be a saviour. Mental health counselling uses different approaches for different circumstances, all of which are geared to restore the patient’s emotional wellbeing.
