Diseases, health, allergies

Diseases of the psyche cannot be seen. Some people also say: The soul is sick. So mental illness and psychological illness mean the same thing.

With mental illness, your feelings are not well. For example, you feel bad. Or very sad. You may also be afraid of many things.

There are many different mental illnesses. If you have bad feelings for a long time and the feelings don’t go away, talk to your doctor.

It is often difficult to recognise a mental illness. It is different for every person. And it has different causes for each person.

That’s why there are specialists who are well versed in mental illness. Your GP can tell you which doctor you can go to.

The specialist will talk to you a lot. For example, about your feelings. Or about what you find difficult or where you need help. That way, they can help you better.

There are various problems caused by a mental illness. Then you can no longer live the way you want to. You need a lot of support.

For example, you can no longer leave the house and need help with shopping. Or you can no longer do your work well. Perhaps you no longer want to meet up with friends.

An example of a mental illness is depression. If you have depression, you are always very sad. And you no longer enjoy anything.

It is also difficult for you to cope with everyday life. It is then important to get treatment. You can undergo psychotherapy, for example. Medication can also help. Talk to your doctor.

Another example of a mental illness is anxiety disorder. It is normal to have a little anxiety. Anxiety protects you from dangerous situations.

For people with an anxiety disorder, there is no reason for the anxiety. They are not in danger. For example, they are afraid of leaving the house. They are often no longer able to manage their everyday life.

See a doctor if you have the feeling that you can no longer cope with everyday life because of your anxiety. Or if you can only think about the anxiety. There are then various treatment options.

Sometimes a mental illness also has an effect on the body. This is why a mental illness often also affects the body.

It is therefore important that you tell your doctor about all your symptoms. This is the best way for them to help you. 

What are illness and health?

People go to the doctor when they feel ill. An illness is a condition of the body that is not normal, i.e. does not correspond to the norm. In addition, an illness usually requires examination and treatment by a doctor. An example of this is when a person has a cold. There are then various reactions of the body that differ from the condition without a cold. These reactions are also called symptoms. The person then has a sore throat, cough and runny nose, for example. They can call their GP and have themselves examined by a doctor. If the cold goes away after a few days, the symptoms will also go away. The person feels as they did before the cold and is cured of the cold.

Many people say that illness is the opposite of health. However, there are also people who feel healthy even though a doctor says that they have an illness. These people feel ill, for example, when they feel that their well-being and enjoyment of life is impaired by an abnormal condition. It is therefore not so easy to say when a person is ill and when a person is healthy. The transition is often fluid. You can visualise it like this: There is a scale with ‘health’ on one side and ‘illness’ on the other. You can then consider for yourself whether you feel either completely healthy or completely ill, or whether you would categorise yourself somewhere in between.

For you, this means that it is important that you know your body well. You are usually the first person to notice when something changes in your body. As soon as you feel ill or notice something about your body that is not normal or that you don’t normally have, you should go to the doctor and have yourself checked out.

Sometimes the body fights substances from the environment. The immune system thinks that these substances trigger an illness. Although this is not correct. This is called an allergy. The substances are called allergens.

Allergens can trigger a reaction in various ways. For example, by inhaling or touching the substances. Or by eating. This then triggers symptoms.

Symptoms include, for example Itchy skin, sore throat or shortness of breath. In an emergency, see a doctor immediately. Or call an ambulance.

These substances often trigger an allergy:

• Pollen
• House dust and other mites
• foodstuffs
• animals
• Metals, especially nickel or other metals in costume jewellery

But there are many more allergies. They can all cause different symptoms. For example, in different parts of the body and in different organs.

Symptoms include a runny or blocked nose and itchy eyes. Or swelling can occur in the mouth and throat.

You may also experience shortness of breath. Sometimes there are also difficulties with digestion. Your skin may become red or you may develop a rash.

Everyone reacts differently to allergies. It is important to know your allergies well.
If you have such symptoms, go to the doctor. They will then examine you. And ask questions about your symptoms.

Make a note of exactly when the symptoms occur.

The doctor will then carry out various tests. They can then see what allergies you have. Always consult a doctor in an emergency. Or an emergency doctor.