"Need for first aid in Mental Health."

 Why First Aid in Mental Health is Required ?

                                      :- Aditya Rothe.

Introduction:-

As we have seen, many individuals in world can benefit from mental health first aid. Unfortunately, many do not get the help they need due to various constraints.

Given  below are some of the reasons why first aid in mental health is required:-

1.Stigma associated with mental illness:-

One of the major obstacles to getting help from a mental health professional is the stigma that is attached to mental illness. We fear  things we do not understand. In the same way our lack of understanding of mental illness makes us fear it. This lack of knowledge and awareness make us -

1.Blame the individual that is think that mental illness is a personal failing or weakness.

2. Think that mental illness is caused as punishment for our sins.

3.Think that the person is intentionally behaving in an inappropriate way.

2. Shame:-

When a person experience shame,he/she tries to hide from others. For example-If Jain fail in his 10th board exam ; his academic failure is considered to be an act that brings shame not only to him but also to his family. As a result they withdraw from social interactions.

When we experience shame we do not want to talk about it. It prevents us from reaching out to others and therefore we do not seek help.It is important to remember that mental illness is caused by a complex combination of factor like genetics,sociocultural factor, environmental factors etc.

It is never caused because of personal weakness. Thus blaming the individual who has been diagnosed with a mental illness is not helpful. Instead, it will be beneficial to provide support and show understanding towards the individual.

3.people do not always know how to respond:-

We really want to help our friends who come to us for advice but we aren't always successful as we do not know exactly what to say. In these cases we might do more harm than good.

4.People with mental illness do not always seek help:-

It is seen that very often people with mental illness will not go to a mental health professional for treatment. There are a number of reason for this. Some of the reason are as follows.

1.Culture

2.Advice form elders

3.Superstition. Etc.

First aid in mental health is a concept which is based on the idea of "prevention is better than cure ." Mental illness usually does not develop 'out of the blue '. Often there are Small or subtle changes where the individual feels like something is not right. People around them might also notice a change in their thinking,feeling or bhaviours. If these early signs are recognised,it can help in the following ways

1.Diagnosis-  It might prevent a servere form of the illness from developing.

2.Intervention-  It can help the individual get help. This is known as early intervention.

3.Relapse prevention-  It can prevent the reoccurrence of the symptoms of the illness if they occur after a period of improvement.