An Analytical Understanding of Mental Health and Pathophysiology

This essay provides an analytical understanding of mental health and pathophysiology, including critical approaches to mental health practice, therapeutic interventions, pharmacology and drug therapy, and the interrelationship between physical and mental health.

Essay

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Anatomical knowledge and understanding relative pathophysiology....................................1
Critical approach to mental health practice............................................................................2
Therapeutic interventions within health and social care settings...........................................2
Analytical understanding of pharmacology and drug therapy...............................................3
Interrelationship between physical and mental health............................................................4
Use of effective communication skills...................................................................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Mental health of person is emotional, physiological and social well being. Mental health
is characterized by how a person handle can handle stress and make healthy life decisions. The
ability to manage a wide range of emotions and maintaining a good relationship with family,
friends and fellow individuals (Araya, 2019). A mental disorder is a form of psychiatric illness
where one or more abilities in a person are affected leading to disabilities. This causes significant
distress and impaired personal functioning. This essay will cover an understanding of relative
pathophysiology associated with mental health issues suffered by James.
MAIN BODY
Anatomical knowledge and understanding relative pathophysiology
In order to understand the pathophysiological reasons behind the illness James is
suffering from, it is important to analyse James' life history. A history of abuse can potentially
lead to development of mental illness in adulthood making the person prone to doing reckless
behaviour(Wada and et. al., 2019). James was abandoned from his family as a result of domestic
violence between family members and was also neglected during the crucial phases of his
childhood development. The feeling of shame and guild are persistent and when a situation is not
favourable, people may resort to self harm, which in this case is cutting of hand. This inability to
control emotions causes heightened anxiety and anger(The impact of stress on immune systems
and its relevance to mental illness, 2022). Low level of social support increases psychiatric
vulnerability, personality deficits and severe adherence to alcoholism. The grey and white matter
in the brain gets altered when a person is suffering from depression which can lead to difficulty
concentration, anxiety and hopelessness. Persistent and untreated illness can cause severe
neurological disorders such as brain stroke, multiple sclerosis etc. Functional disorders can not
be screened through tests but they arise from potential chronic emotional stress. Stressful life
situations such as childhood trauma, Post traumatic stress can increase the risk of developing
mental illness(Morgan and et. al., 2018). Dysfunctional family life and feeling of inadequacy can
contribute to the illness. Troubled pregnancy, chronic health conditions such as diabetes,
hypertension etc., continuos use of drugs and alcohol, poverty are risk factors associated with
mental health issues. In an attempt to identify the causes it is important to focus on the past
history faced by the patients in their childhood. Some risk factors are inherited which can pass on
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from one progeny to another whereas other factors can include medical risk factors, such as
presence of any chronic disease eg., thyroid, diabetes, etc. (Maser and et. al., 2019).
Critical approach to mental health practice
The mental health nurse play a crucial role in treatment of patients with psychiatric
illness because of their excellent understanding of mental illness and carrying out procedures
skilfully. One of the most important principle of a mental health nurse is accepting the patient as
he is without any judgement on the severity of the illness(Marcussen and et. al., 2019). They can
employ self understanding techniques as tool for taking effective care of the patient and carrying
out effective communication as it is the most important medium for providing patient centred
care. Typical duties of a mental healthcare nurse involves- accessing nursing care requirements,
helping patients combat stigma and help them manage the illness, writing and updating patient
records, monitoring progress and reviewing patient records(Madan and et. al., 2020). Apart from
the relationship that nurses build with the patient, they also can help the patient's family deal with
the stress and manage the illness. Successful administration of medications by the patient is also
to be ensured by the nursing staff(Klik and et. al., 2019). It is also extremely important for nurses
to educate the patient and their family members about the illness. Bio physiological model
suggests that mental health of an individual is affected as a result of cumulative forces that occur
at different times. Major physiological issues causing mental illness are family problems,
alcoholism, affected friendships and relationships, sexual abuse and violence can trigger
development of mental health. Risk assessment is analysing different aspects of illness based on
social and physiological factors. Both quantitative and qualitative risk assessments are necessary.
A therapeutic relationship between the caregiver and the patient should consist of trust, mutual
respect, power and empathy. Therapeutic alliance can positively impact patient progress and
also develop a likeness of the patient towards their caregiver which can lead to treatment and
medication adherence. Engagement and observation is important for monitoring behaviour
towards the medication therapy that the patient is receiving.
Therapeutic interventions within health and social care settings
Psychotherapeutic approaches take into consideration the changes in behaviours and
feelings of the patients for assessment. This can be done through establishing effective
therapeutic alliances with patients. Behavioural, cognitive, holistic and humanistic therapies acts
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as a roadmap for therapists and caregivers in a hospital setting. Medication evaluation and
management or pharmacological interventions can help significantly reduce the symptoms of
mental illness. These therapy methods involve the use of drug therapy to help with overall
management of mental disorders(Atkinson, 2018). It is not necessary to associate people with
mental illness to merely survive and exist. It is important for them to heal from the trauma and
move forward in life with new goals and expectations. The principle of recovery suggests that
people are entitled to make their own choices and goals and are to be treated with respect and
dignity. Cognitive behavioural therapy techniques involve the following steps: 1) cognitive
restructuring or re framing, 2) guided discovery, 3) exposure therapy, 4) stress reduction
techniques, 5) activity scheduling. Cognitive behaviour therapy enables the therapist to identify
negative patterns or thoughts and underlying causes of the trauma. It focuses on removing the
negative thoughts from the mind of the person and helping them heal. Relapse prevention helps
understand the factors that could lead to chances of relapse. Psycho education is a form of
evidence based therapeutic intervention that can help in providing support and comfort to the
person suffering from mental illness. This is basically used to educate people about the illness
and help the patients and their families cope up with the trauma of the illness. Psycho education
combined with behavioural therapy can help patients deal with their traumas. CBT is an essential
part of psycho education.
Analytical understanding of pharmacology and drug therapy
The medical history of a person should include all the drugs including current and
previous ones along their dosage forms. Psychiatric medications can help reduce the symptoms
of mental illness by regulating emotions of the brain and adjusting to the emotions induced by
the medications. Different classes of antipsychotic drugs are: antidepressants, antipsychotic
drugs, sleeping pills, minor tranquillizers, mood stabilizers, tricyclic antidepressants etc. Many
medications have proven to show signs that can lead to less chances of relapsing into depressive
episodes but these medications give benefit only for a short period of time. Long term
administration of these medication can lead to addiction(Carson, 2019). These medications are
often given to the patients to treat their ED, insomnia, co morbid mental health issues. Most
commonly used medications used are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as citalopram,
escitalopram oxalate, fluoxetine and sertraline. Drug therapy combined with other
psychotherapies can help treat psychological disorders. Benefits of administration of drug
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therapy include improved self esteem, better handling of stress, understanding of symptoms,
better copying mechanisms for mental illness. Selective serotonin & norepinephrine inhibitors
like desvenlafaxine, novel serotonergic drugs such as vortioxetine, Monoamine oxidase
inhibitors such as carboxazid, Tetracyclic antidepressants like mirtazapine(Chiang and et. al.,
2019). Depression medications should not be suddenly stopped as they can increase the risk of
depression relapse, instead their dosing should be be gradually decreased. There are many side
effects that are associated with the intake of these drugs such as drowsiness, irregular heartbeat,
decline in sexual ability, weight gains, muscle spasms, problems with menstruation. Another
group of medication that treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are also termed as
stimulants, for example: amphetamine salt combo and methyphenidate.
Interrelationship between physical and mental health
People with mental health conditions are more likely to experience chronic physical
conditions and vice versa. Physical and mental well being are very closely related. Depression
has been linked to many chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease etc. With proper
lifestyle modifications such as eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, proper intake of
protein can achieve good mental health(Corrigan, 2019). Appropriate exercising can help in
secretion of dopamine and serotonin which are also called as happy hormones and help elevate
mood. One of the symptoms of depression is fatigue which is closely related to tiredness and
which can cause decline in physical health. Physical health conditions are also termed as chronic
conditions which cannot be managed by just medications alone. Physical health involves
consuming a balanced diet, maintaining good hygiene, keeping oneself fit. Physical health
conditions are also required to be treated with physiotherapy. Not being able to get enough
exercise in everyday routine, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, high body mass index,
obesity, consumption of fatty foods, over use of alcohol, hypertension, raised blood glucose,
illicit drug abuse can cause severely hamper physical health of the individual. Physical activity
can reduce the risk for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes,
arthritides(Dickerson and et. al., 2022). The causal factors linking to mental illness can be due to
interaction of multiple genes and other factors – environmental or social. Environmental factors
include smoking, stress, trauma or troubled relationships. Experiencing trauma, discrimination or
stigma in a group, severe long term stress, presence of long term chronic condition, social
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isolation, childhood neglect. Factors such as genetics, lifestyle and brain chemistry can also
affect the presence of mental illness.
Use of effective communication skills
Being able to communicate and share how the patient is feeling, their emotions, thoughts
is a very crucial aspect as it helps the caregiver get a better understanding of the issue. This can
help the patient get appropriate treatment for the illness. However, sometimes mental illness can
hamper communicating ability in people so it is the responsibility of the therapist to listen with a
goal to understand the concerns shared by the patient and acknowledge them with excellent care.
Practical problem solving behaviour and risk assessment can lead to proper identification of
areas of concerns(Donald, 2019). Psychotherapy combined with drug therapy can provide
excellent treatment to the patients and effective treatment plan can be implemented with
successful communication between the therapist and the patient. An effective treatment plan
can be prepared by analysing and including the following information such as name of the
patient, diagnosis of current mental problem, high priority treatment goals, measurable objectives
and an appropriate timeline for treatment process. It is required to prepare a discharge plan for
them in order to identify and prepare a medication plan for them to follow after they are
discharged from the hospital. A discharge summary is prepared where all the information on
diagnostic findings of the patient is mentioned and all the medications the patient is required to
administer(Harrington, 2019). Involvement of family members in the treatment of the patient
facilitate the recovery process and can also help overcome the stigma. Psycho education is an
intervention technique that can verbally influence the patients enabling both the patient and the
therapist to work effectively in a manner than can lead to lesser relapses.
CONCLUSION
From the above discussion we can conclude that mental illness is long lasting and more
than 50% of the people suffer from mental illness with mild to moderate symptoms which can be
treated effectively through psycho therapy or drug therapy. Diagnosis of mental illness can be
done simply by identifying a slight change in the normal behaviour. Therefore, it is important to
check on family and friends. In some cases there might be a need for a more intensive treatment.
Asking for help or consulting a doctor should be looked down upon and stigmatized. Proper
education and care should be provided to manage the condition.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Araya, M. and Aboud, F.E., 2019. Mental illness. In The ecology of health and disease in
Ethiopia (pp. 493-506). Routledge.
Atkinson, M. ed., 2018. Sport, mental illness and sociology. Emerald Group Publishing.
Carson, S.H., 2019. Creativity and mental illness.
Chiang and et. al., 2019. Creative art therapy for mental illness. Psychiatry research, 275,
pp.129-136.
Corrigan, P.W. and Nieweglowski, K., 2019. How does familiarity impact the stigma of mental
illness?. Clinical Psychology Review, 70, pp.40-50.
Dickerson and et. al., 2022. Experiences of persons with serious mental illness during the
COVID-19 pandemic. Psychiatric Services, 73(2), pp.133-140.
Donald, E.E. and Stajduhar, K.I., 2019. A scoping review of palliative care for persons with
severe persistent mental illness. Palliative & Supportive Care, 17(4), pp.479-487.
Harrington, A., 2019. Mind fixers: Psychiatry's troubled search for the biology of mental illness.
WW Norton & Company.
Klik and et. al., 2019. Toward understanding mental illness stigma and help-seeking: A social
identity perspective. Social science & medicine, 222, pp.35-43.
Madan and et. al., 2020. The gut microbiota is associated with psychiatric symptom severity and
treatment outcome among individuals with serious mental illness. Journal of affective
disorders, 264, pp.98-106.
Marcussen and et. al., 2019. Mental illness as a stigmatized identity. Society and Mental
Health, 9(2), pp.211-227.
Maser and et. al., 2019. Medical student psychological distress and mental illness relative to the
general population: a Canadian cross-sectional survey. Academic Medicine, 94(11),
pp.1781-1791.
Morgan and et. al., 2018. Interventions to reduce stigma towards people with severe mental
illness: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of psychiatric research, 103, pp.120-
133.
The impact of stress on immune systems and its relevance to mental illness, 2022 [Online]
Available through: <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168010221002078
>
Wada and et. al., 2019. University students’ perspectives on mental illness stigma. Mental Health
& Prevention, 14, p.200159.
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