Mental Health And Music Therapy

Mental illness is diseases or condition that affect how you think, react, feel or act to a given stimulus. According to World Health Organisation (WHO) mental health is "a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community". Mental illness is very common, many people have had one or know someone who has. As research found that 1 in 7 people suffers with mental illness throughout the world. 

Everyone has some risk of developing mental illness irrespective of their age, gender, income or family background. Genetics, environment, lifestyle and social influence can shape person's mental health. Many people suffer through mental illness. However only half of those affected receives treatment often because of stigma attached to mental health. Untreated mental health contribute poor performance at work, fewer employment opportunists and increased risk of suicide.

However, many people are not willing to talk about mental illness. we should give mental health same importance as physical health. School and colleges neither teach about mental health nor how to confront or behave around people suffering from mental illness. This makes difficult for mentally ill person to ask for help from there colleague or family members. Here are some things we can do: Firstly, showing individuals acceptance and respect helps one with their illness. Having people see you as an who you are and not as your illness can make the biggest difference for one who is struggling with their mental illness. Secondly advocating within our circles of influence helps ensure these individuals have the same rights and opportunities as other members of your church, school and community. Lastly gain knowledge about mental illness which will allows us to provide help and support to those who are in need.

Some of the most common mental disorders are Bipolar Disorder It is characterized through episodes of energetic, manic highs and intense, once in a while depressive low. These can have an effect on someone’s energy level and capacity to think reasonably. Mood swings due to bipolar disorder are an awful lot more extreme than the small ups and downs most humans experience on a day by day basis. 
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) goes beyond everyday regular anxiety, like being anxious before a presentation. It causes someone to emerge as extremely concerned about many matters, even if there’s very little purpose to worry. Those with GAD can also additionally sense very anxious about getting through the day. They might imagine matters won’t ever work in their favor. Sometimes worrying can hold humans with GAD from carrying out regular tasks and chores. 
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) reasons consistent and repetitive mind, or obsessions. These thoughts occur with pointless and unreasonable desires to perform certain behaviors, or compulsions. Many humans with OCD understand that their mind and movements are unreasonable, but they can not prevent them. 
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) it is a mental illness that’s caused after experiencing or witnessing a stressful event. Experiences that may cause PTSD can vary from severe events, like battle and countrywide disasters, to verbal or physical abuse. Symptoms of PTSD can also additionally consist of flashbacks or being effortlessly startled. 
Schizophrenia it impairs one’s notion of reality and the world around them. It interferes with their connection to other human beings. It’s a severe circumstance that needs treatment. They may experience hallucinations, have delusions, and hear voices. These can probably placed them in a risky scenario if left untreated.

Symptoms of mental illness can be:

• sleeping and eating too much or too little

• feeling hopeless and depressed

• using mood-altering substances

• displaying negative emotions

• being confused

• not able to complete daily activities

• withdrawing from other people

• not doing activities that they would normally enjoy

• having persistent thoughts or memories that reappear regularly

• thinking of doing physical harm to others or themselves

• hearing voices and experiencing delusion

Mental health treatment does not offer a cure but instead they aim to reduce symptoms and make condition manageable. There are many ways your doctor may cure you like medication, psychotherapy, lifestyle treatments, music therapy, mental health therapy, mental health exercises, etc. 

Today we are going to focus on music therapy. Music therapy is the use of music to address the cognitive, emotional, physical, and social needs of a group or individual. It consist of different activities, such as drumming, playing an instrument, song composing, and guided imagery. 

There are two types of music therapy that is, receptive music therapy and active music therapy. Receptive music therapy involves responding to music, such as via dancing or other movement to music, or lyric discussion or listening to live or recorded music Active music therapy, patients will be involved in some kind of music-making, e.g. song writing, vocalizing, singing, chanting, playing instruments, improvising,  rapping,  composing, conducting.

Music therapy does not depend on verbal communication like many other therapy. So, it is best for people who struggle to communicate. Other therapy are not be suitable for people who are having trouble in communication. Additionally, mental health experts can bring music therapy directly to a one, as if they can't get out of bed or injured. There are other benefits of music therapy which taking therapy may not have. For instance, learning and practicing a piece of music can improve reading, memory skills, comprehension, coordination, and math skills, and it can also give lessons in perseverance and responsibility. People can increase there self esteem and get motivated from creating a piece of music, which can help improve their mood and self-esteem. it helps in improved self-esteem, increased motivation, increased verbalization, decreased anxiety, interaction with other people.

Although music therapy isn't always a treatment for any mental illness condition, it could be an effective and fun device for decreasing the signs and symptoms of numerous conditions, which include depression and anxiety. Music therapy gives humans a innovative and reachable way of expressing their emotions and processing their experiences. People have used music for its effective outcomes on mood and feelings for a long time.