[Health Lecture] How to prevent and treat mental and psychological illnesses?

In the past two years, affected by the epidemic and other factors, there are always visitors asking questions such as "the elderly and children are making trouble, adults and children are worrying, and I am upset and don't want to live" on the hotline and in the outpatient clinic. As a psychiatric doctor, whether from the outpatient volume and the age range of medical treatment, or from statistical big data, I feel more and more that various mental and psychological disorders currently cover people of all ages and classes, and the prevalence, recurrence rate, and disability rate of some mental illnesses are all high, which has brought a heavy burden to individuals, families, and society. So, how to prevent and treat mental illness?

The prevention and treatment of mental illness is divided into three levels

01 Primary prevention

Primary prevention is to prevent or reduce the occurrence of mental disorders by eliminating or reducing the causes or pathogenic factors.

The purpose of primary prevention is to reduce the occurrence of mental illness; it is the most positive and proactive preventive measure.

Measures to be taken : Starting from the three aspects of bio-psycho-social, measures are taken: eugenics, improving nutritional status, forming a healthy lifestyle, scientific work or study methods, cultivating good psychological quality, cultivating a stable and good family atmosphere, strengthening the community support network, creating a healthy mental health social environment, reducing the harm of addictive substances, preventing violence, conducting post-disaster psychological intervention, and carrying out health education.

02 Secondary Prevention

Secondary prevention is to control the disease and reduce the harm through early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment. The focus is on the "three earlys".

The purpose of secondary prevention and treatment is to reduce the harm of mental illness.

Measures to be taken : Establish a mental health prevention and treatment service network with mental health professional institutions (psychiatric hospitals, psychiatric or psychological departments of general hospitals) as the backbone, general hospitals as the auxiliary, grassroots medical and health institutions (community health service centers, community health service stations, township health centers, village clinics) and community rehabilitation institutions for mental illness as the support. Widely publicize knowledge on mental illness prevention and treatment, improve the ability of self-identification and doctors to identify mental illness early, seek medical treatment in time, and make timely diagnosis; use drugs rationally, family treatment, two-way referral, psychological counseling and psychotherapy.

03 Three-level prevention

The tertiary prevention is to train patients with mental illness in self-care ability, social adaptability and vocational skills, so as to reduce disability and social function damage, promote recovery and prevent recurrence of the disease.

The purpose of the tertiary prevention and treatment is to reduce the disability and social function damage caused by mental illness.

Take measures : The third level of prevention is prevention during the rehabilitation period. The focus is on preventing and reducing the occurrence of mental disabilities, including: the principle of shortening the course of treatment; the principle of anti-relapse; the principle of reducing the degree of disability and the principle of mental rehabilitation.

Carry out "socialized, comprehensive, and open" mental illness rehabilitation work. Adopting an optimistic, cheerful, and open-minded attitude towards life, setting goals within one's ability, adjusting expectations of society and others, establishing good interpersonal relationships, cultivating healthy living habits and hobbies, and actively participating in social activities, etc., all help individuals maintain and promote mental health.

04 How is mental illness currently treated?

At present, the treatment of mental illness is a combination of hospital-centered mental (psychological) health service model and community-centered long-term psychological rehabilitation work, expanding from passive service and single service form to multi-level service; acute stage in hospital, rehabilitation stage at home and in the community. Treatment has changed from simple treatment to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, training, and social reintegration, and from simple drug treatment to multiple therapies such as drugs, psychology, music, behavior, and physics.

About the Author:

Wang Huiqiu, Director of the Rehabilitation Center of Shenyang Anning Hospital, Executive Deputy Director of Shenyang Mental Psychological Rehabilitation Clinical Medicine Research Center, Director of Shenyang Psychological Counseling Hotline Studio, Chief Physician, Professor, National Psychotherapist, Deputy Leader of the Psychological Science Popularization Professional Group of the Science Popularization Committee of the China Medical Education Association.