Kuangazia afya ya akili mnamo Mei
Kujifunza jinsi ya kuzungumza kwa uwazi juu ya afya ya akili na kupona
Mei ni Mwezi wa Uhamasishaji wa Afya ya Akili. Utawala wa Matumizi Mabaya ya Madawa na Huduma za Afya ya Akili , Muungano wa Kitaifa wa Ugonjwa wa Akili , na mashirika mengine mengi yana zana nyingi za bure, zenye msingi wa ushahidi kwa elimu, uchunguzi na habari.
Lakini afya ya akili ni nini hasa?
Kama mtu aliye na historia ya familia, na ambaye anafanya kazi kwa bidii (na wakati mwingine kushindwa) kila siku kupata nafuu kutokana na ugonjwa wa akili, ninaweza kuzungumza kidogo kuhusu hili kutokana na uzoefu wa maisha.
Afya ya akili hutokea tunapoishi nyakati zetu kwa kuita kwa makusudi na kutumia kwa vitendo kile ambacho Dk. Richard C. Schwartz anakiita sifa za Cs na Ps za Ubinafsi: huruma, udadisi, uwazi, ubunifu, utulivu, ujasiri, ujasiri, muunganisho, uwepo, uvumilivu, mtazamo, uvumilivu na uchezaji.
Labda hiyo yote inaonekana wazi, lakini pia ni changamoto sana kufanya na uthabiti. Kila mmoja wetu anaishi na uzoefu uliokusanywa wa zamani zetu. Uzoefu huu uliokusanywa, au wa kufichua, hutuunda - neurology yetu, endocrinology yetu, saikolojia yetu, kila kitu chetu - kutoka tumboni hadi kaburini.
Binadamu ni mashine za kutengeneza hisia. Kama watoto, tulielewa mambo ambayo tulionyeshwa kwa njia fulani. Baada ya muda, ufanyaji hisia huo ukawa mifumo, au vichungi, ambavyo tunapata maana ya maisha yetu tukiwa watu wazima. Watu wazima wanaweza kutumia wakala fulani kubadilisha ruwaza hizo na kuondoa vichujio hivyo, kukua na kubadilika, lakini kwa hakika ni kwa kiwango ambacho tuko tayari kukiri kwamba vichujio vipo.
I know that some of you don’t want to hear this, but health care is intense. Other industries – tech and manufacturing come to mind – can be intense, too. But truly, health care is different by degrees. This is true for a few reasons, but in a very real sense, it can be boiled down to distress and awareness. Despite the climbing suicide rate, the need for trained clinicians, and the persistence of health care as one of the top industries for suicide incidence, medical education continues to avoid content and crucial conversations about mental health. Yet, we depend on these very professionals to treat those unexplored issues while also taking care of themselves.
We don’t expect health care professionals to treat – but not to know about – issues with the pulmonary system, so why do we do this with mental health?
From neurodivergence to mental illness and everything in between (often with huge overlaps), the health care industry still, in 2024, looks askance at non-physical atypicality and its manifestations. Mature, evidence-based conversations are not happening with enough frequency to address gaps in clinical knowledge, so as sense-making machines, educated and well-meaning people chalk it up to a will issue.
I have stress, and I’m not (insert mental health issue here). They just have to choose not to (insert behavior here).
But, in the same way that we would not expect someone with a broken leg to run down the hall, we ought not to expect someone with mental health challenges to choose to be well. There are no ADA-compliant ramps, no underarm crutches, and no amount of kinesiology tape that works for mental health. Furthermore, the things required for recovering mental health – a combination of community, compassion, understanding, time, therapeutic fit with the right professional, and sometimes medication – do not fit with the toughen-up nature of our industry’s history.
May being Mental Health Month gives us an opportunity to intentionally reflect on and respond to all of this. Join us for a safe and real conversation from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 16, in our Scranton Practice’s Room 405. We will begin to normalize mental health conversations and discuss how we can include and support the sense of belonging of each person.
Sincerely,
Meaghan Ruddy, Ph.D.
Makamu wa Rais Mwandamizi wa Ustawi wa Biashara na Uthabiti, Tathmini na Maendeleo, na Afisa Mkuu wa Utafiti wa Mikakati na Maendeleo.
