Mental Health – Getting the right kind of help

Because of the enormous responses and questions that my previous blog received, I thought it best to give more information, well as much as I can offer, on the topic of mental health and my experience with it. One of the major issues is getting the right kind of help for your situation. After admitting to yourself and recognizing that you do have some form of mental health issue, which is a big step on its own, and you’ve Googled yourself numb trying to find ways of diagnosing yourself or to make yourself feel better, now comes the questions:

                           - Who do I turn to for help?

                           - How will my life change?

                               - What will the world think of my diagnosis?

                               - Does this make me weak?

I’ve gone through the same kind of scenario many times. When my husband had enough of my weird behavior, he convinced me to go to the doctor with him. This time, he stepped into the room with me and listened as I downplayed what was going on with me. He waited until I was done and then said, “That’s not the whole truth.” I was shocked and a little angry because he was embarrassing me. He then proceeded to explain what I had left out to the doctor and the doctor made a diagnosis based on that, because, when she asked me if this was true, I could not deny any of it. I was blessed to have him in that room with me and to have him care that much about my well-being. For many others, it may not be your spouse or even your partner that notices, maybe your housemate or even a colleague. I’ve realised that no matter how alone we may feel or how well we try to hide what we’re going through, there’s always someone who notices the little sad sighs in between the fake smiles. Like in the movie, "What women want…" The main thing here is for you to get the proper diagnosis so that you can get the proper treatment.

Sometimes, we get so scared of a diagnosis, a name but that’s when we should be glad that we at least know what is wrong and we can purposefully work towards making it right. As a Christian, giving what I go through a name gives me faith that whatever it is that is bothering me is already defeated, in the name that is above every name, the name of Jesus. So, I walk around reminding myself of what Christ has done for me and what it means to me personally when He said, “It is finished.” when He was on the cross. It means that whatever struggle I may face or go through, the victory was won on my behalf on the cross and what’s left is for me to collect my victory and move on. At times, I forget that and concentrate on the situation in my life or what is lacking from it so much that it engulfs me and I have to purposefully remind myself, by reading the Word of God, of what God has done for me. I also listen to motivational talks and songs every morning but remember those don’t work unless you believe and implement the strategies that they offer. Another way in which I face depression daily is by setting goals. They don’t have to be major, just doable. The vision board done in the beginning of the year helps keep my daily goals focused on the overall goal. Anyway, you set a goal like run for 10 minutes in the morning. When you wake up and you achieve that first goal, you feel untouchable then the rest of the day and the rest of the goals that you have set become pieces of cake. The more you do that, the more confident you will grow and depression will eventually take a back seat. Your goals will change and grow as time goes on and plus, you will be taking better care of your health at the same time.

If you think that someone close to you has a problem or may be going through some form of mental health issue, it may be quite a journey trying to steer them towards getting help. Being too forceful will definitely push them away as they may feel judged and belittled, like they don’t know what’s good for themselves. So, be gentle and remember that this person needs to see the light in the midst of all the darkness in order to find a way out for themselves. So, if you can send them personal motivational message, and be more open about your own struggles and how you go about solving them that might help them open up more about their own difficulties that they are facing. This might also motivate them in knowing that what they are facing is not the be all and end all. 

If you suspect yourself or someone close to you may be suffering from a mental health issue, please consult a doctor asap. Also, http://www.sadag.org/ has a few questionnaires to assist in self-diagnosis:

- Depression - http://www.sadag.org/images/pdf/sphere_questionnaire.pdf

- Mood Disorder - http://www.sadag.org/images/pdf/mdq.pdf

- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - http://www.sadag.org/images/pdf/trauma_screening.pdf

- Anxiety Self Rating - http://www.sadag.org/images/pdf/anxiety%20self.pdf

- Postnatal Depression - http://www.sadag.org/images/brochures/edinburghscale.pdf

- Adult Attention Deficiency Hyperactivity Disorder - http://www.sadag.org/images/adhd/sadag_adult_adhd_self_rating_scale.pdf

If mental illness is the enemy, then this is war! Suit up with knowledge and charge!

Cheers.