Greetings to my beloved ladies of hive. How has everything being with you and your loved once. Its my pleasure to be part of what amazing women of this great community is doing. For sure this platform has being of immense support to me. It give me joy each time I enter this community. Thanks for all your good work and God bless you all.
1. Do you know how to be an effective advocate for your beloved one or friend when they're dealing with a mental health issue? Do you know how to respond, whom to contact for help? Have you ever been faced such a challenge?
Let's start with the word Advocate
An advocate is someone who pleads the course of someone,doing all she can to restore such individual to his/her position.
secondly Mental Health Issue
As the word implies mental has to do with affecting the brain which has influenced the was the individual act or react to issues as against normal.
Having this understanding as an effective advocate what do I need to do to remedy the situation on ground?
Firstly I need to gather some information as regarding the issue
Now I need to understand the way my beloved one or friend behalves before now, ask some questions as to what has transpired before now. What my friend had been passing through overtime. Gathering all these information will enable me know how to come.
There are many factors that can course mental health issue which are;
- Gene (hereditary) I need to know if there's a generic family history of this condition. Of cause that does not mean that the present condition must be from the gene.
- Socioeconomic lack of job or call it lack of finance to meet day to day runs.
- occupation understanding the kind of job he does, probably this might be causing depression.
- lack of assistant: Please let's look at this important point, a nursing mother breast feeding the baby all through the night wakes up very early to cook for her husband, attend to other children or child, goes for school run and as well other house chaos are waiting. Remember her husband needs her at night for sex. These alone is enough to course mental health issue
What are the signs of mental health issue?
- Lack of socialization or not socializing with others.
- sleeping too much or not sleep the way she should.
- avoidance of enjoyable activities by her.
- Negative reactions to things or human.
- Forgets easily; wanted doing a task but suddenly can remember what she wanted doing.
My Role
As an effective advocate these are what I'll do.
- Go close to the victim by being friendly.
- Asking her some questions as regards the sudden change.
- If the condition was caused by stress, speak to husband or relations for assistant.
- If the health issue was as a result of work or occupation. Make her see the need of having a time for rest no matter the income because "health they said is wealth" or better gets a lesser paid job that can give her time to eat, sleep, exercise or even go on vacation once a while. Please take note there's no wisdom in over stressing and using the same income for medication I mean look at it.
- Seek medical assistant if it has gone beyond what can be solved without drugs.
Where do I seek assistant medically
Psychologist Now the Psychologist has a big role to play if the aforementioned proves abortive.
The doctor evaluate the patient by;
- Checks her symptoms, her experience and effect on her life.
Note if this is beyond the psychologist then Psychiatrist come to play as the case demands.
This mental health issue is not what
We should play as it deals with cognitive behavior. When this is affected automatically there's a problem.
Thanks for this golden opportunity. Please