Mental illness not the same,says professor

By COLIN BUNGEWA
A PROFESSOR says mental health and mental illness are not the same but people seem to confuse the two.
Marking World Mental Day (Oct 10) at the University of Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby on Monday, Vice-Chancellor Prof Frank Griffin urged everyone not to ignore mental health
Health Department chief psychiatrist Dr Monica Hagali said mental health was how a person coped with stress, interpersonal relationships and decision making.
The main factors that affect a person’s mental health are depression, anxiety and stress.
According to Hagali, students faced stress on a daily basis but they were all manageable.
She added that, routines and relationships were stressful for students and could affect their mental health.
“Each stage in life associated with growth has its own share of stress,” she said.
“All throughout this life span there are different stresses for each part of your life.”
Hagali advised physical activity such as sport as a useful way to release stress and refresh the mind and body.
She added that slow exercises or yoga, deep breaths, prayer and meditation, and starting your day early were ways to deal with stress.
She said communicating with friends and family was also useful in keeping one’s stress level low.
Hagali said everyone was at risk of developing mental health issues and advised students to talk to counselors or visit the Port Moresby General Hospital’s psychiatric outpatient for help.