May is Mental Health Awareness Month (AKA Mental health month)! As we close the month we at Rec, Play, Live want show how mental health affects Recreation Therapy. In the course of providing Rec Therapy Services, we cross paths with all types of persons including those with mental illness. In the US alone 43.8 million adults or 1 in 5 adults experience mental illness. If you think about it, every 5th person or so that you encounter could have some form of mental illness. The implication is that working in any field and almost inevitable if you are an RT in the mental health field, you will encounter persons with mental illness at some point in our career.
Mental illness, sometimes known as the invisible illness, which basically means our eyes typically cannot physically see other’s symptoms. This makes it difficult for practitioners providing treatment because even though you may not see the symptoms, a person may still be experiencing symptoms. Since most information is from self-report we can only rely on given information. Nevertheless, with proper education, any practitioner can be competent and provide everlasting treatment improving mental health symptoms.
At a time like today, media has forced us to associate mental illness with the unsightly events that have partaken recently in the United States. Although the media does a great job portraying persons with mental illness as violent people, this is not always the case. Much of the misunderstanding stems from misconceptions and lack of knowledge about mental health. For those who are unaware, mental illness has a wide range of diagnosis. Most commonly we may hear of schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, bipolar or PTSD. There are many more and can be further reviewed in the DSM (diagnostic and statistical manual). Generally, any person with mental illness has an opportunity to function just like you and me.
Alternatively, mental health month is not only about the diagnosable illnesses, but also includes topics such as stress, emotions, and mental wellbeing. What I am suggesting is that ultimately you and I can manifest symptoms that can deteriorate our mental wellbeing as well. This year Psychology Today has made suggestions to improve mental wellbeing. Some similar suggestions have been made by a previous post focusing on stress reduction.
As a practitioner in the mental health field, it is difficult to see the media portrayals of mental illness because I can say they are not fully accurate. I have met many people who do not fit that stereotype because they are able to function in our society. Art, music, and competitive activities are great outlets to improve social functioning and emotional support. However, with such a variety of RT modalities mixed with different personalities, it can also become difficult to quantify improvements. I can say that providing purposeful activities to anyone has a positive outcome on their quality of life.
In the end, we are all touched by Mental Health Month whether we know it or not. We may have close relatives or friends who have been experiencing symptoms but have chosen to stay silent. Although this is a way for them to cope, it may not be the healthiest because in such cases it helps to have supportive friends/family that will help you through the thick and the thin. This year make it a goal for yourself to be supportive of others and be selfless when helping them. We need to become knowledgeable in this field and spread the knowledge so that we can best support those we love. This year rather than only one month, we should keep Mental Health Month all year long.
All people deserve to be happy and similarly, all people deserve Rec Therapy!
Let me know what your thoughts are below. #4mind4body
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