Chipola College

Coping with a Mental Illness.

Haden Searcy
BSC 2086 001-151
Mrs. Terolyn Lay
03/18/2015

Mental illnesses can intensely impact the life of the affected as well as everyone around them. People that have a mental disorder can have a tough time with something as simple as tying their shoe, cooking their own breakfast, or even just paying attention. There are services and treatment that can help someone with a mental disorder. Psychosocial treatments may be helpful to someone with a mental disorder by providing help and support so that someone will understand how they are feeling. Psychosocial treatment also gives education as well as guidance to people that have a mental disorder. Some psychosocial therapies are self-help and support groups, interpersonal therapy, and many more. These give guidance to someone suffering with a mental disorder as well as peace of mind in knowing they can talk to someone and get advice and help through their day to day struggles.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can also help someone overcome a mental illness. Electroconvulsive therapy is when a doctor sends electric currents to the brain to try and trigger a brief seizure. The seizure can cause changes to the brain chemistry and change someone’s mental illness for the better. When other treatments do not work, they may turn to electroconvulsive therapy. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is also something that may reverse mental illness. Transcranial magnetic stimulation is when a doctor puts an electromagnet on the patient’s scalp and magnetic pulses go to the brain. These pulses stimulate the brain in a small portion which might be able to help with mental disorders.
Medical procedures are not the only option for helping someone living with a mental disorder. Supplements also help someone with a mental disorder and can help manage the illness. Omega-3 fatty acids and folate are two of the main supplements that help manage illnesses. Omega-3 fatty acids are mainly found in seafood. The supplement is known for the decrease in the effects of systemic inflammation. Decreasing the effects of systemic inflammation is an effective treatment to mental disorders. Folate is a vitamin that helps people perform many day to day processes. Folate is usually found in vegetables with leaves and often added to flour. Folate also helps with DNA production and creating new blood cells, which helps people cope with mental disorders.
Eventually a case manager may be given to people with mental disorders to help support and help the patient live normally in the community. A great recovery for someone with a mental illness is finding a place of employment. It gives them a way to feel like they fit into normal society and have some responsibility. Peer services and support allow people with the same mental illness to talk and share experiences, and this can help people to not feel alone. Surgery can also help people with a mental illness. Psychosurgery, which is a neurosurgery for mental disorder (NMD), can help with the illness. During the surgery, a small piece of brain is removed and or destroyed. “About a third of patients show significant improvement in their symptoms after operation,” claims Mashour G.A. from Brain Research Review. More surgeries for mental illness include anterior capsulotomy, anterior cingulotomy, subcaudate tractotomy, and limbic leucotomy, but these surgeries do not work as well as psychosurgery. Some people today may believe they have a mental disorder or an illness when they really do not. “People with real or alleged psychiatric or behavioral disorders are being misdiagnosed—and harmed— to an astonishing degree. … Many of them do not have psychiatric problems but exhibit physical symptoms that may mimic mental conditions, and so they are misdiagnosed, put on drugs, put in institutions, and sent into a limbo from which they may never return,” states Charles B. Inlander, president of the People’s Medical Society. For example, something can seem or act like anxiety but actually be overactive thyroid, respiratory problems, or just very low blood pressure. What may seem like depression could just be hormonal changes, underactive thyroid, or not getting enough vitamin D or B-12. Scientific tests for mental illnesses do not exist, but tests do exist to diagnose unwanted physical conditions. Competent medical professionals can perform tests to detect any potential physical cause for a mental health symptom. However, there is no actual scientific test for a mental illness. If all these people keep getting misdiagnosed with a mental illness or disease, it can be very harmful to their health and can be potentially deadly. For example, if a kid always eats sugar, candy, or anything else that can give the child a rush and his parents take him to a doctor, he may be diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and then be prescribed medicine that he does not even need. Surgery and supplements do not always work; therefore, the best way to cope with a mental disorder or illness is to have learned about the mental disorder, have support by joining a support group, stay connected with friends, and keep a journal. Those who suspect they may have a mental illness should research the mental disorder or illness that they are showing signs of to have a clear understanding about what is going on in their brain. Including family for support will not only help the person with the illness but help their family as well. Talking to family about what is going on will give them an understanding about what they may be going through. Involving family can also open a door for them so they can help with anything they might need and provide them with someone to open up to about their illness or disorder. Joining a support group to connect with others whom are facing the same challenges will help them cope and not feel alone. Those who do not feel fully comfortable talking to people face to face can turn to support groups online as well. The best place to start would be the National Alliance on Mental Illness, who offer professionals who work with patients and will provide the support they will need. During the coping process, it is very helpful to stay connected with friends by going out, participating in social activities, and having get-togethers regularly. Asking for help when it is needed will make things easier to deal with. When reaching out, one should be open about how they are doing so that others have an accurate idea of the situation. Keeping a journal with day to day thoughts in it can be beneficial by providing an outlet for emotions, and keeping track of one’s personal life can help identify what triggers or improves symptoms. It is also a very healthy way to explore and express pain, anger, fear, and other emotions.
Mental disorders can be helped with peer groups and psychotherapy. The best way to push through a mental disorder would be to go out, get a job, communicate with people, and try to live a normal life and be a part of society. When someone with a mental disorder closes themselves off from the world is when they feel all alone and as though they have nothing going for them. Getting out and enjoying life is the best solution. “I don’t know what’s worse: to not know what you are and be happy, or to become what you’ve always wanted to be, and feel alone. I am afraid. Not of life, or death, or nothingness, but of wasting it as if I had never been. Don't feel sorry for me. I'm glad I had a second chance in life like you said to be smart because I learned a lot of things that I never knew were in this world, and I'm grateful I saw it even for a little bit,” says Charlie, the main character of Daniel Keyes’s Flowers for Algernon, explaining that if one never branches out of their comfort zone and goes out into normal society, they might waste their life alone and in fear.
Anyone who is suffering from a mental illness has options, including surgery, medication, supplements, and therapy. There are many people in the world that suffer from mental illnesses, and no one is ever alone. Reaching out to friends, family or a peer group can be helpful. Therapy can also help express emotions and provide someone to talk to to prevent loneliness. A patient who is considering surgery should talk to a doctor or physician who may have different options for different disorders or illnesses. If surgery is not an option, whether for a medical or personal reason, the patient can ask about supplements or other recommended non-surgical options to help cope with the disease, disorder or illness. Help is always available to those who need it.

Work Cited

Gardner, David M. "Evidence-Based Decisions about Herbal Products for Treating Mental Disorders." Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience: JPN 27.5 (2002): 324-333. MEDLINE with Full Text. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.

Keyes, Daniel. Flowers for Algernon. London: Orion, 2006. Print.
Treating Mental Disorders

"Mental Disorders." Mental Disorders. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.

Pauling, Linus. "Treating Mental Disorders." JSTOR. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.

"Treatments & Services." NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2015