Alternatives In Mental Health

"Health" and "illness" are contrasting terms. They canbecoming phobic and paranoid increase. Withdrawal
be used in physical or in mental context. We know thatfrom social situations occurs. The family members
physical exercise done on a regular basis keeps usobserve the person to be unwell. Such a person is
healthy. Mental exercise also keeps us mentallythen asked to see a doctor. With the person's
healthy. Just like after doing physical exercise we needself-esteem low, vulnerability increases. This does not
rest, after mental exercise the mind also needs rest.mean however, that the person becomes totally
But we hear the term "physical rest" frequently. Theirresponsible towards their own well-being. Many times
term "mental rest" is rarely used. No doubt then that asthe person wants to do 'something' to get better, but
mental activities have increased with industrialisation,the health system has limited resources to offer much
stress has increased. This stress results from ourin terms of growth of the person, except medication.
inability to allow our mind to become inactive or relaxedWhen a mentally ill person goes to seek help -
for even a short time.Some people believe that ourconfidence, self-esteem and sense of freedom are
brain becomes inactive when we sleep. If that werealready lost. Instead of helping the person become
so then we should not have any dreams. Dreams areindependent, there is a tendency to make the person
evidence that our mind remains active, even when wedependent on medication.Medication plays its role in
are asleep. This simply means that our mind is activecontrolling the condition or state of illness. It does
24 hours a day without any rest at all. Just imaginenothing to improve the quality of life permanently. To
how our bodies would behave if we were to goimprove their quality of life, the person needs to take
through 24 hours of physical activity.Although researchresponsibility for their own well-being. This is
may show that 30% of mental illness may occurencouraged in some of the organisations, which are
without a trigger of stress, it also shows that abeing run by the sufferers themselves. GROW is an
majority - 70% - of mental illnesses occur with stress.example of such an organisation. Are there any
The research may have failed to look at the otheralternatives to medication in mental conditions? A
30%, mentally ill who may not be 'acknowledging'doctor can only prescribe drugs to "control" the mental
stress at a given moment. This gives us a pessimisticcondition. The current trend in some other parts of the
view of mental illnesses. We are made to believe thatworld is to encourage people suffering with mental
we can do nothing about them. We are also told thatillnesses to take responsibility for their own well-being,
mental illnesses occur because of our genes, ouralong with medication. Psychotherapy11 and self-help is
upbringing, our personality, our temperament, ourencouraged. The usage of medication in such
lifestyle and we can do nothing about them. Stress orsituations is minimised or eliminated.In psychiatry, we
no stress, we are told, if we have all these factorsknow that the suicide rate among physicians is higher
loaded in our personal history, we are prone to have athan in the general population and psychiatrists are at a
mental illness. Some psychiatrists adhere to this beliefgreater risk among physicians, than other specialists.12
strongly. This belief is then put across authoritatively asResearch shows that psychotherapy is more
the "gospel truth" of science. Naturally, this brings up aeconomical than medication alone in treating mental
sense of low self-esteem and helplessness in theillness.13 Conditions like schizophrenia are also being
person who is suffering with the illness. We are thentreated without medication in some parts of the
made to believe that medications are man-madeworld.14 It is also a known fact that the more positive
answers to mental illness, which is a curse ofthe attitude we have, the more balanced are the
nature.Prayer, which was until recently consideredchemicals in our body.15 This would be more
unscientific, has now been shown to have beneficialacceptable for those who see the positive role of
effects on patients.1 Similarly, the current belief inreligion on mental health. Some authors have
psychiatry is that mental illnesses can be treated bysuggested that the medicine of the future is going to
medical professionals only and the person who isbe "prayer and Prozac."16 Mental health is a
mentally ill has no control over their lives. The medicalpreventative activity. Do we need to suffer first before
system works in a way in which the doctorswe take steps to deal with it? If we could only assume
themselves have limited choices other than prescribingresponsibility for our own mental health, we may not
drugs. The patient has no choices worth mentioning.have to suffer. The best medicine in this case is
From the legal perspective, a person who is mentally illcertainly prevention.We live in a free society. The
is considered not capable of taking any responsibilityfreedom to suffer is also one kind of freedom. We
for their actions. This is one of the most unfortunatealso have the freedom to look for answers to
aspects of mental illnesses. People who are mentally illminimise our suffering.REFERENCES1. ASTIN, J.A.,
also have a sense of responsibility in many areas of(2000) Prayer, Other Forms of 'Distant Healing' seem
their lives.The role of emotions in mental illnesses hasto have Positive Effects. Medscape. Annals of Internal
been totally ignored by scientists. Yet researches doMedicine 132: P.903-910.
show that separation from mother,2 losses3 - including2. HARRIS T., BROWN G. W., BIFULCO A., (1986)
deaths,4 traumatic events, especially when they occurLoss of Parent in Childhood and Adult Psychiatric
over the previous three months5 can trigger mentalDisorder: The Role of Lack of Adequate Parental
illnesses. What has been looked at is the history ofCare. Psychological Medicine 16: P.641-659.
such events in a person's life. What is ignored is the3. BROWN G. W., HARRIS T., (1978) Social Origins of
emotional upheaval it causes in a person's body andDepression. Tavistock, London.
mind. Emotional expression ameliorates the effects of4. BIRTCHNELL J., (1970) Depression in Relation to
trauma.6 Repetitive upheavals in the body are simplyEarly and Recent Parent Death. British Journal of
not forgotten. Release of emotions by emotionalPsychiatry 116: P.299-306.
expression explains the role of counselling and5. BROWN G. W., BIRLEY J. L. T., (1968) Crises and
confession. We tend to believe, erroneously, thatLife Changes and the onset of Schizophrenia. Journal
everything will settle with time. Things do settle withof Health and Social Behaviour 9: P.203-214.
time - but not everything. It is these issues and their6. KELLER, S.E., SHIFLETT, S.C., SCHLIEFER, S.J. &
emotional effects, that cause mental illnesses andBARTLETT, J.A. (1994) Stress, Immunity and Health.
psychosomatic illnesses. It is obvious that wheneverHandbook of Human Stress & Immunity. San Diego:
we undergo any emotional experience, our nervousAcademic. P.217-244.
and hormonal systems are shaken-up. The nervous7. CHADHA, P. K., (2000) Drugless Psychiatry -
system and the hormones together control thePhysiological Basis of Clinical Experiences. Paper
activities of various parts of the body. If thepresented in 6th Conference - Innovations in
neurohormonal expression is allowed to go throughPsychiatry, London, April 2000.
completion, a physiological calmness occurs in the8. COMSTOCK, G.W., PARTIDGE, K.B., (1972) Church
body. This has a scientific basis.7For people whoAttendance and Health. Journal of Chronic Diseases
attend church regularly, a common experience is the225: P.665-72.
sense of calmness on entering a church. Coupled with9. SLOAN, R.P., BAGIELLA E., POWELL T., (1999)
music, incense and sermons spoken in a low, soft tone,Religion, Spirituality and Medicine. Lancet 353: P.664-67.
a sense of calmness dwells on the person. There is10. KOENIG, H.G., (1997) Is Religion Good for your
scientific evidence to suggest that going to churchHealth? Haworth Pastoral Press, N.Y.
helps a person remain healthy.8 More interesting is the11. POMERANTZ, J.M. (1999). Focused Psychotherapy
fact that there is little research to state that music oras an Alternative to Long Term Medication. Drug
aromatherapy help to bring about mental health. YetBenefit Trends 11 (7) : P.2, 5.
experience shows that they have a calming effect.12. KAPLAN, H.I., SADOCK., B.J., (1998) Synopsis of
Only recently have papers started to be published inPsychiatry - 8th Edition - B.I. Waverly Pvt. Ltd., New
scientific journals bridging the gap between spiritualityDelhi. P.865.
and science.9 It has now been researched that people13. TALLEY P. F., STRUPP, H. H., BUTLER S. S., (1994)
who are religious in orientation have a lower rate ofPsychotherapy Research and Practice, Harper Collins:
strokes than those who are not religious.10The wholeLondon.
area of mental illness is about losing a sense of14. McKENZIE, C.D., & WRIGHT, L.S., (1996) Delayed
freedom. When we find ourselves bound to emotionalPost-Traumatic Stress Disorders from Infancy - The
issues of our life, that we cannot rid ourselves of, weTwo Trauma Mechanism. Harwood Academic.
lose our freedom of thinking. This creates stress in our15. MOON, A. M., (2000) Positive Psychology Halved
mind and our body bears the brunt of it. This loss ofDepression in Kids. Clinical Psychiatry News. 28 (5):
freedom brings up a sense of fear or a sense ofP.29.
helplessness. Both such feelings bring up a sense of16. MATTHEWS, D.A., LARSON, D.B., (1997) Faith and
insecurity. A person loses confidence in their ownMedicine: Reconciling the Twin Traditions of Healing.
worth. Self-esteem becomes low. With lack ofMind/Body Medicine : 2: P.3-6.Dr. Pradeep K. Chadha is
confidence and low self-esteem, comes poora psychiatrist,who practises as a psychotherapist
decision-making. A person suffers with all thesespecialising in drugless treatment of psychological
conditions when suffering with a mental illness. Thisconditions. He is the author of 'THE STRESS
changes the behaviour of the person. The behaviour isBARRIER - NATURE'S WAY TO OVERCOMING
affected by the way the person feels and thinks. If theSTRESS' published by Blackhall Publishing, Dublin. He is
person feels fear for a long time, the chances ofbased in Dublin, Ireland.