Mental health includes the emotional, psychological, and social condition of an individual. It influences people’s behavior, interpersonal connections, decision-making ability, and physical well-being. People’s traumatic life experience, lifestyle, and biological factors affect their mental health by causing stress, anxiety, and other disruptive conditions. Supporting mental health is crucial to preserve people’s ability to enjoy life, do daily routines and contribute to a community. This essay argues that effective communication that includes support groups, individual sessions, and online interaction is an optimal approach to maintain and preserve mental health in a stable condition.
One of the effective and common methods of maintaining mental health is to communicate regarding an individual’s concerns and feelings. There are support groups organized by professionals to engage people in discussion of their experience and condition. By attending such groups, a person can communicate their issues and find support from people who are having similar experiences. Some people may eliminate a feeling of being left out with their problems and feel the support of the group, knowing that they are not struggling alone. Here, people also can make friends and reduce their social anxiety, which accompanies almost all mental health disorders.
Medical professionals who monitor support groups ensure that everyone is comfortable and that treatment is going well for all people in the group. Worrall et al. (2018) provide a systematic literature review on the different support groups on mental health. They find statistically strong support for the effectiveness of professionally facilitated, family-led support groups, psychoeducation carers support groups, and professionally facilitated, program-based support groups for people having mental health issues. Moreover, support groups had positive results at the group and individual levels. Therefore, it is recommended to attend mental health support groups and obtain effective communication with other people and professionals.
Yet, support groups cannot be convenient for some people, and they may prefer individual sessions with a psychiatrist and psychotherapist, such as a psychologist or a licensed counselor. Individual sessions also demonstrate a positive impact on an individual’s mental health as patients receive a professional approach to their well-being. Schwitzer et al. (2018) examine college counseling experience and its outcomes on students’ academic performance. Many young people first experience mental health issues with the start of their higher degree studies.
Therefore, higher education institutions have mental health professionals to address the mental health of students. Schwitzer et al. (2018) report that students who attend individual sessions with a college counselor and then remain in counseling as recommended are more likely to produce good academic results. In comparison to their peers that do not attend counseling, they learn how to balance academic life with non-academic and the ways of reducing stress and mitigating anxiety. Individual sessions are influential for people experiencing social anxiety and fear of communication that most young people obtain after enrolling in a higher education organization. Therefore, individual counselling and therapy are effective in maintaining and supporting mental health.
With the advance of technologies, professional and peer support can be received via online platforms. People can find with whom to communicate and share their concerns and feelings at any time and at every place. The process of accessing online help is easier than organizing an offline meeting as an individual only needs a device with access to the Internet. By online interaction, people may obtain support immediately at any time. The Internet is also abundant for different information on how to support mental health and reduce stress.
However, information should be relevant and approved by mental health professionals to not harm people. Moreover, due to the recent pandemic, it is convenient to obtain online help. Lal et al. (2018) analyze the experiences and views of young adults obtaining treatment for first-episode psychosis (FEP) on applying web-based and mobile technologies. They claim that most young people rely on online sources when first experiencing mental health issues, such as FEP. Therefore, developing effective online delivery of mental health support is an integral part of maintaining mental health of people. Lal et al. (2018) found that young people and adolescents who are diagnosed with psychotic spectrum disorders and non-psychotic mood disorders often use social media. This is because social media platforms allow them to discuss symptoms and seek help from other individuals with similar issues. Hence, improving online help delivery and developing online resources about mental health is vital to support people’s mental well-being.
To conclude, mental health is the cognitive, emotional, and physical well-being of an individual that influences each aspect of their life. Having stable mental health provides quality of life for people and increases their productivity, contributing to a community. Yet, mental health can be affected by various factors, ranging from a stressful episode to biology. As such, mental health requires support not only after having a mental disorder but during a stable mental condition. An effective method of mental health support is to provide effective communication to individuals. By effective communication, it means ensuring mental support groups, individual sessions, and online delivery of support and information.
References
Lal, S., Nguyen, V., & Theriault, J. (2018). Seeking mental health information and support online: Experiences and perspectives of young people receiving treatment for first‐episode psychosis. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 12(3), 324-330.
Schwitzer, A. M., Moss, C. B., Pribesh, S. L., John, D. J. S., Burnett, D. D., Thompson, L. H., & Foss, J. J. (2018). Students with mental health needs: College counseling experiences and academic success. Journal of College Student Development, 59(1), 3-20.
Worrall, H., Schweizer, R., Marks, E., Yuan, L., Lloyd, C., & Ramjan, R. (2018). The effectiveness of support groups: A literature review. Mental Health and Social Inclusion.