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