Bernales, Jan Lianne E.

NCM 117a Psychiatric Nursing RLE

BSN III-B2 Module #1 (B)

REFLECTION PAPER

Our mental health impacts our physical health and overall well-being. Someone
struggling with mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, an eating disorder or addiction
can find it difficult to maintain focus, find motivation for tasks and relate to peers and
colleagues. The effects of mental health on our mood and ability to function throughout the day
can impact all aspects of our lives. Good mental health is just as important for teachers and
students as it is for the rest of the population.
Depression can have a strong effect on every aspect of a person’s life, such as the way
they sleep and eat, their education and career, relationships, and health. People suffering from
depression frequently have comorbid disorders, such as alcohol and drug abuse or other
addictions. Depression does not only affect the patient, but also the people around him, such as
his friends, his family, his co-workers. Moreover, depression may also affect your performance
at work and your concentration. It is said that the well-being of your mind and body are
interconnected and dependent on one another. When your body feels sick, your mood and mental
capabilities are affected; likewise, mental health greatly affects the physical health of your body.
Depression affects how your mind and body feel and react to everyday life. The symptoms may
occur gradually or after one or many qualifying life events. Depression can be confusing, lonely,
and can have a dramatic effect on an individual’s quality of life.
In 2008, WHO launched the mental health gap action programme (mhGAP) in response
to the wide gap between the resources available and the resources urgently needed to address the
large burden of mental, neurological, and substance use disorders globally. Through mhGAP,
WHO aims to provide health planners, policy-makers, and donors with a set of clear and
coherent activities and programme for scaling up care for mental, neurological and substance use
disorders. Now, this is the second version (2016) of the mhGAP Intervention Guide (mhGAP-
IG) for mental, neurological and substance use (MNS) disorders in non-specialist health settings.
It is for use by doctors, nurses, other health workers as well as health planners and managers.
The Intervention Guide presents the integrated management of priority MNS conditions using
algorithms for clinical decision making. This update of the 2010 edition is based on new
evidence as well as extensive feedback and recommendations from experts in all WHO regions
who have used mhGAP-IG Version 1.0. The key updates include: content update in various
sections based on new evidence; design changes for enhanced usability; a streamlined and
simplified clinical assessment that includes an algorithm for follow-up; inclusion of two new
modules - Essential Care and Practice that includes general guidelines and Implementation
module to support the proposed interventions by necessary infrastructure and resources; and,
revised modules for Psychoses, Child and Adolescent Mental and Behavioral Disorders and
Disorders due to Substance Use.

Reference:

W.H.O. (2019, June 24). mhGAP Intervention Guide - Version 2.0. World Health Organization.

https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/mhgap-intervention-guide---version-2.0