1) What is the most common mental disorder you see in Australia?
Around 1 in 5 Australians will experience a mental illness at some time in their lives - mental illness can occur in people of any age and background. The most common mental illnesses occurring in Australia are Depression and Anxiety disorders.
2) How common is this disorder?
Depression (including major depression, bipolar depression and some other types) affects about 4.5% of the Australian population, according to statistics collected in 2001. Anxiety disorders (including panic disorder, phobias and post traumatic stress disorder) also affect about 4.5% of the Australian population.
3) What is the most common treatment?
There are a number of treatments available that can be broadly divided into three categories:
- psychotherapy, which involves talking with a professional (eg psychologist) about feelings and experiences and working to resolve them, this can also involve changing lifestyle practices (eg. diet, exercise, alcohol consumption) and working on relationships with others
- prescribed medication, which involves seeing a doctor (a GP or psychiatrist) and taking tablets to relieve and manage symptoms.
- electro-convulsive therapy (ECT), which is a hospital procedure where electric currents are passed through the brain to help relieve the symptoms. This is not used very commonly but can be life-saving in cases of severe depression that aren't responding to other treatments. The most common treatments are psychotherapy and medication, and the best results seem to be obtained from using these two forms of treatment together. Most people with depression or anxiety are able to access these services in the community (eg through their GP and maybe a referral to specialists). In severe or complex cases, a person may be admitted to hospital for a while to help stabilise their symptoms.
4) What is the main problem facing someone with a mental illness?
There are many different types of mental illness, so this is a hard question to answer. People's experiences may be very different, depending on the illness they have and their personal experiences.
If we're considering depression and/or anxiety (which often occur together) then one of the main problems is that they affect people's thoughts and feelings quite strongly, so that people can become very negative about themselves and their situation. This can make it hard to get up the energy and motivation to go and see a doctor or psychologist and to try to work on the issues. Sometimes things seem so bad that people don't realise that an illness is affecting their thoughts and feelings and they may not think that talking to a health professional will do any good. Sometimes people need help and support from others to encourage them to seek professional advice.
Another problem is that mental illness is still associated with stigma in our society, even though we now have a much better understanding of mental illness and we know it can affect anyone. In the past, mental illness used to be seen as a weakness or character flaw, or people were afraid of anyone whose behaviour seemed different. Because of this, stigma still exists. That stigma can make people even more reluctant to seek help and support, either from family and friends or from a health professional.
5) What advice would you give to somebody suffering from a mental illness/or relative?
A person who has a mental illness needs to work closely with either their GP or a specialist (usually a psychiatrist, who is a doctor who has specialised in managing mental illness). They also need to know that it may take time to find the best treatment, which may involve working with a psychologist/counsellor over some time and being prepared to try a few different types of medication. There are usually multiple factors that have contributed to the development of anxiety or depression over time, and untangling and working through these factors can take a while. Don't give up.
For relatives and friends of someone who is experiencing a mental illness, there are a couple of key messages.
(1) mental illness affects people's thoughts and feelings and this can show in their behaviour toward those they're close to. Keep in mind that their behaviour (eg. being very negative, or angry, or hard to be around) is partly a product of their illness and will change as they get better. Try not to take things to heart if your relationship becomes difficult.
(2) it can take a while for things to improve, and people with mental illness don't have much motivation when they're not well. You need to keep encouraging them to work with their health professional, even if this takes time.