The mind should be looked after

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), by the year 2020, one in every five people on the planet will have had a mental illness at one stage of their life.

But do not panic! That is NOT to say that 20 per cent of us will spend time locked in a padded cell at some point in our lives. It can be interpreted - and rightly so - as meaning that at some stage in our life, some of us will experience our mind becoming unhealthy, just like our throat becomes unhealthy when we catch a cold, or our stomach becomes unhealthy when we get a belly ache.

Are you still panicking?

Well, please consider that mental illnesses come in all shapes and varieties just like our bodies do. Mental illness can be as short-term and as natural as a suffering from depression after a loss.

Alternatively, it can be as chronic and as complex as schizophrenia. Most of us will experience a mental illness that falls into the short-term and natural category, if we experience mental illness at all.

Mental illness has always been around but it is only in the last few decades that it was more exposed, better researched and more accurately diagnosed.

The attitude towards mental illness is thankfully, changing for the better.

This is one reason behind the WHO statistics. The other reasons are to do with lifestyle factors. With modern life comes more to do in less time, complex and fast-paced technology changes, work pressures, cultural expectations and perhaps religious duties, families to look after and friends to see ... and mother nature closing in!

This all adds up to stress. Stress is not a disease in itself and effects different people in different ways, but is a common cause of mental illnesses such as depression, anorexia nervosa, anxiety, neurosis, and addictive behaviour.

How do you know if yourself, or someone you care about, develops a mental illness?

One sure way is to observe behavioural patterns. If stress is the INPUT, then behaviour is the OUTPUT.

Behaviour that you think can be described as delusional, abnormal, harmful, or behaviour that suggests severe, long-term sadness, then a visit to your local doctor is highly recommended. Your doctor will then recommend a variety of treatments from a variety of specialists for any length of time.

Ironically, I might be making you feel stressed by all this negative information. For the second time, I'm now going to tell you to do not panic!

Some mental illnesses are easily treated. For example, depression sufferers have benefited quite extensively from regular exercise, exposure to sunlight, and eating foods high in omega-3 fatty acids and carbohydrates! Starting to feel better? Good.

Another example is that people suffering from neurosis, which is a severe form of anxiety, often, respond well to psychotherapy and do not go on to need drugs, or develop worse symptoms.

It is important to nurture the people you love and care about. People who are mentally ill are people that need love and care the most. So if you know someone who is mentally ill (or someone who you think is becoming mentally ill), try not to be afraid of the behaviour and do not ignore them and hope it will just 'go away'.

Instead, encourage them to express their feelings in an environment where they feel comfortable and at a time that suits them.

The second step is to see a doctor.

A patient's own attitude to themselves, their illness and the person treating them will factor into how well treatment is, or is not, going. You can further help by being reassuring about their progress and finding out more information about their illness and what the future holds.

Can mental illness be prevented? Yes and no.

Some people are born with pre-disposed conditions like biochemical imbalances that effect personality.

This cannot be prevented and once diagnosed is usually treated with drug therapy which can last a lifetime.

Some mental illnesses can be prevented. A good place to start is just by maintaining overall health and fitness!

Exercise, in particular, helps balance brain chemicals that make you feel fantastic. Exercise also helps you have a more positive body image, better self-esteem and can prevent a myriad of life's little downfalls, such as accidents and sickness.

Sport gives you goals, a social life and fills your free time with something meaningful.

Additionally, being more self-aware and having good self-worth helps prevent mental illness by making you less likely to engage in risk-taking behaviour like smoking or making you more assertive.

Other ways to prevent mental illness is to surround yourself with people that add to your life and recognise all the great things you do everyday!

If you are very lucky, you will surround yourself only with people who love you unconditionally and help maintain your spiritual health too.

We just cannot afford to go through life just looking after our bodies.

We need to look after our minds as well, and I wish all my readers health, happiness and harmony.