Introduction
Disturbance in the mental health of many individuals is one of the major problems of our time. Often, such problems are ignored and are not considered important, while they are one of the key ones for the physical and psychological health of a person. There are different types and degrees of depth of such problems. Various services can help with the mental disorders and many of them are available in Hertfordshire and the town of Stevenage.
Mental Health Disturbance Signs
Signs of mental health problems can include depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, sleep disturbances, social isolation, relationship problems such as the inability to establish trusting relationships, low social skills and many others (Plana-Ripoll et al., 2019, p. 1827). Factors that affect a person’s mental disorders appearance include bad habits such as alcohol, smoking, drugs, or physical illness, problems in personal or social life, and genetics. To restore moral health, an individual needs to start looking for positive aspects in the surrounding circumstances, if possible, protect themselves from negative information, communicate with negative people, not succumb to despondency, sadness, depression, etc. However, for some people, disturbed mental health becomes irreparable by self-governed attempts without the help of a professional.
Categories of the Mental Health Services
Mental health services fall into different categories combined based on similar characteristics. Such categories can be age-related, such as for adolescents, who are among the most sensitive to external factors, as well as for adults, or just children. Additionally, the centers can be divided in the directions of social problems, or problems that relate to problems with eating behavior, sexual orientation, suicidal tendencies, addictions etc.
Cases Requiring Participation of a Professional
In some situations, the help of specialists is simply necessary, since it is the specialists who can prescribe the correct medications, offer treatment suitable for the individual case. Specialists can accompany the whole process, guaranteeing a high-quality result that will not develop into a big problem for a person in later life (Batterham and Calear, 2017, p. e7222). Professional assistance of specialists can be presented in completely different forms and everyone has the opportunity to choose an option that suits him according to location, format. Additionally, provision of assistance in the form of online or offline consultations can be chosen, single visits or full-fledged treatment, centers with higher and lower prices, as well as use of social help lines.
Offline and Online Services
Recovery services such Enhanced Primary Mental Health Services (IAPT) firstly include psychotherapists who have physical appointments available in-person. In addition, remote access to psychologists through online counseling is becoming more and more popular. In correspondence, online sessions in ZOOM or Skype are available. Online access is especially important for remote cities, where access to qualified specialists is absent or limited. This format solves the problem of accessibility also for those who have little time or no opportunity to come to an appointment with a specialist for any reason (Batterham and Calear, 2017, p. e7222). The availability of online therapy in the 21st century is one of the most effective solutions, as many spend a lot of time online. Therefore, it is the remote assistance in this format that may be more affordable for them in terms of finances, time costs, and other factors.
Hotline Services
There are support services that any individual can contact simply by calling. Such support services include Cerebral Mental Health – Online Mental Health Care and usually work around the clock. Additionally, they are one of the best options for urgent assistance, especially in the late evening or at night. In such support services there are specialists who can support, encourage, help to find out the problem, or redirect the call if necessary. Such specialists most often have a connection with emergency services in case of force majeure. Emergency and help lines work precisely through building trust with the client, they are ready to listen, ask correct questions about how the client feels, what happened. Moreover, they ask what kind of help he would like to receive, and guide the client depending on the situation.
Increase of Awareness
Special programs that are aimed at increasing the awareness of people with psychological problems. Additional purpose is the attractions of the individuals and promoting information about the possibility of seeking professional help. Sometimes anxiety or depression is ignored for many years leading to even more complex psychological illnesses, which affects the life of a person, his loved ones, and those around him.
Teenagers Problems Features
Teenagers are a separate category as they require special attention. Sometimes moral help and support is required in educational institutions, at home, and in professional institutions. Due to susceptibility, the teenage psyche is subject to many factors, adolescence and other criteria that affect a stable moral state of a person. At this age, it is especially important to notice any deviations and bring the child to help if it is needed and adults, such as parents, cannot provide it in the required shape or volume.
Assistance for adolescents can include helping with overcoming social isolation, crossing thresholds in communication, school counselling, helping to cope with a certain difficult period in life, such as divorce of parents, breakup, and bullying. Assistance can be found in many clinics in Hertfordshire including but not limited to St Albans Child & Family Clinic, Oxford House, Stevenage Child & Family Clinic, Rosanne House Child & Family Clinic, and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) – Peace Children’s Centre.
Long-Term Rehabilitation Centers
There are also special centers for the restoration of mental health. They exist with the aim of preserving and strengthening human mental health, developing psychology as a science, applying proven and innovative methods, and creating theoretical materials. The clinics most often combine professionals from different fields, some of them are responsible for the physical condition of the patients, several at once for the mental state. There are specialists who are responsible for the correct medicine prescribed to the client, motivators, and so on. There are both one-time sessions programs and systematic visits to the centres such as in the Recovery In-Sight Social Enterprise.
Additionally, long-term treatment when the client is in the clinic and undergoes a course of therapy, which allows to deal with more complex and deeper problems through an integrated approach. Inpatient clinics in Stevenage include Aston Ward – Adult inpatient service. A holistic approach in the centres may include individual or group sessions, prescription medication, light exercise, and leisure activities.
Domestic Violence
There are services to combat domestic violence, both towards children and towards adults. This is a separate service that, upon request, provides psychological assistance and also contacts the regulatory authorities if necessary. Intrafamilial or domestic or violence is deviant behavior involving violence or abuse by one family member against another. Domestic violence can include, in addition to physical and sexual aggression, psychological pressure. Clients turn to such centers for completely different reasons and some may be helped by simple advice or a single consultation, while others require a comprehensive approach and treatment.
Professionals can advise and help such clients to support or restore mental health. It is important to understand the availability of assistance in various forms. There are special services for developing a treatment program for each patient. Groups of specialists can either come home or receive patients in their clinic to develop an individual treatment plan that will meet all the needs and requirements of the client.
Online Space Effects
The online space is also becoming a big cause of mental problems, as there are violent games, films and pictures. These games and films can set an example for children and adolescents, which they pick up and eventually use in their lives. Also, some teenagers on social networks are subject to bullying, or online harassment (Kardefelt‐Winther, Rees, and Livingstone, 2020, p. 876). It is important for parents to pay attention to what the child is doing and how the online space affects him, even if he is constantly at home.
Courses and Workshops
Courses and workshops are available and offered by the same Enhanced Primary Mental Health Services (IAPT) aimed learning about how to work with the problems of mental health for those suffering from it, their loved ones. They are also useful for those who want to delve into this topic in order to analyze the problems in detail and help themselves or other people. This basic training is a source of skills and abilities that can help in changing mental performance. Such courses may include informing about the theoretical and practical aspects of the psychologist’s work, describing the causes of anxiety, panic attacks and other abnormalities, as well as dealing with addictions. One of the services assisting with the addiction cases is the Viewpoint. Courses and workshops can be in the form of written information, video courses, or online live lectures and meetings.
The courses also help protect adolescents from potential problems through the adults. For adults, they are useful for understanding how to convey information to a teenager, for example, understanding about inter-sex or same-sex relationships. Adults begin to understand more about what a child or a teenager is experiencing. They start to realize that the issues important to him are different from adults, how to keep the balance between the personal space of a teenager and safeguarding (Anastassiou, Shiboleth and Caswell, 2019, p. 555). This helps the parents to share the condition of the child or a teenager, to understand him better, to support or protect when necessary, and to ensure that a child is raised in a healthy and safe environment.
Conclusion
In conclusion, in the modern world, many people have some kind of mental deviation, and there are various solutions that can be selected depending on the requirements of a particular case. Even for those who have little time or no opportunity to come physically for a consultation, there are remote options. For those looking to work individually or in groups, there are also solutions for personal or group therapy at Hertfordshire. There are long-term care clinics as needed. Moreover, solutions for different ages and reasons for the occurrence or existence of mental health problems are offered.
Reference List
Anastassiou, A., Shiboleth, T. and Caswell, R.J. (2019) ‘Teens, sexual assault and ethical research: how do we include their voice?’, Sexually transmitted infections, 95(8), pp.555-556. Web.
Batterham, P.J. and Calear, A.L. (2017) ‘Preferences for internet-based mental health interventions in an adult online sample: Findings from an online community survey’, JMIR mental health, 4(2), p.e7722. Web.
Kardefelt‐Winther, D., Rees, G. and Livingstone, S. (2020) ‘Contextualising the link between adolescents’ use of digital technology and their mental health: A multi‐country study of time spent online and life satisfaction’, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 61(8), pp.875-889. Web.
Plana-Ripoll, O., Pedersen, C.B., Agerbo, E., Holtz, Y., Erlangsen, A., Canudas-Romo, V., Andersen, P.K., Charlson, F.J., Christensen, M.K., Erskine, H.E. and Ferrari, A.J. (2019) ‘A comprehensive analysis of mortality-related health metrics associated with mental disorders: a nationwide, register-based cohort study’, The Lancet, 394(10211), pp.1827-1835. Web.