The dilemma of mental health issues is that mostly the symptoms are not as vivid as in physical health issues. Very few people are observant enough to perceive the nuances in their thinking or behavioral pattern or of a family member or a friend. Sometimes the acknowledgment is too late to make any difference. So no awareness means no identification of the problem and thus no cure. If you have enough awareness regarding mental health, then you can help yourself or your loved ones.
Your mental and physical health both are inseparable. Your physical health determines your mental health and vice versa. Mental health awareness becomes more significant for children who are yet to see the world. Mental health acts as a lens determining how they think about, feel, and would act in their life later. An untreated mental issue could be detrimental in shaping their lives. Mental health awareness is not recognizing or declaring the person as mentally sick, it entails a lot more.
1. Access To Mental Health Services
In the past, people found it difficult to seek help from mental healthcare services due to the lack of information. Mental health awareness provides you essential information about how to access mental health services when required. Mental illness requires a holistic treatment followed by a time to time follow-up. Though the situation varies greatly, many countries offer mental healthcare that includes access to treatment, insurance, special education, and workforce facilities (mental health providers).
2. Acceptance About Mental Illness
Awareness is the beginning of the cure. Mental health awareness plays a vital role in creating acceptance regarding the occurrence of mental illnesses. It helps in eliminating the stigma attached to mental disorders. It creates a sort of open-mindedness for those who are different. It enables the sufferers to realize that they possess both limitations and strengths like any other individual. Social acceptance and social attitude can largely influence the recovery of people struggling with mental illness.
3. Room For Improvement
Mental health awareness increases the chances of recovery. The more informed society is, the more chances of betterment are. When the community is keen on the progress or the developments made to help the mentally ill, there could be a drastic improvement in research, policymaking, and mental health services. Spreading awareness about mental health leads to more public attention with increased demands for catering to the population with mental health struggles.
4. Reducing Misconceptions
Unfortunately, there is a cluster of misconceptions about mental disorders in many societies around the globe. They think that people dealing with mental illness are worthless, crazy, and violent and are unsafe and should better be kept in seclusion. Many communities consider them possessed by evil spirits or believe that they are paying for their sins. It is all due to the lack of awareness. What impact could this mindset have on people who are suffering? How demotivating and demoralizing it could be for the family of the sufferers? Raising mental health awareness can help in the disillusionment of such false beliefs and creating a compassionate society.
5. Chances For In-Time Intervention
There is no right or fixed time for mental health awareness. It has to be promoted all the time at every nook and corner. You never know to whom it will happen. Mental health awareness increases the possibility of medical intervention in time. Early diagnosis can prevent the condition of the patient from debilitating further and improve the chances of recovery. Mental health awareness dwells on the concept of treating mental health issues as a form of illness like physical illnesses. Telling them about what a mental illness is and how families can seek assistance and the role of surrounding people. Mental health is a public issue that is impossible to resolve in isolation. The community can play a positively dynamic role which is not possible without raising a full-fledged awareness campaign about mental health.
6. Mental Health Awareness In Schools
Educators could be front-line workers for spreading mental health awareness. They realize how a student's mental health influences their achievements and how the young strugglers need guidance. Including mental health awareness in the curriculum can do wonders in promoting awareness among students. Through it, they can realize certain aspects of mental health awareness like self-care, identifying symptoms for mental issues, and the hope for recovery. It will reduce the incidence of events involving self-harm, stress, depression, suicide, and the use of drugs.
Conclusion
Mental health awareness highlights how crucial mental health is in shaping the destiny of an individual and society on the whole. The people struggling with mental issues deserve your compassion, support, and an optimistic attitude. The more you know, the more understanding you become.
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