PART-8: MENTAL HEALTH ASPECTS:
8.1 MAGNITUDE OF MENTAL ILLNESS:
In recent years mental illness has become one of the
key areas for priority action in the delivery of health services, because it is
now recognised that the financial as well as the social and psychological costs
of mental and emotional disturbances in the community, are enormous.
Transitional stages of life are also intrinsically
stressful because of the changes that they bring to close relationships and
important social roles. As well, many people experience acute and chronic
stress from relationship difficulties, marital breakdown, child-rearing
problems, poverty, severe illness, disability and social isolation.
The medical profession varies in its ability to handle
psychosocial problems and interventions, but
research programs have shown that
doctors who were trained in techniques of psychological assessment,
problem-solving and the development of strategies to help cope better with
future difficulties, had better outcomes with their patients.
This very important point clearly implies that there
is a substantial body of knowledge of personal and social factors that
predispose groups of people at 'high risk' to the development of serious
anxiety and depression, which would be amenable to change provided that systems
of social support were implemented.
It is difficult at this stage to say how much closer the phenomenology of
saivam is to the contemporary
psychiatric symptoms. All I can say now is, they are very much similar.
Both deal with
the cognitive , psychomotor and affective problems of the individual soul. They both have a categorical and dimensional
classification of the sufferings[i]
(e-g:International Classification of Disorders- World health organization and
Diagnosis and Statistical Manual –American Psychiatric Association).
They both suggest remedies and preventions for the
same. The psychosomatic disorders and their management is a relatively newer
concept (about a decade) in western countries. But this approach has been well
estabilished in the tamil medical system since ancient times.
Saiva siddhantha sadhana aims at relieving the human
psychological sufferings. The existential plight of the human beings are classified into
avathais. They are graded and classified both categorically and dimensionally.
The remedies are done by the according to the steps in attanga yoga, panchakra pahrodai,
dhasakariam and dheekai . The insight is graded as nittai.
All the counseling, psychotherapy, group therapy and
behavioral therapy ingredients are present in these system of sadhana.
Thus the various psychological faculties are
classified and the disturbances in them are tallied with the avathais. The
avathai+ physical symptom+ psychological disorder together will constitute the holistic siddha medical
system. It is the ancient model of psychosomatic medicine which is becoming
popular in western countries. We shall see the various types of
psychotherapies, their principles and practice in the following chapters.
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