The subject of mental health is so taboo and so misunderstood that many people have no idea what it is. Mental health is actually a spectrum of so many things. Just as there can be so many ailments that affect the body; there are so many ailments that affect the mind.
In Tanzania many people deal with mental health issues by either ignoring the problem or depending solely on religious methods. Spirituality is a good thing, however, many people do not realize that you can in fact get medication and professional (medical) help that can manage or even cure a mental health issue. In some cases what is needed is a trained professional to help guide a person through their processes.
So, in order to help facilitate better knowledge of mental health, and in order to help those who have or are experiencing something that should be addressed, below is a glossary or list of some (not all) of the most common mental health issues:
(Note – If you go to the section of this website labeled “Counseling” you can find professional and medical help for a mental health issue).
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
is a chronic condition marked by persistent inattention, hyperactivity, and sometimes impulsivity.
Alcoholism
Addiction to the consumption of alcoholic drink; alcohol dependency.
Alzeimer’s Disease
Alzeimer’s disease can occur in middle to old age and symptoms include: Memory loss. Memory loss is the key symptom of Alzheimer’s disease. An early sign of the disease is usually difficulty remembering recent events or conversations. As the disease progresses, memory impairments worsen and other symptoms develop.
At first, a person with Alzheimer’s disease may be aware of having difficulty with remembering things and organizing thoughts. A family member or friend may be more likely to notice how the symptoms worsen.
Anxiety Disorder
Symptoms include:
- Feeling nervous, restless or tense
- Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
- Having an increased heart rate
- Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Feeling weak or tired
- Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry
- Having trouble sleeping
- Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems
- Having difficulty controlling worry
- Having the urge to avoid things that trigger anxiety
Autism
Persons with autism may exhibit some of the following traits:
- Insistence on sameness; resistance to change
- Difficulty in expressing needs; uses gestures or pointing instead of words
- Repeating words or phrases in place of normal, responsive language
- Laughing, crying, showing distress for reasons not apparent to others
- Prefers to be alone; aloof manner
- Tantrums
- Difficulty in mixing with others
- May not want to cuddle or be cuddled
- Little or no eye contact
- Unresponsive to normal teaching methods
- Sustained odd play
- Spins objects
- Inappropriate attachments to objects
- Apparent over-sensitivity or under-sensitivity to pain
- No real fears of danger
- Noticeable physical over-activity or extreme under-activity
- Uneven gross/fine motor skills
- Not responsive to verbal cues; acts as if deaf although hearing tests in normal range.
Bipolar Disorder
A disorder that causes severe and unusually high and low shifts in mood, energy, and activity levels as well as unusual shifts in the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. (Also known as Manic Depression).
Dementia
Dementia describes a group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking and social abilities severely enough to interfere with your daily life. It isn’t a specific disease, but several different diseases may cause dementia.
Though dementia generally involves memory loss, memory loss has different causes. Having memory loss alone doesn’t mean you have dementia.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of a progressive dementia in older adults, but there are a number of causes of dementia. Depending on the cause, some dementia symptoms may be reversible.
Depression
Lack of interest or pleasure in daily activities, sadness and feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt that are severe enough to interfere with working, sleeping, studying, eating and enjoying life.
Down Syndrome
Down syndrome (DS or DNS), also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is typically associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual disability, and characteristic facial features. The average IQ of a young adult with Down syndrome is 50, equivalent to the mental ability of an 8- or 9-year-old child, but this can vary widely.
Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are a range of conditions expressed through abnormal or disturbed eating habits.
These generally stem from an obsession with food, body weight or body shape and often result in serious health consequences. In some cases, eating disorders even result in death.
Postpartum Depression
Postpartum depression (PPD), also called postnatal depression, is a type of mood disorder associated with childbirth, which can affect both sexes. Symptoms may include extreme sadness, low energy, anxiety, crying episodes, irritability, and changes in sleeping or eating patterns.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
a condition of persistent mental and emotional stress occurring as a result of injury or severe psychological shock, typically involving disturbance of sleep and constant vivid recall of the experience, with dulled responses to others and to the outside world.
Schizophrenia
A severe mental disorder that appears in late adolescence or early adulthood. People with schizophrenia may have hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, loss of personality, confusion, agitation, social withdrawal, psychosis and/or extremely odd behavior.
Substance Abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is a patterned use of a drug in which the user consumes the substance in amounts or with methods which are harmful to themselves or others, and is a form of substance-related disorder.
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(Some issues are not disorders, such as):
- Family therapy
- Marriage counseling
- Experience of abuse
- Greif
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(Some issues simply have to do with improving mental wellness, such as):
- Career development
- Life coaching
- Dealing with day to day stress
- Learning to cope with a certain transition
- Maintaining balance in one’s life
Sources:
NIH: National Institute of Mental Health https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/raise/glossary.shtml
Understanding ADHD: The Basics https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/childhood-adhd/understanding-adhd-basics
Autism Awareness Center https://autismawarenesscentre.com/definition-autism/
Substance Abuse: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substance_abuse
Alcoholism https://www.google.com/search?q=Dictionary
Postpartum Depression: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postpartum_depression
Down Syndrome: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_syndrome
Common Types of Eating Disorders and Their Symptoms https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/common-eating-disorders