Mental Health: Frequently asked questions
What is mental health?
What is mental illness?
Mental health problems can cause a big change in the way a person thinks, their emotions, the way they act, and their ability to work and carry on with their usual relationships.
How many people are affected by mental illness?
Mental health problems affect about 1 in 3 at some point in their life.
What is Mental Health Promotion?
How powerful are the drugs used to combat mental illness?
The group of drugs known as anti-psychotics, if taken as prescribed, can reduce and even eliminate symptoms of psychosis. The emphasis is on ‘reduce’ and ‘even eliminate’ the symptoms. The drugs can often help make the voices stop and/or visions cease, but they cannot cure the illness.
What do we mean by empowerment?
What is the delusion most frequently encountered by police?
Feelings of persecution or ‘paranoia,’ that is, the feeling that something or someone is attempting to inflict harm on the individual.
Is it true that on the average, people suffering from a mental illness are less intelligent?
There is no evidence to suggest either lower or higher levels of intelligence.
Is it true that attempting to commit suicide is a cry for help, that in most cases, it is just a way of drawing attention to oneself?
All suicide attempts or expressed ideas concerning suicide must be taken seriously.
Can hallucinations or delusions occur simultaneously?
Hallucinations and delusions often appear together. For example, the person might taste poison or smell smoke (hallucination) and think someone is trying to kill them (delusion).
What is the most frequently encountered hallucination?
Mental Health
Most people who have little or no experience dealing with persons in mental health crisis may be fearful and uncertain as to how best to help a person in this position.
Unfortunately, popular media (television, in particular) do not always present an accurate portrayal of the symptoms of mental illness and the best response to persons suffering from a mental health crisis – leading to some common misconceptions about the level of dangerousness of people in crisis and corresponding need for aggressive force in response.
