mental health: mind the matter

Mental health is an area of medicine rife with myths and stereotypes about psychiatrists and the medicines they prescribe. Even more disturbing than the myths, is the fact that the black community pays little attention to the prognosis of their mental health. According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, mental disorders affect 26.2 percent of all Americans 18 and older. Statistics like these should challenge any clear-thinking individual to regularly evaluate the status of their mental health. To get you moving in the right direction, here is the skinny on the top three major mental disorders impacting the community.

Clinical Depression
Also known as major depressive disorder, depression is an intense state of sadness and despair that can affect the patient’s social activities and personal life. Although it is more prevalent in women than men, brief periods of depression are common in many adults.

The everyday use of the word “depression” implies sadness, but does not accurately portray the despair felt by someone who is clinically depressed. A case of clinical depression often leads the patient to think negatively and erodes self-esteem. Depression in many instances, results in substance abuse and even suicide.

Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease that affects one’s ability to perform day-to-day tasks and can cause extreme changes in behavior. Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia characterized by memory loss and the subsequent impairment of one’s intellect, speech and motor skills. While the cause of the disease is unknown, researchers believe that genetics may be the missing piece of the puzzle. The risk of developing Alzheimer’s increases with age, making Alzheimer’s screening inevitable for us all.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
ADHD is a developmental disorder that is characterized by hyperactivity, shortened attention span and loss of impulse control. ADHD is a developmental disorder that is usually expressed in childhood, primarily during the preschool and early elementary years. Without treatment, ADHD symptoms become habitual as the child develops into adulthood.

Methods of treatment usually involve some combination of medications, behavior modifications, life style changes, and counseling. Behavioral Parent Training, behavior therapy aimed at parents to help them understand ADHD, has also shown short term benefit. –delgie jones II