Many people around the world equates the words of mental health, dementia and learning disabilities with something to the effect of being crazy or play havoc in public.

What is the importance of being aware of Mental Health, Dementia and Learning Disability?

Having compassion, understanding, awareness and knowledge of mental health, dementia and learning disabilities is indispensable to anybody, whether you are in a profession working directly with patients or individuals or even their family members concerned thereof or not.

What is mental health?

Mental health bounds both the positive and negative states of of the overall mental well being of a patient or individual.

There are innumerable mental health conditions, which refers to either an individuals overall mental well-being or a particular mental health condition, which may include:

1. Psychosis – this is not a condition but a term used when there are multiple symptoms when an individual has difficulty differentiating between what is real and what is not, a disconnection from reality.
2. Depression – many people around the world is affect by depression which is a mood disorder, can also be classified as a major depressive disorder or clinical depression
3. Anxiety – anxiety is anyone’s natural response towards stress or stressful situations, this may become a disorder when it severely affects an individuals life or cause immoderate fear or dreadfulness in particular situations.
4. Mood Disorders – a set or group of psychiatric diseases which are affective disorders, also called mood disorders. The symptoms range from big to small and differs from person to person.

What is dementia?

Dementia is a disease; it is a description of the state of mind the patient or individual in question is in. Dementia calls attention to different conditions that affect the brain regarding memory, the way of thinking or social abilities. Common types of dementia:

• Alzheimer’s Disease – this is a brain disorder that moderately the memory and thinking skills
• Vascular Dementia – this condition is caused by not enough blood that carries oxygen and nutrients to a specific part of the brain and this affects an individuals judgement, planning and memory
• Lewy Body Dementia – this type of dementia occurs when a collection of protein builds up in the brain and damages the sections that affects the behaviour, movement and sleep of an individual.

What is a learning disability?

Learning disabilities transforms an individual’s ability to obtain, process and use all information fruitfully. These conditions are usually lifelong and can thwack areas such as reading, math and writing:

• Dyslexia – Struggling with reading
• Dyscalculia – Difficulty with math
• Dysgraphia – Arduousness with writing

What legislations are there that covers Mental Health, Dementia Learning Disabilities Patients?

1. Equality Act 2010
2. Human Right Act 1998
3. Mental Capacity Act 2005
4. Mental Health Act 1983
5. The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards
6. NHS Confidentiality Code of Practice (Department of Health, November 2003)
7. The Caldicott Review
8. The Data Protection Act 1998
9. European Convention of Human Rights Act
10. Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990

Just a note:

Doing an online Awareness of Mental Health, Dementia & Learning Disability Course with Train Healthcare, which takes approximately 1 hour to complete, will earn you 1 CPD Point. Once you have completed the course, you would receive a certificate thereof.