Mental Health - Minded Boggle

Misconceptions Surrounding Mental Health

Many people believe that mental health only affects a small portion of society.

However, mental illness is a very real issue. Though it may not be visible, its symptoms can vary from one person to another.

One in four people experience symptoms of mental illness every week. This means that 25% of the population is likely to be affected by their mental health on any given week. These figures demonstrate that declining mental health can impact anyone at any time.

The Importance of Basic Human Needs for Optimal Efficiency

When we consider the basic needs of a human being, we often think of eating, drinking and sleeping. But why are these things so vital?

The truth is that the body requires these necessities in order to function at its best. Without proper sustenance, the body can become fatigued and unable to operate at maximum efficiency. Our brains hold all the information we need to care for our bodies, and this data is accessed whenever required.

Key Information

Sending Messages

The Brain sends and receives signals to monitor how our bodies are doing. This allows us to detect when something isn’t quite right.

Need for Energy

When a person lacks sleep or a healthy diet, the brain may not have the necessary energy and nutrients it requires to operate at its best.

Master Controller

While the brain is responsible for many physical operations, we will be focusing primarily on it’s reasoning processes. When the brain doesn’t function at its best, it affects both physical and cognitive tasks.

Physical Remedy

If someone is struggling physically, they can take steps to alleviate the symptoms by resting, trying home treatments, seeking medical advice or changing their lifestyle.

Mental Processes

Similarly, the brain uses cognitive reasoning skills to identify the cause of physical complaints and determine the best course of action.

Learning

The brain’s knowledge is acquired through learning. It can use reasoning to generate new solutions, it must first develop cognitive processes to do so.

The Brain is a fascinating entity that controls everything we do, which is referred to as cognition. Even when we’re not aware of what the brain is doing, it is still operating with the sole purpose of keeping you safe and alive. The brain struggling to engage in rational cognition, is comparable to the brain coming down with sickness.

Understanding Cognitive Development and Mental Health

Development of Cognition

During the primary stage of development, a child’s brain is creating the critical processes and functions necessary for adulthood. These processes are essential for adapting to society and surviving in the modern world. If these cognitive processes do not develop under optimal conditions, the brain may not reach its maximum potential. Society has only recently begun to acknowledge this fact about the brain, as evidenced by the increasing awareness and acceptance of mental health worldwide.

Positive Shift in Mental Health Awareness

The word “mental” used to be taboo in discussions, with most people avoiding the topic altogether. However, over time, this perception has changed. It is now widely recognized that individuals have their own struggles and gaps in development. With life-altering adversity, this has resulted in a global mental health crisis, known as a pandemic.

Developmental Conditions

Impacts of Environmental Conditions on Brain Development

During the critical developmental stages, environmental conditions have a profound effect on the way the brain learns. It’s widely understood that individuals who grow up in survivalist environments perceive the world differently as adults. This is evident by the availability of mental health services and treatments for those who suffer from mental illness.

There’s No Perfect Developments

However, there’s a common misconception that children raised in perfect conditions will mature into perfect adults. This is disproven due to the fact that there is no one definitive way to live, and no universal “perfect” lifestyle choice. (For example, not everyone wants to be an astronaut when they grow up.)

Importance of Childhood Experiences on Cognitive Development

Every experience a child has, is stored in their brain to aid in the development of critical cognitive functions. These functions mature through the ages and will help the child become a well-rounded adult. When the brain’s learning processes are not allowed to function properly, the child’s cognitive behaviours will suffer and become maldeveloped.

From Developing to Maturing

At around the age of 25 to 30 the brain is considered ‘fully’ developed and shifts to a state of maturing. Unfortunately, any missing developmental data can have a significant impact on this process. It could potentially affect their mental health and behaviour as they enter adulthood. When this happens the state of maturity is often delayed and may never be reached causing the person to struggle throughout adult life.

Every baby is different, each baby developing in their own time. This concept applies throughout many of the childhood phases and follows us well into adult life. However, parents and caregivers have an important role to guide children and help them develop. Effectively, we need to connect the dots of these necessary cognitive skills for them to be able to begin using them.

Defining a Good Upbringing:

Perspectives and Interpretations

What exactly constitutes a good upbringing? It’s a question that elicits different responses from different people, and for good reason.

Unique Individuals

We all have unique experiences and interpretations, which shape our perspective on what a “good” upbringing entails. But what makes it good in the first place? Children grow up adhering to their parents’ beliefs, and it’s not until they reach adulthood that they can explore and make decisions independently.

The Effects of Early Life Deprivation

Consider a child who has been denied basic necessities and simple luxuries during their formative years. It’s not uncommon for these individuals to grow up to indulge themselves excessively as adults, despite their primary teachings.

Opposing Parenting Choices

When these adults become parents, they may encourage their children to indulge in similar ways, as a way of compensating for their own deprived upbringing and preventing their children from experiencing similar hardships.

The Potential Long-Term Effects of Overindulging Children

Allowing a child to overindulge can lead to issues with self-discipline and disappointment in adulthood. In turn, this can have an impact on cognitive processes such as regulation and decision making.

Developmental Impacts

Although we can’t know for sure how a child will be affected until they grow older, we can look at the evidence from the past and those around us to determine if our beliefs align with what’s best for us, our children, and those closest to us.

Passing the Torch: Our Responsibility to Future Generations

As the saying goes, “children are the future,” and we must equip them with the knowledge to carry on without us. It’s the obligation of the older generation to impart as much wisdom as possible so that the human race can continue to thrive – the fundamental aim of any living organism. To achieve this goal, we send our children to school and teach them the critical skills to survive in a constantly evolving world.

Reflecting on History

The Importance of Reflection

Have you ever considered what would happen if all evidence of the past was erased, and the world restarted? Would we follow the same timeline, or make similar mistakes?

Learning Our Lesson

While it’s a conspiracy theory that’s best left untouched, it does prompt us to think about the lessons we’ve learned from history. Although global peace remains out of reach, we’re much closer today than ever before. The atrocities of the past enabled us to develop new ways of thinking, creating a more diverse world. In the grand scheme of things, this evolution happened much more quickly than Darwin’s Theory of Evolution hypothesised.

Long-Term Effects of Negative Experiences

Numerous studies have been conducted over time to examine how adverse experiences can affect the cognitive processes of the adult brain.. While we cannot undo past actions, we can learn from them and make better choices for the future. Our individual biological history is inherited from our ancestors, and will be passed on to our future generations, creating a cycle of life.

Ancestorial Knowledge

Our ancestors have passed on their wisdom from generation to generation, and it will be our legacy to our children and their children. We have the power to make a difference in how our children grow and develop by addressing our own gaps in development and breaking the cycle of negative experiences.

Let’s move forward and create a better future.

Choosing the Life You Want

One of the Most Incredible Things About Life is That We Have the Power to Choose How We Want to Live it

However, some of us may feel as though we are not reaching our full potential due to a lack of important developmental lessons. It’s important to remember that this is nobody’s fault, and there is no one to blame. We are able to take steps towards filling in the gaps if we so choose to.

Convincing your Brain of this can be a Challenge though, right?

All of the cognitive processes that have been mentioned are what we refer to as mental health. As these intricate mechanisms cannot be seen without special machines, such as an MRI, mental health is a term used by clinicians, practitioners, and scientists to differentiate it from other types of health. It’s as simple as that.

When Cognitive Processes are not Operating Appropriately

The brain is likely to divert energy to ‘correct the malfunction. Similar to how a computer troubleshoots simple errors itself, other functions will be lacking full energy to operate efficiently. Imagine a computer diverting energy from the virus protector to watch an old movie, it’ll cause the computer to put itself at risk. An ‘outdated’ computer is likely to do this, in order to prevent it, we allow the computer to make vital upgrades.

We make Updates when we Absorb New Information

The brain, like a computer, has a built in processer enabling this. However, without updating the processer, it’s likely to become outdated and slow down. But how can we update our own brains?

By reading up information on the brain and helping yours to pick up on new methods.

Our Cognitive Processing Centre

At its Core, Mental Health Refers to the State of our Cognitive Processing Centre – otherwise known as the Mind.

When cognitive processes are disrupted, our brain prioritises fixing the issue, often at the expense of other functions. This can lead to inefficiencies, similar to a computer that diverts energy from virus protection to perform other tasks.

While this Analogy Provides a Simplified View

The brain is far more complex than a home-computer. It is programmed to be a self-aware AI with survival as its primary objective. When executive functions are operational but not maximised, the brain’s overall health may decline, putting the entire system at risk.

Did you know that your Brain is Responsible for Every Single Decision you make?

This means that the reasons for your behaviour may differ from those of others who exhibit the same behaviour. Society has created labels to categorise individuals based on their personality traits. However, these labels often lead to uneducated and damaging opinions.

Societal Impacts

Society has a significant impact on what is considered morally acceptable, and collective opinions control it. Some people believe that there is a “correct” way to be an adult, but this is not always the case.

There’s no Magical Manual or Handbook

That’s given to us when we turn 18, which explains everything about how the world works. Education is intended to address that gap, as it is a fundamental part of learning and understanding how things work. However, many of us still struggle to grasp how to properly maintain stable mental well-being.

As adults, we may be free to make our own choices, but it’s important to recognise that our brains are still developing crucial cognitive functions until at least the age of 25, such as a good moral conscience and fully functional social emotions like compassion or empathy.

In Conclusion

Mental Wellness is for your Brain

It’s a fact that mental decline can happen to anyone, without exception. You might not be able to tell just by looking at someone whether they are dealing with this issue. It requires a deeper understanding of their personality, which can only be achieved through listening, rather than observation.

As a Society

We need to start recognizing the signs of mental decline and provide support to those who need it. This can include therapy, medication, or simply lending a listening ear. It’s important to remember that mental decline is not a personal failure, but a medical condition that requires treatment just like any other illness.

Reduce the Stigma

Additionally, we must work to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues. Too often, people are afraid to speak up about their struggles due to fear of judgement or discrimination. By promoting open and honest conversations about mental health, we can create a more accepting and supportive society for those dealing with mental decline.

We’re In It Together

Overall, it’s important to remember that anyone can be impacted by mental decline, and we all have a role to play in supporting those who are struggling. Through empathy, understanding, and a commitment to reducing stigma, we can help ensure that everyone has access to the resources they need to live a healthy and fulfilling life.

To Summarise

We appreciate how Mind Boggling it all is

To help you understand the basic nature of Mental Health we created this comic strip

Helping You, Help Yourself