Topic of Choice from Healthy People 2020 Health, Medicine Essay

Mental Health and Mental Disorders
Name
Institutional Affiliation
Mental Health and Mental Disorders
Introduction
Mental health remains an underlying challenge globally and more so, among people in the western industrial nations. Mental health refers to the optimal functioning of the mind resulting in productive functions, achieving sound relationships with people, and having the capability to adapt based on changes and challenges (Healthypeople.gov, 2020). This definition highlights that health supersedes the mere absence of illness in the body to something much more positive. Concerns around peoples’ mental health are rive considering that neither mental nor physical health exists separately. Instead, an individual’s social, physical, and mental functions are interdependent justifying the attention it deserves (Leighton & Dogra, 2009).
A couple of factors determine a person’s mental health including family relationships and circumstances, idiosyncratic factors, and experiences as well as the wider community. Mental disorders are highly prevalent among every other group. Unfortunately, they lead to serious distress and socioeconomic costs as mental illness accounts for approximately one-third of the world’s disability. Nevertheless, some interventions and programs are primarily established to alleviate or decrease the intensity of mental disorders among related individuals. For instance, training teachers provide them with an edge in recognizing and eliminating pro-social behavior that indicates ensuing mental instability. Mental health and mental disorders are a prevalent issue in modern times and even though every other group is facing associated risks, formidable intervention programs are quite fundamental in minimizing the atrocious intensity that underlines the adverse effects.
At-risk Groups
Several mental health issues appear in people. These include substance use disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Unfortunately, these challenges do not have a predefined age or at-risk group and thus occur to all countries regardless of their level of development (Lake & Turner, 2017). In this regard, developed and less developed nations are all caught in this matrix. Mental disorders are closely linked to humanitarian calamities, hostilities, and poverty. In some way, this assertion justifies the reason it is a 21st Century pandemic and probably, the next significant global health challenge. In its worst extremes, mental illness and associated disorders result in suicide, which is unfortunate because it is one of the most preventable causatives of deaths in adolescents and young adults. Surprisingly, the increased availability of antidepressants has failed to curb the spread of mental disorders. In retrospect, there has been an unprecedented rise in treatment costs for the related health matters amid 350 million persons experiencing depression every year (Demyttenaere et al., 2004). As mentioned earlier, suicide is one result of a depressed individual, which means there is an unrivaled need to have mental disorders under control.
Poverty is among the factors linked to a bountiful number of mental disorders experienced worldwide. Unsurprisingly, 85% of the entire globe’s poor population is found in industrialized and underdeveloped countries. Consequently, this socio-economic status is closely linked to higher cases of mental illness. Poverty guarantees that some variables can never evade the equation including financial stress, social status, housing, food insecurity, and education. Also, the situation is quite untenable as governmental policies fail to allocate sufficient financial resources toward mental health care (Plagerson, 2014). The situation is further complicated by the fact that they have inadequate professionals to handle the prevailing cases. The case for minimal attention towards treatment is also apparent in European countries. This position arises from a recent comprehensively conducted survey in European Union member countries. According to Wittchen et al. (2011), 38.2% of people, which is about 165 million had a psychiatric disorder, but less than one-third of them were able to receive treatment.
Mental health in the context of childhood will encompass their ability to develop spiritually, intellectually, creatively, emotionally, and psychologically. Further, these children are capable of initiating, developing, and sustaining mutually satisfying personal relationships, but at the same time using and enjoying the solitude. Children raised in this spectrum can be empathetic with others’ situations. They have a solid moral compass that encompasses resolving challenges and setbacks as well as learning from them. These definitions fit the particular case for children because that is what is expected of them. Adolescents as well as young adults and particularly, those attending school are much likely to acquire mental health issues due to the ensuing academic pressures.
A recent review indicates that the students in higher education institutions have high rates of mental illnesses with ranges of about 27% and 34% for depression and depressive symptoms being quite prevalent. In extreme cases, 11% of the group will have suicidal ideation (Tung, Lo, Ho, & Tam, 2018). In these institutions, learners with financial predicaments, minority groups, and female students are at the risk of attaining associ...