A Summarical Inquiry into the Peculiar Nature Of Mental Ailments

Consider the following:

Discovery of symptoms
Diagnosis of the ailment
Formulation of the Treatment
Actual treatment

These are those stages which we encounter while systematically identifying and treating diseases.

When however it comes to mental ailments we face a very acute problem that of fully confirming the existence of Stage 1.

Not many want to admit to the fact that they are suffering from mental ailments. One of the strongest reasons for this attitude is that unlike other ailments mental ailments often have no remedy but self control . Moreover these ailments are often equated with insanity. Both these factors prevent the sufferers from facing the fact that they are in need of some kind of professional help and also dedicated personal involvement.

The other extreme of this situation is when when a person who is not actually afflicted by any such ailment has contrived himself into believing so. In such cases , the advantage is that no sooner does he convince himself on this fact than he rushes to the appropriate physician , who. unless he wants to unethically make quick bucks, can then scientifically analyse the person's condition and then put across his point. In these cases a Doctor's ability to allay his patient's groundless fears is tested, lest they actually acquire the status of a genuine and menacing aliment.

But in talking so merrily about all these things we are perhaps ignoring one very important facet of this issue. Which is , who is the first discoverer of any such symptoms?

Practically speaking it has to be the victim himself. But in cases where the affliction is so acute that it forces snatches away reason from the patient or when it is so rudimentary that no visible aberrations can be spotted by him, it is up to his close acquaintances to point out to him such facts or better still to a doctor whom they can and he/she will trust.

This however is not the end of our struggle, in fact it is this step which gives rise to the occasion for such a struggle.