The concept of severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) lacks a definitive definition but that does not mean we cannot dwell on it. SPMI mental health is a mature concept that is still under development but when a person reads about it and is new to it, it needs further clarification. It is exactly what we are going to do in the next couple of words, so let’s begin.
So, What Is SPMI in Mental Health?
It is a group of severe mental health disorders as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual used by mental health professionals to diagnose clients. It is also a (SPMI Mental health) term that is used to describe the complex symptoms of a mental illness that require ongoing treatment and management. In gist, a serious and persistent mental illness is a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder that results in significant functional impairment. It means it is able to substantially interfere with or limit an affected individual’s major life activities and may even result in disability. Major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia borderline personality disorder and chronic PTSD are all examples of mental health problems that make it to this SPMI diagnosis list.
Why The Need For Categorization?
Whatever makes it to the list of SPMI mental health category, is a serious illness that is capable of causing a debilitating life. This type of life can be isolating as these types of illnesses are not just debilitating for the sufferers but also for those who surround them and try to help them. The need for categorizations arises when people need to understand that these types of conditions need critical attention and are not as simple as a condition like anxiety but a more specific and much more debilitating condition such as social anxiety disorder is a better example.
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The Commonality of SPMI
As we have said before, SPMIs can be distressing to those living with them, their families, and others if they are left untreated. Understanding how common are these severe and persistent mental illnesses in people helps people cope with these by looking at the statistics below:
According to the data collected in SAMSA’s Annual Report of 2021:
- SPMIs are mostly prevalent in young adults, whose ages range from 18 to 25 years old
- Approximately 14.1 million adults ages 18 and older in the US tend to have a SPMI
What Causes a Severe Persistent Mental Illness?
It’s not one instance of a causing factor that induces an SPMI mental health problem but a different number. Sometimes one causing factor is enough to trigger an SPMI mental health issue and other times it takes a whole village to trigger an SPMI. These are some of the factors that lead us to SPMI diagnosis:
Genetics
Family history and hereditary markers of a mental illness that belong to the SPMI mental health diagnosis list play a significant role in their onset. Additional factors such as brain injury or the surrounding environment can always reach the trigger point of a genetic marker passed on through a family member to the affected individual.
The surrounding environment
Examples such as dysfunctional family life, death or divorce, substance use by the individual’s parents, and social or cultural expectations are subfactors of the surrounding environment that can act as triggers.
Psychological effects
The psychological effects brought on by issues such as trauma, bereavement, or even other SPMIs also have a tendency to induce another severe and persistent mental illness.
Socioeconomic factors
Living lifestyles affected by socioeconomic factors such as unemployment, poverty, or low income can also play a role in triggering an SPMI mental health issue.
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What Will An Untreated SPMI Lead To?
There are many effects one as an affected individual has to deal with if that individual has left the SPMI untreated. Life is seriously impacted if treatment is not sought promptly as affected individuals will go through impactful changes such as symptoms as a result of the SPMI mental health issue. This can be a time when they are suffering through an ailment like bipolar disorder which can cause depression or a delusional disorder, which can cause an excessive form of psychosis. In addition to these symptoms, one has to suffer, an affected individual’s life is also impacted in such a way that it affects one’s employment status, educational performance, and the ability to maintain relationships with other individuals (often providing a need for couples therapy or marriage therapy).
When one’s ability to maintain one’s employment status, educational performance, and relationships is affected, it often leads to homelessness and makes the affected individuals susceptible to ineffective coping strategies, such as alcohol misuse or drug dependence. The 2021 survey mentioned earlier has stated that SPMI disproportionately affects homeless people and that 5.5% of Americans live with some sort of an SPMI. Consistent, empathic, and timely treatment is the only way to circumvent it.
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Treating Severe and Persistent Mental Illness
There are a couple of ways a severe and persistent mental illness can be treated. Two of the most prominent ones are medication and psychotherapy.
Medication
Different SPMIs are treated with different types of medication. Anti-anxiety helps treat anxiety disorders, mood stabilizers with disorders that are all about manic depression and spontaneous mood changes, and antipsychotic ones help deal with psychosis-related ailments. Consult an expert for a greater overview of medication.
Psychotherapy
Also called “talk” therapy, this type of therapy focuses on resolving the problematic behavior of an affected individual (in this case suffering from an SPMI mental health issue) and tearing it apart from the root cause (usually an SPMI) by psycheducating that individual.
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Conclusion
We have so far defined everything related to severe and persistent mental illness. If it is the treatment that you need for it such as the ones mentioned above or alternative ones like telepsychiatry, you can contact Solid Foundation Psychiatry. We are not only adept in treating an SPMI but other conditions such as insomnia too.