Occupational therapy for sound mental health

Mental function is an important part of our life. If our mind remains well, then everything is well. Physical health and mental health are interconnected with each other. If one of the two is not well, then the other is also not well. When our mind is not in a good state, then we cannot concentrate on our work; and cannot perform anything smoothly. If our mind is in a better condition, then we are in pleasure and find motivation in all our activities.
A study has found that carrying out a mentally fatiguing task prior to a difficult test causes the participants to get exhausted more quickly compared to when they participated in the same test after being mentally at rest. So a leisurely mental state and ensuring a peaceful mind before a full day's physical activity are likely to help you feel better and the mental freshness will last longer on that day.
In Bangladesh, if anyone suffers from mental illness we call him or her 'mad'. Our country has not yet become that much equipped to treat mentally ill people properly. We do not care about mental health. If we fall physically ill, then we immediately take leave from work and go to the doctor. But if we, or somebody else, feel mentally disturbed or ill, we just ignore it.
The study (9 June, 2011) undertaken by the National Institute of Mental Health shows that around 16.1 per cent of Bangladesh's adult population is suffering from some form of mental health disorder, while one-fourth of children in the country are suffering from one or another kind of mental health problem.
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Occupational therapy is a healthcare profession, which can play an important role in rehabilitating mentally ill people. Occupational therapists may also work with individuals, who are fighting alcoholism, drug abuse, depression, eating disorders, or stress-related disorders.
The aim of occupational therapy is enabling people to live life to its fullest. A 'full' life means engagement in the activities that a person wants and needs to do, no matter what injury, illness, condition, disability, lifestyle, or environment stands in the way. These everyday human activities are what we call 'occupations', and they are the building blocks of our physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual health. Occupational therapists help people to perform, modify, or adapt their skills and activities in order to live healthier, happier, and more productive lives.
Why Occupational Therapy is Important to Mental Health:
l During treatment of mental illness, occupational therapists work with other professionals in a MDT team (Multidisciplinary Team)
l It is important to rehabilitate a patient socially, and reintegrate him or her in the community besides providing medicines.
l Researchers have found that if we engage the patient in occupational and leisurely activities, then their aggressive behaviour gradually decreases. To rehabilitate these patients occupational therapists play an important role.
l If patients are involved in different group activities and also take medicines, then their social and interpersonal skill develops day by day.
l When a person becomes mentally ill, then his or her daily activities get hampered. These include eating, dressing, bathing etc. An occupational therapist helps the patients become independent in their day-to-day lifestyles.
l An occupational therapist makes a routine of daily activities for a patient and helps him or her maintain the routine throughout the day.
l The therapists provide lessons in activities such as time management skill, budgeting, shopping, home-making, and the use of public transportation.
The following are some of the common interventions:
l Life skills training
l Cognitive rehabilitation
l Supported employment
l Supported education
l Social and interpersonal skills training
l Life balance intervention
l Modalities such as biofeedback and mindfulness-enhanced therapy
Occupational therapists work in different countries, and they carefully treat the mentally ill patients. But in Bangladesh, these therapists work only in the physical health sector. They have limited opportunities to work in the mental health sector.
The problem is that our people and the government are not aware of occupational therapy. They are accustomed to the notion that it is the psychiatrists or psychologists who can treat those mentally ill.
Along with the occupational therapists, clinical social workers are also needed in the sector of mental illness treatment. If we work in a MDT team, then we can get positive results. According to a WHO report on mental health in Bangladesh, the country needs qualified manpower where occupational therapists also have a place.
In view of a handful of occupational therapists against a large number of mentally ill persons, the government should come forward and act; and take steps to solve this national health problem. The government ought also to increase qualified manpower in mental health settings.
The writer is an occupational therapist at Proyash, Savar Cantonment, Dhaka. Email: rabeya1988@gmail.com