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