Over the centuries, a collective image of the mentally ill has been formed in society. Unfortunately, in the minds of many people, this is a careless, unshaven person with a burning gaze and a desire to rush at others. Mental illnesses are considered hereditary, incurable, contagious, leading to dementia.
In fact, mental disorder is a disease like any other. There is no reason to be ashamed that this disease has manifested itself in your family. The disease has a biological origin, that is, it occurs as a result of metabolic disorders of several substances in the brain. Suffering from a mental disorder is about the same as suffering from diabetes, ulcers, or other chronic diseases.
There is also a widespread belief in society that mental illness cannot be treated.Is this myth or reality?
This statement is myth and reality at the same time.
When people say that a mental illness is incurable, first of all, they mean diseases with an unexplained etiology: schizophrenia, cyclophrenia, epilepsy, functional psychosis of the period of involution.
Indeed, the listed mental illnesses have a low cure rate, and here we are not talking about recovery after therapy, but about remission.
With regard to exogenous mental illness, then recovery is quite possible with an adequately selected drug and psychotherapy.
The healing process for mental illness is almost never simple and short. It is difficult to go through it alone without the acceptance and support of loved ones, as well as the professional help of doctors. But walking along this path, a person, as a rule, sees positive changes and is inspired by them.
Advances in medicine and biotechnology, the increasing openness and concern of society for people with mental illness can radically change the situation in which a difficult diagnosis becomes a life sentence.
In the case of people suffering from a mental illness, family members, relatives, and close people have a special importance. Only with their support, encouragement and permanent care, the treatment will give good results.
At the same time, anyone living with a sick person, let alone caring for him, experiences tremendous personal and emotional stress. Therefore, you should think about how you will cope with the disease in the future. By sorting out your own emotions properly, you will be able to cope more effectively with both the patient's problems and your own problems. You may have to experience emotions such as grief, shame, anger, embarrassment, loneliness, and others.
It is difficult to give specific recommendations here, only one thing is clear: you cannot take the position of either a rescuer or a victim, you just need to fulfill your human duty. Nevertheless, don't forget about yourself!
In conclusion, I can say that it is difficult to confirm or deny the possibility of treating mental illness. However, there is no doubt that this category of patients can be helped.
Pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, or even better – their combination – this is what can make a patient's life much better.
Yes, not in all cases it is possible to achieve recovery, sometimes the results are limited to an improvement in the quality of life and a decrease in the severity of symptoms. But this is also a significant result, and every possible effort should be made to achieve it.