| "Health" and "illness" are contrasting terms. | | | | This does not mean however, that the person |
| They can be used in physical or in mental | | | | becomes totally irresponsible towards their |
| context. We know that physical exercise done | | | | own well-being. Many times the person wants |
| on a regular basis keeps us healthy. Mental | | | | to do 'something' to get better, but the |
| exercise also keeps us mentally healthy. | | | | health system has limited resources to offer |
| Just like after doing physical exercise we | | | | much in terms of growth of the person, except |
| need rest, after mental exercise the mind | | | | medication. When a mentally ill person goes |
| also needs rest. But we hear the term | | | | to seek help - confidence, self-esteem and |
| "physical rest" frequently. The term "mental | | | | sense of freedom are already lost. Instead |
| rest" is rarely used. No doubt then that as | | | | of helping the person become independent, |
| mental activities have increased with | | | | there is a tendency to make the person |
| industrialisation, stress has increased. | | | | dependent on medication.Medication plays its |
| This stress results from our inability to | | | | role in controlling the condition or state of |
| allow our mind to become inactive or relaxed | | | | illness. It does nothing to improve the |
| for even a short time.Some people believe | | | | quality of life permanently. To improve |
| that our brain becomes inactive when we | | | | their quality of life, the person needs to |
| sleep. If that were so then we should not | | | | take responsibility for their own well-being. |
| have any dreams. Dreams are evidence that | | | | This is encouraged in some of the |
| our mind remains active, even when we are | | | | organisations, which are being run by the |
| asleep. This simply means that our mind is | | | | sufferers themselves. GROW is an example of |
| active 24 hours a day without any rest at | | | | such an organisation. Are there any |
| all. Just imagine how our bodies would | | | | alternatives to medication in mental |
| behave if we were to go through 24 hours of | | | | conditions? A doctor can only prescribe |
| physical activity.Although research may show | | | | drugs to "control" the mental condition. The |
| that 30% of mental illness may occur without | | | | current trend in some other parts of the |
| a trigger of stress, it also shows that a | | | | world is to encourage people suffering with |
| majority - 70% - of mental illnesses occur | | | | mental illnesses to take responsibility for |
| with stress. The research may have failed to | | | | their own well-being, along with medication. |
| look at the other 30%, mentally ill who may | | | | Psychotherapy11 and self-help is encouraged. |
| not be 'acknowledging' stress at a given | | | | The usage of medication in such situations is |
| moment. This gives us a pessimistic view of | | | | minimised or eliminated.In psychiatry, we |
| mental illnesses. We are made to believe | | | | know that the suicide rate among physicians |
| that we can do nothing about them. We are | | | | is higher than in the general population and |
| also told that mental illnesses occur because | | | | psychiatrists are at a greater risk among |
| of our genes, our upbringing, our | | | | physicians, than other specialists.12 |
| personality, our temperament, our lifestyle | | | | Research shows that psychotherapy is more |
| and we can do nothing about them. Stress or | | | | economical than medication alone in treating |
| no stress, we are told, if we have all these | | | | mental illness.13 Conditions like |
| factors loaded in our personal history, we | | | | schizophrenia are also being treated without |
| are prone to have a mental illness. Some | | | | medication in some parts of the world.14 It |
| psychiatrists adhere to this belief strongly. | | | | is also a known fact that the more positive |
| This belief is then put across | | | | the attitude we have, the more balanced are |
| authoritatively as the "gospel truth" of | | | | the chemicals in our body.15 This would be |
| science. Naturally, this brings up a sense | | | | more acceptable for those who see the |
| of low self-esteem and helplessness in the | | | | positive role of religion on mental health. |
| person who is suffering with the illness. We | | | | Some authors have suggested that the medicine |
| are then made to believe that medications are | | | | of the future is going to be "prayer and |
| man-made answers to mental illness, which is | | | | Prozac."16 Mental health is a preventative |
| a curse of nature.Prayer, which was until | | | | activity. Do we need to suffer first before |
| recently considered unscientific, has now | | | | we take steps to deal with it? If we could |
| been shown to have beneficial effects on | | | | only assume responsibility for our own mental |
| patients.1 Similarly, the current belief in | | | | health, we may not have to suffer. The best |
| psychiatry is that mental illnesses can be | | | | medicine in this case is certainly |
| treated by medical professionals only and the | | | | prevention.We live in a free society. The |
| person who is mentally ill has no control | | | | freedom to suffer is also one kind of |
| over their lives. The medical system works | | | | freedom. We also have the freedom to look |
| in a way in which the doctors themselves have | | | | for answers to minimise our |
| limited choices other than prescribing drugs. | | | | suffering.REFERENCES1. ASTIN, J.A., (2000) |
| The patient has no choices worth mentioning. | | | | Prayer, Other Forms of 'Distant Healing' seem |
| From the legal perspective, a person who is | | | | to have Positive Effects. Medscape. Annals |
| mentally ill is considered not capable of | | | | of Internal Medicine 132: P.903-910. |
| taking any responsibility for their actions. | | | | |
| This is one of the most unfortunate aspects | | | | 2. HARRIS T., BROWN G. W., BIFULCO A., |
| of mental illnesses. People who are mentally | | | | (1986) Loss of Parent in Childhood and Adult |
| ill also have a sense of responsibility in | | | | Psychiatric Disorder: The Role of Lack of |
| many areas of their lives.The role of | | | | Adequate Parental Care. Psychological |
| emotions in mental illnesses has been totally | | | | Medicine 16: P.641-659. |
| ignored by scientists. Yet researches do | | | | |
| show that separation from mother,2 losses3 - | | | | 3. BROWN G. W., HARRIS T., (1978) Social |
| including deaths,4 traumatic events, | | | | Origins of Depression. Tavistock, London. |
| especially when they occur over the previous | | | | |
| three months5 can trigger mental illnesses. | | | | 4. BIRTCHNELL J., (1970) Depression in |
| What has been looked at is the history of | | | | Relation to Early and Recent Parent Death. |
| such events in a person's life. What is | | | | British Journal of Psychiatry 116: P.299-306. |
| ignored is the emotional upheaval it causes | | | | |
| in a person's body and mind. Emotional | | | | 5. BROWN G. W., BIRLEY J. L. T., (1968) |
| expression ameliorates the effects of | | | | Crises and Life Changes and the onset of |
| trauma.6 Repetitive upheavals in the body | | | | Schizophrenia. Journal of Health and Social |
| are simply not forgotten. Release of | | | | Behaviour 9: P.203-214. |
| emotions by emotional expression explains the | | | | |
| role of counselling and confession. We tend | | | | 6. KELLER, S.E., SHIFLETT, S.C., SCHLIEFER, |
| to believe, erroneously, that everything will | | | | S.J. & BARTLETT, J.A. (1994) Stress, Immunity |
| settle with time. Things do settle with time | | | | and Health. Handbook of Human Stress & |
| - but not everything. It is these issues and | | | | Immunity. San Diego: Academic. P.217-244. |
| their emotional effects, that cause mental | | | | |
| illnesses and psychosomatic illnesses. It is | | | | 7. CHADHA, P. K., (2000) Drugless Psychiatry |
| obvious that whenever we undergo any | | | | - Physiological Basis of Clinical |
| emotional experience, our nervous and | | | | Experiences. Paper presented in 6th |
| hormonal systems are shaken-up. The nervous | | | | Conference - Innovations in Psychiatry, |
| system and the hormones together control the | | | | London, April 2000. |
| activities of various parts of the body. If | | | | |
| the neurohormonal expression is allowed to go | | | | 8. COMSTOCK, G.W., PARTIDGE, K.B., (1972) |
| through completion, a physiological calmness | | | | Church Attendance and Health. Journal of |
| occurs in the body. This has a scientific | | | | Chronic Diseases 225: P.665-72. |
| basis.7For people who attend church | | | | |
| regularly, a common experience is the sense | | | | 9. SLOAN, R.P., BAGIELLA E., POWELL T., |
| of calmness on entering a church. Coupled | | | | (1999) Religion, Spirituality and Medicine. |
| with music, incense and sermons spoken in a | | | | Lancet 353: P.664-67. |
| low, soft tone, a sense of calmness dwells on | | | | |
| the person. There is scientific evidence to | | | | 10. KOENIG, H.G., (1997) Is Religion Good |
| suggest that going to church helps a person | | | | for your Health? Haworth Pastoral Press, |
| remain healthy.8 More interesting is the | | | | N.Y. |
| fact that there is little research to state | | | | |
| that music or aromatherapy help to bring | | | | 11. POMERANTZ, J.M. (1999). Focused |
| about mental health. Yet experience shows | | | | Psychotherapy as an Alternative to Long Term |
| that they have a calming effect. Only | | | | Medication. Drug Benefit Trends 11 (7) : |
| recently have papers started to be published | | | | P.2, 5. |
| in scientific journals bridging the gap | | | | |
| between spirituality and science.9 It has | | | | 12. KAPLAN, H.I., SADOCK., B.J., (1998) |
| now been researched that people who are | | | | Synopsis of Psychiatry - 8th Edition - B.I. |
| religious in orientation have a lower rate of | | | | Waverly Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi. P.865. |
| strokes than those who are not | | | | |
| religious.10The whole area of mental illness | | | | 13. TALLEY P. F., STRUPP, H. H., BUTLER S. |
| is about losing a sense of freedom. When we | | | | S., (1994) Psychotherapy Research and |
| find ourselves bound to emotional issues of | | | | Practice, Harper Collins: London. |
| our life, that we cannot rid ourselves of, we | | | | |
| lose our freedom of thinking. This creates | | | | 14. McKENZIE, C.D., & WRIGHT, L.S., (1996) |
| stress in our mind and our body bears the | | | | Delayed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders from |
| brunt of it. This loss of freedom brings up | | | | Infancy - The Two Trauma Mechanism. Harwood |
| a sense of fear or a sense of helplessness. | | | | Academic. |
| Both such feelings bring up a sense of | | | | |
| insecurity. A person loses confidence in | | | | 15. MOON, A. M., (2000) Positive Psychology |
| their own worth. Self-esteem becomes low. | | | | Halved Depression in Kids. Clinical |
| With lack of confidence and low self-esteem, | | | | Psychiatry News. 28 (5): P.29. |
| comes poor decision-making. A person suffers | | | | |
| with all these conditions when suffering with | | | | 16. MATTHEWS, D.A., LARSON, D.B., (1997) |
| a mental illness. This changes the behaviour | | | | Faith and Medicine: Reconciling the Twin |
| of the person. The behaviour is affected by | | | | Traditions of Healing. Mind/Body Medicine : |
| the way the person feels and thinks. If the | | | | 2: P.3-6.Dr. Pradeep K. Chadha is a |
| person feels fear for a long time, the | | | | psychiatrist,who practises as a |
| chances of becoming phobic and paranoid | | | | psychotherapist specialising in drugless |
| increase. Withdrawal from social situations | | | | treatment of psychological conditions. He is |
| occurs. The family members observe the | | | | the author of 'THE STRESS BARRIER - NATURE'S |
| person to be unwell. Such a person is then | | | | WAY TO OVERCOMING STRESS' published by |
| asked to see a doctor. With the person's | | | | Blackhall Publishing, Dublin. He is based in |
| self-esteem low, vulnerability increases. | | | | Dublin, Ireland. |