First Aid Mental Health

Emotional difficulties – a common phenomenon

Emotional and mental difficulties are widespread in the population, and they occur just as frequently as physical disorders. Countless stressors and hassles, such as family conflicts, break-ups between lovers, and problems in the workplace, often cause emotional turbulence. Of course, some individuals handle their emotional difficulties better than others. Individuals who hardly cope experience persistent and worsening symptoms.

Mental Illness and Stigma

Despite advances in psychiatric research and treatment, mental illness is often misunderstood. Public misconception about mental illness has created unfortunate and inaccurate labels. Many of my patients have remarked that their relatives, who sometimes shame and discredit them, poorly understand their emotional difficulties.

Patients have been labeled “lazy” and “weakling,” or they have been told to “smarten up,” “grow up,” and “go to work.” Accused of having “weak nerves,” of not “pushing hard enough” and of not being “strong enough” to face life’s challenges, patients interpret the insults in terms of personal weakness.

Manifestations of mental illness

Unlike physical disorders which have to do with physical changes (such as fever, headache, and nausea), emotional illness is much broader in scope and affects almost all areas of the patient’s life. It generally involves a combination of emotional, physical, personality, cognitive, and behavioral changes.