What is Mental Health
Before we dive deep into the topic, let us first understand- What is Mental Health. It includes the psychological, emotional and social well-being of an individual. It takes into account how an individual handles different situations and emotions like stress, anger, anxiety, relationship and decision-making.
From a holistic point of view, Mental Health defines how happy the person is in maintaining the work-life balance in his day-to-day life, has psychological resilience, is settled well in society and has co-ordeal relationships with his peers in the office and neighbours at home. It includes his behavioural patterns in different relations including his relationship with self.
Importance of Mental Health
The importance of mental health has been denied for ages. People have been conscious about their physical health, whether it is their, heart, brain or other body parts. We tend to go for regular yearly check-ups and tests. In the case of any disease or infection, we immediately consult a specialist. But when it comes to our mind, we are least bothered.
Disturbed sleep, excessive anxiety, severe mood swings, sudden weight loss or gain: we just ignore all the warning symptoms or attribute them to -” just a stress.” However, these are the signs sent by our mind that it is not well and needs help.
Just like our body, our mind needs equal care and attention. A healthy mind ensures a happy life at work as well as at home, better stress-coping ability, better performance at work and healthy relationships with oneself and others. It is necessary for living a good quality life.
Symptoms of Mental Illness
Just like our body gives symptoms when it falls ill, similarly, our mind also sends signals which indicate that it is not working well. These are the warning signs from the mind that there is something wrong with the emotional or psychological well-being of the individual.
These signs or symptoms should not be ignored. The sooner we notice the symptoms and get ourselves diagnosed, the easier the treatment becomes. In contrast, if we ignore these signals, the condition is sure to get worsen with time. Here are some of thee come symptoms of Mental Health Illness –
- Feeling disinterested in doing daily activities that you previously loved doing
- Experiencing fear to an extent that it is affecting your day-to-day work
- Thoughts of self-harm
- Disturbed sleep or changes in sleeping pattern
- Racing heartbeat and sweat
- Sudden unexplained mood swings
- Changes in a behavioural pattern
- Use of alcohol or drugs
- Loss of focus and concentration
Common Mental Health Illnesses
One in every eight individuals suffers from a mental health disorder. Some of the most common mental health illnesses are
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Bipolar Disorder
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Schizophrenia
- Eating Disorders
- Disruptive behaviour and dissocial disorders
- Neurodevelopmental disorders.
Individual Therapy
There are different lines of treatment for mental health illnesses. One of the most common and successful approaches is Psychotherapy. In different approaches to psychotherapy, Individual therapy has been very helpful in most cases.
It is also known as Talk Therapy. In this therapy, the patient interacts with a trained professional about his emotional issues and the mental difficulties he has been facing in his life. These are one-to-one paid therapy sessions where the therapist helps the patient to find solutions to his problem and face them confidently.
Talk therapy has been found very beneficial in making people’s lives better. You must be wondering how can talking to a stranger help me with your problem rather than talking to a friend or a relative. Well, therapists are trained professionals that help you bring change in yourself. They equip you with tools and resources that will strengthen you to face your difficulties on your own.
How Talk Therapy Works
Therapy is for everyone who wants to bring about a change in their lives or improve their lives. Emotional and behavioural changes are made gradually with the help of trained professionals. They help to challenge our thought patterns & beliefs that are withholding our growth and help to develop new thoughts and behaviours.
The bond between the patient and the therapist gives them the confidence and support to confide in their problems. Therapists practice compassion and empathy that convinces the patient that everything is being done for making their lives better.
Benefits of Talk Therapy
Talk therapy is the best solution for anyone with emotional or behavioural challenges in life. This therapy is beneficial even for those people who wish to enhance their abilities and resources to face life situations in a better way. Here are a few benefits of talk therapy-
- Helps to understand yourself better.
- Helps to process one’s own emotions and labelling them
- Identifying one own trigger and symptoms
- Equip with a coping mechanism
- Making lifestyle changes
Behavioural Assessment
It is the evaluation and understanding of a person’s behavioural patterns. It is a psychological examination which helps to observe, understand and predict a person’s behaviour under certain circumstances. These assessments are done in schools, educational and corporate settings with the help of new-age tools.
Behavioural Assessments are becoming quite popular in corporates during the process of recruitment and promotions. They help the organization assess the strength and weaknesses of individuals during an interview. They help to understand an individual’s behaviours under certain challenging and stressful situations.
What Traits are Measured in Behavioural Assessments
These assessments generally measure the qualities required for a particular role and position in a company. They check whether the potential candidate has core competencies for a specific role in the organisation.
Some of the traits evaluated in these assessments are
- Objective Behaviour: An individual can analyse a situation objectively. Some people can do it efficiently while others are subjective thinkers.
- Dominance: The ability to influence and convince others about your decisions and practices.
- Team Work: It includes how well the individual gels with others and strives towards a common goal.
- Openness for New Learnings: This is the ability to learn, experiment and enjoy new skills, and practices to solve certain problems and handle stressful .situations. More the openness to new experiences, the more suitable the candidate for a particular role.
Importance of Behaviour Assessments
Traditionally, interviews consisted of questions based on the resumes which are insufficient to evaluate a person’s suitability for a position. People with the same qualification and experience will behave, communicate, handle a team and react in challenging situations differently.
It is these abilities which decide whether a person is appropriate for a particular role or not. This assessment provides a detailed insight into the person’s behavioural patterns and predicts how well they can perform their duties.
Conclusion
Psychology is an integral part of human life. It goes a long way in understanding ourselves and making our lives better. Individual Therapy is a great way to get an insight into your mind and better your behavioural pattern. If you are looking for any such help, you can check out Toronto Psychological Services which have trained professional who can help you with mental health challenges.
Hiring the right individual can uplift your organisation while the wrong person can cause irreversible losses. Behaviour Assessment helps you in hiring the right individual for your organisation. They should become an essential part of the recruiting process in the current times.
