Being diagnosed with a disorder is a big deal

BEING diagnosed with a disease or disorder is often an overwhelming moment for an individual and their family, bringing with it a range of emotions, new information and often confusion regarding the aetiology, diagnosis and prognosis.

This article by no means discredits the seriousness and complexity of illnesses outside the realm of mental health but rather attempts to highlight the perplexing journey of living with a mental illness or disorder.

In cases of other illnesses, there is observable physical evidence of an abnormality or perhaps a bodily reaction to the presence of a foreign organism, for example. But there is usually hope with identifiable causes, information on treatment and direct management strategies, revolutionary medical technology and pioneering scientific breakthroughs in clinical care, to put one’s mind at ease.

Unfortunately, mental health is a messy combination of biology, psychology, socio-economic circumstances and culture.

To complicate things further, an individual may suffer from multiple mental illnesses and/ or disorders for varying reasons rooted in varying conditions.

With the exception of overt, observable disorders such as schizophrenic hallucinations, mental conditions, including depression, generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, phobias, social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); occur commonly in our population, but can go unnoticed or unrecognised for years.

However, to an individual, the conditions are far from silent. The symptoms feel obtrusive, disruptive and can at times be emotionally and even physically painful.

There are often early warning signs of mental illness that either the sufferers or those around them begin to notice.

But a lack of knowledge and understanding of mental health may result in missed opportunities to recognise the distress and seek help.

In my case, I was taken to an emergency room after a panic attack, in combination with suicidal ideations.

I was diagnosed with a mood disorder, anxiety disorder and cognitive impairment – possibly due to childhood sexual assault, molestation, ostracism by peers and/or interpersonal violence in my adult years.

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) causes persistent feelings of sadness. It affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems, which in my case brought about low selfesteem, skewed body image, selfmutilation, eating disorders, loss of interest in school, low energy and pain without a clear cause.

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterised by excessive, uncontrollable and often, irrational worry.

Although the cause of GAD is unknown, biological, social/ societal factors and particularly stressful life experiences, have been associated with it.

People with GAD battle to relax and struggle with insomnia. Physical symptoms include hand trembling, twitching, muscle tension, headaches, irritability, hot flushes and feeling lightheaded or out of breath.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a particular set of reactions that can develop in people who have been through a traumatic event resulting in feelings of intense fear, helplessness or horror.

Individuals who suffer from any mental illness often feel as if they are in an isolated internal war every day that goes unnoticed by the outside world.

They presume the abnormalities are specific to them alone. But this is not the case. For those able to seek and receive mental health care, the immediate implications are in many instances dealing with the aftermath of the event that caused them to seek help.

This is often a traumatic event such as a suicide attempt, sexual assault or despondency following death, and is often the first point at which the individual must acknowledge their symptoms and deal with the issue.

This initial introspection may give rise to secondary trauma due to feelings of personal failure, guilt, self-blame and anxiety to improve their circumstances.

It could also lead to a complete mental dissociation from the illness, embarrassment due to stigma and misconceptions, confusion due to the abstract nature of mental illness and discomfort as a result of a difficulty identifying the reasons for the disturbances, fear of the future and further deterioration of the psyche.

This is followed by attempts to understand the nature of the illnesses and/or disorders one has been diagnosed with.

Properly applying remedial therapeutic strategies and in some cases adhering to medication – with continued access to care – are other challenges.

I was diagnosed with a mental illness as a teenager. It left me distraught, physically ill and feeling hopeless at times, but buoyant at other instances and hopeful for a healthier future.

Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as hearing that “we all have struggles and one should simply snap out of it”.

Our community needs to acknowledge the unseen experiences of such individuals, who must deal with a combination of inexplicable physical complications, mental and social difficulties that might persist or occur randomly.

For such individuals to survive and contribute to society in a 21st-century school, work and social context calls for understanding and support.

My advice to those who experience emotional or psychological distress is that when your troubles disrupt your day or last longer than usual and you can no longer cope, see your doctor as soon as you can.

If you think you could hurt yourself, go straight to an emergency room. If you’re reluctant to seek treatment, talk to a friend or loved one, any health-care professional, a faith leader or someone you trust.

Remember that you are not alone in this battle. Your illness is not a burden, but a circumstance and your path to mental health is not one that you need to travel alone.

Munsami is a research psychologist and PHD candidate in neuroscience.