Lazy? Violent? Guilty? Stigma is a key barrier to quality of life for people with mental illness. Experiences of discrimination are preceded by existing prejudices regarding mental disorder: guilt, vagrancy, danger, etc. And these problems have been magnified as a result of lack of information,ignorance and preconceived ideas.
The greatest challenge is to make our reality known, overcoming the myths, fears and stereotypes that surround mental illness and that have been perpetuated over time and that make mental illness so difficult to accept, not only for the sufferer, but fortheir family and society in general.
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Yes. At the origin of mental illness it is known that there is a genetic predisposition, but also a number of triggers for the disease, which have to do with lifestyle, risky behaviors and life events, and how they affect each person.
Many mental illnesses are chronic diseases, and so people should follow treatment to stay stable and avoid relapses. With existing treatments and providing the person with the necessary supports, you can live independently and achieve your personal goals and thus a good quality of life.
People with severe mental disorder have both positive symptomatology (delusions, lulutions, etc.) and negative symptomatology (apathy, isolation, low tolerance to stressful situations,…). Not everyone has the same symptoms or intensity. There is a general tendency to think that mentally ill people are “unable” physically and intellectually to perform many tasks of daily life, but with the right supports (resources, services, programs, medication, therapy, etc.) are able to achieve a fulfilling life.
It depends on each particular case. Monitoring treatment and therapeutic indications is a necessary but not sufficient condition to ensure good progress, since the life experiences of each person, and the support they recieve also have his influence. It is known that there are certain conditions that improve prognosis, but there are also many subjective variables that influence it and are not controllable.
A person with mental illness can live alone with the necessary supports that correspond to their personal situation. We find different realities, people who live alone, people who share a flat with professional support, etc. Each person should take into account their situation and the support they have available.
Work is a good choice for many people who find in it an important motivation. They can perform any job that suits their skills and/or training, bearing in mind that work should not involve a high degree of stress or pressure.
Undoubtedly, work can be an enormous help in recovery or managing a mental illness. . This can mean finding a new job, or keeping the job you already have when the disease appears. As long as you want to work, it is important to persevere and look for those jobs that best fit your situation.
Yes. A person may develop the manifestation of several mental illnesses.
Yes, a person may have several changes in diagnoses throughout their life.
Being able to diagnose and name mental illness is made complex by:
- The many criteria for classification.
- The need for these criteria to remain temporary.
- Symptoms that can overlap between multiple diseases.
- There are life stages when the predominant symptomatology varies, which can lead to modification of the diagnosis.
It is therefore complicated to make a differential diagnosis that is unique in the life of the person.
At any age. They often appear during adolescence or early adulthood, but a person can develop mental illness at any age.
No, mental illness is not related to intellectual capacity.
