Mental illness could take many forms, just as physical illnesses do. In fact, mental illnesses are still feared as well as misunderstood by many people, but the fear will soon disappear when people get to know more about them. This article made by VKool.com will give you basics about mental illness, including types of mental illness, signs of mental illness, causes of mental illness, and how to treat mental illness naturally without medication. Just simply read through the whole article and your will be more knowledgeable about this health issue and also prevent it effectively.

I. How To Treat Mental Illness Naturally – 14 Common Types Of Mental Illness

When it comes to mental illness, there are a lot of different conditions which are recognized as mental illness. The more popular kinds contain:

1. Anxiety Disorders

People with anxiety disorders respond to certain situations or subjects with dread and fear, as well as with physical signs of anxiety or panic, like sweating or rapid heartbeat. Anxiety disorder is easily diagnosed if the response of a person is not appropriate for the situation, or he or she could not control the response, or if the anxiety interferes with normal functioning.

Generally, anxiety disorders contain panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, special phobias, and social anxiety disorder.

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2. Mood Disorders 

In fact, mood disorders are also called affective disorders that involve persistent feelings of blue or sadness or periods of feeling overly happy, or quick fluctuations from strong happiness to strong sadness. Actually, the most common mood disorders are bipolar disorder, depression, and cyclothymic disorder.

3. Psychotic Disorders

Psychotic disorders normally involve the distorted thinking and awareness. There are two common symptoms of psychotic disorders which are hallucinations and delusions. Hallucinations are the experience of sounds or images which are not real, like hearing voices while delusions are false fixed beliefs which the ill individual thinks as true, though evidence goes for the opposite. Schizophrenia is the example of such a psychotic disorder.

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4. Eating Disorders 

In fact, mental illness also includes eating disorders. They involved extreme attitudes, emotions, and behaviors relating food and weight. Bulimia nervosa, Anorexia nervosa, and binge eating disorder are considered the most popular eating disorders.

5. Impulse Control – Addiction Disorders 

Those people with impulse control disorders seem to be unable to resist urges, to execute acts which could be harmful to other people or even themselves. In reality, kleptomania (stealing), compulsive gambling , and pyromania (starting fires) are some examples of impulse control disorders. Drugs and alcohol are considered common objects of addictions. Usually, those people with these disorders tend to become involved with the subjects above that they start to ignore relationships and responsibilities.

6. Personality Disorders

Individuals with personality disorders have inflexible and extreme personality traits which cause problems in school, work, or other social relationships. Additionally, the patterns of behaviors and thinking significantly differ from the society’s expectation and are so rigid that they might interfere with the normal functioning of the person. There are many examples of personality disorders, including obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, and paranoid personality disorder.

7. OCD – Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Those people with OCD are often plagued by constant fears or thoughts that may cause them to execute certain routines or rituals. Those disturbing thoughts are normally called obsessions, while the rituals are normally called compulsions. The example for a person with OCD is that he has an unreasonable fear of germs and constantly washes his hands.

8. PTSD – Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

This is a condition which develops following a traumatic or terrifying event like a physical or sexual assault, the natural disaster, or the unexpected and accidental death of a loved one. Individuals with PTSD usually have frightening and lasting thoughts as well as memories of the event, thereby being emotionally numb.

9. Stress Response Syndromes

When it comes to mental illness, stress response syndromes are rather common. Stress response syndromes happen when a person develops behavioral or emotional symptoms in response to such a stressful situation or event. The stressors might contain natural disasters, like a tornado and earthquake; crises or events like a major illness or a car accident, or interpersonal issues like the death of a loved one or a divorce, a loss of job, or being abused. Stress response syndromes often start in 3 months of the situation or event and ends in 6 months after the stressor is removed or stops.

10. Dissociative Disorders

Those people with dissociative disorders suffer from severe changes or disturbances in consciousness, identity, and overall awareness of themselves as well as surroundings.

These disorders are often associated with overwhelming stress that is the result of traumatic accidents, events or disasters which might be witnessed or experienced by the individual. Used and called as multiple personality disorder, dissociative identity disorder and depersonalization disorders are the typical examples of dissociative disorders.

11. Factitious Disorders

These are the conditions in which an individual knowingly and intentionally complains of or creates emotional and/or physical symptoms to place him or her in the role of a person who needs help.

12. Gender And Sexual Disorders 

These disorders contain problems that impact sexual performance, desire, and behavior. Sexual dysfunction, the paraphilias, and gender identity disorder are common examples of gender and sexual disorders.

13. Somatic Symptom Disorders

Not many people acknowledge this mental illness. A person with the somatic symptom disorders might experience physical symptoms of pain or an illness, even the doctor could find no medical culprit for his symptoms. Somatic symptom disorders are also known as somatoform disorder or psychosomatic disorder.

14. Tic Disorders

Those people with the condition of tic disorders often make sounds and display their body movements which are quick, repeated, sudden or uncontrollable. And, Tourette’ syndrome is one of examples of the condition of tic disorder.

II. How To Treat Mental Illness Naturally – Causes Of Mental Illness

The second part of this article focuses on helping you understand what the main causes of mental illness are. Though the exact cause of the majority of mental illnesses is not addressed, it still becomes clear through many studies and researches. It is shown that that many of metal illnesses are resulted by a combination of psychological, biological, and environmental factors.

1. Biological Factors 

Many mental illnesses have been connected to abnormal functioning of the nerve cell circuits or pathways which connect special brain areas. Nerve cells in these brain circuits, in fact, communicate via chemicals named neurotransmitters. Through psychotherapy, medicines, or any other procedure, “tweaking” these chemicals could help brain circuits run more effectively. Additionally, some defects in and injuries to specific areas of the human brain is also linked with mental conditions.

In other words, other biological factors which might be involved in the growth of mental illness contain:

• (Heredity) Genetics:

Mental issues run in families sometimes, suggesting that those who have a family member suffering from a mental illness might be more likely to get the problem themselves. Susceptibility, in reality, is passed on in those families via genes. Specialists believe that a lot of mental illnesses are connected with abnormalities in genes rather than only one or some, and that how these genes normally interact with the environment is unique for each person. That is why an individual inherits the susceptibility to a certain mental illness and does not necessarily growth the illness. Truth is, mental illness itself happens from the interaction of various genes as well as other factors, like abuse, stress, or traumatic events. These events could affect or trigger a certain illness in a person who has the inherited susceptibility to them.

• Infections:

It is said that some types of infections are linked with brain damage and the growth of mental illness or the worsening of its symptoms. For instance, a condition which is known as PANDA – pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder that is associated with the Streptococcus bacteria has been connected with the development of OCD as well as other mental illnesses in children.

• Prenatal Damage:

There exists evidence pointing out that a disruption of early fetal brain growth or trauma that happens right at the giving birth time – for instance, loss of necessary oxygen to the human brain – might be a factor in the growth of specific conditions like autism.

• Brain Injury Or Defects: injury or defects in to some certain areas of the human brain are also the cause of some types of mental illnesses.
• Substance Abuse: People with long-term substance abuse especially often experience stress, depression, anxiety, and paranoia.
• Other Factors: apart from many other biological factors above, the poor nutrition as well as exposure to harmful toxins like lead might play a role in the growth of mental illnesses.

2. Psychological Factors

Aside from biological factors, psychological factors might also contribute to the condition of mental illness. These psychological factors are:

• Severe psychological trauma happened when a person were a child, like physical, emotional, or sexual abuse.
• A crucial early loss, like the loss of a loved one
• Neglect
• The poor ability to relate to other people

3. Environmental Factors

Some certain stressors could trigger an illness in a person who is prone to mental illness. The stressors contain:

• Divorce or death
• A dysfunctional family life
• Extreme feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, anger, loneliness, and anxiety
• Changing schools or jobs
• Cultural or social expectations
• Substance abuse

III. How To Treat Mental Illness Naturally – Signs Of Mental Illness

The signs of mental disorders might vary depending on the kind and severity of the condition. Some general signs that might suggest the condition of mental illness contain:

1. In Adults

• Long-lasting irritability or sadness

• Confused thinking
• Extremely low and high moods
• Excessive worry, fear, or anxiety
• Drastic changes in sleeping or eating habits
• Extreme feelings of anger
• Social withdrawal
• Hallucinations or delusions (hearing or seeing things which are not real)
• Enhancing inability to handle with daily activities and problems
• Denial of those obvious problems
• Thoughts or attitudes of suicide
• Unexplained physical problems
• Abuse of alcohol and/or drugs

2. In Older Children And Pre-Teens

• Abuse of alcohol and/or drugs
• Substantial changes infalling grades, school performance
• Inability to deal with daily activities and problems
• Substantial changes in eating and/or sleeping habits
• Excessive complaints about many physical problems
• Intense fear about gaining weight
• Skipping school, defying authority, damaging, or stealing property
• Long-lasting negative mental state or mood, usually along with the poor appetite plus with thoughts of death
• Regular outbursts of anger

3. In Younger Children

• Substantial changes in falling grades and school performance
• Poor grades regardless of strong efforts
• Excessive anxiety or worry
• Hyperactivity
• Aggressive behavior and/or persistent disobedience
• Regular temper tantrums
• Persistent nightmare

IV. How To Treat Mental Illness Naturally – Top 10 Tips

1. Limit Your Time On Facebook 

Is Facebook making you lonely? This is one of a lot questions relating to Facebook that is asked recent days when Facebook is become popular worldwide. When Facebook is used as a casual tool for keeping in touch with friends or staying in the social loop, it could be a helpful distraction. Nevertheless, when Facebook is often used to keep constant tabs on other or to enhance a certain self-image, it might lead to an unconscious demand to compare yourself to everyone in your social network. This will lead to insecurity, jealousy, misplaced feelings of alternatively or superiority, and feelings of inadequacy. Though limit the amount of time on ubiquitous social media tools such as Twitter or Facebook might be hard at first, yet it might be one of the best things you should do for you own mental health.

2. Stop Living Someone Else’s Life

Usually, depression happens when people wake up one day and recognize that they are not living their dreams but are instead trying to please their parents, their children, their spouse, or their friends. Fact is, your own life is yours and you are the sole creator or destroyer, just no one else. Thus, if you need to set limits or disengage with specific negative influences in your own life, just do it. Growing the courage to follow your own personal lodestar has a manner of raising your spirits and decreasing the feelings of being “stuck” and trapped, two main of the leading culprits of anxiety and depression.

3. Write It Out

In order to know how to treat mental illness without medication, it is better for you to keep your personal diary or a written record of your own thoughts. This could be one of the most efficient ways to deal with mood disorders. Just the mere action of writing down your thoughts as well as feelings could serve as a profound catharsis and is particularly helpful if you are uncomfortable expressing yourself verbally.

Normally, people simply feel less stressed and better after systematically sorting through their emotions on the written page. In reality, there is a whole field f psychotherapy named Journal Therapy, created by Dr. Ira Progoff, which aims to specialize in assisting in helping sufferers write their manner to better mental health.

4. Stop Comparing Yourself To Others

Actually, comparing yourself to other people is considered one of the quickest manners to worsen the condition of anxiety and depression. Sure, it could sometimes impel us to work harder or get motivated, yet more often than not, people feel “less than” and inadequate. This is a tremendous and unnecessary waste of energy and time. I bet that the friends or neighbors that you are envy for their hue house or fancy car or perfect bodies also have the problems as you, even more. Thus, you had better focus on yourself, your betterment, and your life. You should not obsess about other people.

5. Take Vitamins

To know how to treat mental illness naturally, you should take both B group vitamins and fish oil and the results will be so effective. Many studies showed that taking a large amount of high quality fish oil supplement containing both DHA and the potent omega-3 fatty acids could assist people in reducing the symptoms of their anxiety and depression and even bipolar disorder. Additionally, the whole range of B vitamins, containing vitamin B12, B6, and folate, might be useful in regulating good mood. Thus, if you look to go the natural route, you should give the B vitamins and fish oil a try!

6. Talk To Other People

There are many depressed sufferers feel alone, lonely and unloved. They might go days or even weeks without having a conversation with another person.

This level of isolation will exponentially worsen mood. The mere action of talking to another person, of opening the mouth and letting words come out, could lift your mood immediately. Hence, you should say ‘hi’ to other people, such as a clerk at grocery stores, or casually compliment others on their outfit, or only smile at a certain stranger. Then, notice how you will feel much better immediately!

7. Pick A Goal

In fact, it does not matter if you set a goal, small or big or medium-sized, yet no matter what it is, you should work towards it, little by little, day by day. A life without purpose, spent wandering aimlessly might create a strong sense of frustration and unease, contributing enormously to feelings of anxiety and depression. Even a simple goal of losing 4 pounds in 2 months is a good way to help you bust out of the sadness and blues. When you delicate yourself to something that has personal significance to you, your own life will have more focus and direction. Just simply pick those achievable goals which are easy to implement and watch your own mood lifted day by day.

8. Read About Astronomy And Spirituality 

This might seem like such an odd idea, yet even for the diehard agnostics and atheists out there, reading books on astronomy and spirituality could help you see the cosmic, big, universal picture and could help you regain a strong sense of mastery and comfort in your own life. Pondering the questions of life and coming to terms with the complexity and enormity of the universe might help you take your little old selves less seriously.

9. Experience The Great Side Of Quiet Time 

People who spend time on daily or weekly basis, whether via meditation, yoga, reading a great book, a warm bath, daily prayer, usually feel calmer and more at peace with themselves as well as the world. Truth is, time out can help you see the big whole picture and prevent you from letting the daily troubles and petty squabbles of life get yourself down.  Even if for 15 minutes per day, quite time could instantly transform your state of mind and assist you in taking control over your life.

10. Work On Your Happiness

Last but not least, this tip on how to treat mental illness naturally without medication recommends you to work on your own happiness. We all work towards happiness. Happiness is a state of mind taking effort, practice and vigilance. You have to be ready to take a hard look at your own life, eliminate bad habits and people, and make significant changes in your internal behavior and expectations. Yet relax! You have all time in this world. The recommendation for you is taking things so urgently and stop making life a serious production. Next thousands years or 20,000 next years, you will not be here. The whole human race might not even be here. So, why you feel too stressed out? Try to have as peaceful and pleasant a time when you could during your limited time on planet – you deserve it!

This article of how to treat mental illness hopefully has given you useful information, tips and tricks about mental illness. Mental illness increasingly becomes more and more popular today, so it is better for you to acknowledge the basics about it and know ways to prevent and treat in effectively.

If you want to comment on any aspect of this article on how to treat mental illness, or other lifestyle topics in VKool, feel free to drop your words below this post. We will respond all soon.

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