The pandemic and the confinement that accompanied it affected to a greater or lesser extent the mental health of the world’s population.
Currently, it is estimated that 450 million people have some of the conditions that encompass it, but between 35% and 50% of them do not receive treatment or, if they do, it is inadequate.
In addition, experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) warn that mental health problems will be the leading cause of disability worldwide in 2030.
If you’re wondering what the symptoms of a mental health illness are, explain that they can vary depending on the disorder, circumstances, and other factors, but can affect emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.
Some signs that something is not right can be: feelings of sadness or discouragement, confused thoughts, excessive worries or fears, ups and downs or radical mood swings, tiredness, low energy and sleep problems, paranoia, hallucinations … Although physical problems such as stomach pain, back, headache or other unexplained aches and pains may also appear.
There are many factors that can negatively affect our mental health: socioeconomic impact, the pandemic, different conflicts, the increase in prices, different personal situations… Therefore, it is always necessary to go to a health professional who can help us and identify the problem, as recommended by the Spanish digital site Nursing 21.
Read more: ‘No mental health there is no development’: Specialists call on states to pass and update their laws
Mental health conditions
There are a variety of disorders that affect mental health, each with different signs or manifestations. But among them may appear:
Depression.
Bipolar affective disorder.
Schizophrenia and other psychoses.
Dementia.
Intellectual disability.
Neurodiversity, such as autism.
Before any manifestation, it is advisable to go to experts, such as psychologists and psychiatrists, to receive support to identify the type of disorder you have.
World Mental Health Day
October 10 marks World Mental Health Day, which in 2022 is dedicated to children, adolescents and youth. By 2030, WHO estimates that mental health problems will be the leading cause of disability in the world. This is the main reason why the Spanish Mental Health Confederation calls for working without delay on the prevention of mental health problems in younger people.
For the confederation, the objective is to sensitize the public administration, organizations, educational centers and professionals to work on diversity and inclusion as a starting point for the education of children and young people, and to take into account the challenges of a society that changes at a dizzying speed.
Child and adolescent mental health is one of the main pending issues of health that urgently needs to be improved. According to the WHO, the prevalence of mental health problems in children and adolescents is estimated to be between 10% and 20%.
In addition, half of mental disorders first appear before the age of 14 and more than 70% begin before the age of 18.
This text was originally published on the site Me too.
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