Mental Health Fundamentals

As we go through the various stages in our lives, we all have times that are filled with laughter, happiness, and good news. We have rewarding moments, triumphs, and personal achievements. However, not every moment is pleasant, not every task completed receives acknowledgement, and not all news is good. As human beings we face many challenges each and every day.

It’s interesting to note that much of what brings us joy and a sense of fulfillment—like our close relationships, getting a promotion, having a baby, or buying a house—can also be very stressful in terms of our mental health. Nearly everyone will deal with a loved one's health crisis or death, the loss of a job, the unknown territory of moving, a relationship gone sour, or a falling out with a family member or friend.

Even changes in our physical health can affect our mental health. Fluctuations in our body's hormone levels during pregnancy and childbirth, or from menopause, can often cause depression, anxiety, irritability, and an overall negative disposition. Additionally, it’s not uncommon for serious diseases like cancer, heart disease, stroke, HIV, or autoimmune disorders to lead to depression.

Everyone feels worried, anxious or sad from time to time. However, a true mental health disorder makes it difficult for an individual to function normally in their day-to-day routines. Their feelings of hopelessness, fear, and anxiety stick with them day in and day out.

Female caregivers are particularly prone to feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Women tend to have more emotional and physical health problems, employment-related problems, and financial strain than male caregivers. Women caring for their spouses are more prone to caregiving-related stress than those who care for other family members.

Women caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia are particularly vulnerable to burnout. Research shows that most dementia caregivers suffer from depression and stress. Studies have also shown that the more hours spent on caregiving, the greater the risk of anxiety and depression for the caregiver.

Since women suffer twice as often as men from most forms of depression and anxiety disorders, understanding and education is necessary in order to better identify when someone needs emotional or medical support.

As a general guideline, if an individual experiences five or more of the following symptoms every day during a two-week time period, or if these symptoms interfere with work or family activities, they should seek help:

• Prolonged sadness or unexplained crying spells
• Significant changes in appetite, sleep patterns
• Irritability, anger, worry, agitation, anxiety
• Pessimism, indifference
• Lack of energy, persistent tiredness
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness
• Problems concentrating, indecisiveness
• An inability to take pleasure in former interests, social withdrawal
• Unexplained aches and pains
• Recurring thoughts of death and suicide

Another common (and often misdiagnosed) mental illness is bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is marked by extreme and sudden changes in mood, thought, energy, and behavior. It is also knows as manic-depression, because an afflicted person's moods alternate between symptoms of mania and depression in fairly quick succession. These changes can last for hours, days, weeks, sometimes even months. Unlike individuals with depression, where they spend much of their time feeling down, tired, and/or sad, most people with bipolar disorder experience a lot of ups and downs.

Although bipolar disorder affects women and men equally, research shows that nearly three times as many women as men experience rapid cycling (rapid cycling means an individual has four or more episodes of illness within a 12-month period). Women also differ in that they may have more depressive episodes and more mixed episodes (depressive and manic) than men do. Additionally, an apparent gender bias exists in the diagnosis of bipolar disorder, because women are far more likely to be misdiagnosed and told they are suffering from depression.

Knowing the symptoms of bipolar disorder is an important step in helping to identify when someone is suffering from this problem, because successful treatment options are available. The following are a few of the more common symptoms associated with bipolar disorder:

• Elevated mood, exaggerated optimism and self-confidence
• Decreased need for sleep (less than three hours) seemingly without fatigue
• Delusions of grandeur, an inflated sense of self-importance
• Unwarranted irritability, aggressive behavior
• Amplified physical, mental activity
• Rapid speech, flight of ideas, impulsiveness
  
• Poor judgment, easily distracted, difficulty concentrating
• A lack of concern for consequences which manifests in reckless behavior, such as uncontrolled spending, impulsive business decisions, erratic driving, and sexual indiscretions
• Auditory hallucinations (hearing voices) or delusions (strong convictions about things that aren't true) in more severe cases

The biggest problem many people face is feeling comfortable about seeking help. Many women are embarrassed and feel that they have somehow failed if they aren’t able to cope. It’s important to remember that most of these disorders are highly treatable, and there is no shame either in having the problem or in asking for help.