环球英语 — 302：The Importance of Mental Health

　　Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight¹ program. I’m Liz Waid.
Voice 2
And I’m Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 3
“I was 28, married, and a father of two lovely daughters. Then, a terrible thing happened to me.”
Voice 1
Sylvester lives in Zambia. He told his story to the World Health Organization, the WHO. Sylvester seemed to be living a wonderful life. He was married and had a family. But then his wife was unfaithful - she had sex with another man. After this, Sylvester says, he spent six years in extreme sadness.
Voice 3
“For 28 days, the meaning of life escaped out of me. I had plenty of self-guilt and loss of sleep. I could not eat. I grew very thin. I had thoughts of killing² myself.”
“By the grace of God, doctors knew what was wrong with me. I stayed in a hospital and did not commit suicide³. But the hospital appeared more like a prison than a place for medical treatment.”
“In my area, hospital workers left patients to lie on the ice-cold concrete. This stone-like floor was covered with human waste. We had no blankets. I lived in a very dirty place with overflowing⁴ toilets, broken doors, and torn uniforms. At times, patients were left naked.”
Voice 2
Sylvester was suffering from a mental sickness. This sickness affected⁵ his body. But mostly, it affected his mind. Sylvester believes that his story is important. He believes it can help other people. Many people around the world do not understand mental health problems. People may be too afraid or feel too much shame to ask for help. And sometimes, like Sylvester, people do not get the right kind of care.
Voice 1
Mental sicknesses are real. And they can be a barrier to a good life. But, with the right care, they can be treated successfully! Good or bad mental health can influence individual people, families, and people in a wider community.
Voice 2
The WHO says that mental health is a state of well-being⁷ - feeling good. A person who is mentally healthy understands the possibilities in life. He can deal with the normal pressures of daily life. He can work well and produce results. Finally, a mentally healthy person is able to add to a community. A person cannot be fully⁶ healthy in his body unless he is mentally healthy too.
Voice 1
It is a sad fact that many people around the world do not experience mental health in these ways. The WHO says that hundreds of millions of people around the world suffer from different forms of mental sickness. For example, depression is a mental sickness that makes a person feel extreme sadness. Sylvester probably suffered from depression. A person with depression might feel as if they are worth nothing. They may lose their love for life. And they may think about killing themselves. The WHO estimates that 154,000,000 people around the world suffer from major depression.
Voice 2
Schizophrenia is another mental sickness. It may make a person see or hear things that do not exist. A person suffering from schizophrenia may feel that other people are out to harm her. 25,000,000 people worldwide suffer from this frightening sickness.
Voice 1
These are only two examples of mental sicknesses. But there are many more - Bipolar Disorder⁸, anxieties that cause extreme fear, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. These are only a few. Mental sicknesses can affect any person. They affect women and men, young and old, rich people and poor people.
Voice 2
Do you know someone with a mental sickness? The WHO says that one out of every four families has at least one member with a mental sickness. That is a lot of people! But experts believe that many more are actually suffering from mental sicknesses. Many people do not ask for help, or even recognize that they need help.
Voice 1
People should not be afraid of mental sicknesses. A healthy person cannot get infected and become sick with a mental sickness, like a person can become infected with influenza⁹. But many times, people look at mental sicknesses with fear. Or they feel shame because of their sickness. Sometimes even health care workers do not treat mental sickness patients with respect and love. This was true in Sylvester’s case.
Voice 2
What prevents people from caring for people with mental sicknesses? Is it fear? Is it the belief that people with mental sicknesses are weak? These beliefs stop us from improving our communities.
Voice 1
People with mental sicknesses can get better! They can heal! In some cases, medicines can help. Experts believe that unbalanced chemicals in a person’s brain cause mental sicknesses. The medicines can bring back the balance of brain chemicals. In other cases, talking with an experienced doctor or other health expert can help a person with mental sickness. A mental health expert can suggest methods for dealing¹⁰ with difficult problems.
Voice 2
Treatment for mental sickness is improving. People are just beginning to understand how these sicknesses work and how they influence people on many levels. But still, many countries do not devote enough money to mental health care.
Voice 1
That is why Dianne Froggatt works to inform communities about mental sicknesses and ways to treat them. Dianne has a son who suffers from schizophrenia. When her son began treatment, Dianne saw the influence family had. Her son enjoyed visits with his family. They cared for him.
Voice 2
Dianne is also the director of the group World Fellowship¹¹ for Schizophrenia and Allied¹² Disorders¹³. This group helps families, so that families can help and support people with mental sicknesses. This group has already established self-help groups in 25 countries.
Voice 1
People who are mentally sick need treatment and support. Families can provide some support. But the WHO and others believe that governments also need to know how important mental sicknesses are. Dianne agrees. She says:
Voice 4
“With every day that goes by more people develop mental sicknesses like schizophrenia. Many of them have difficulties. They will not be able to fit into society unless they receive treatment and a high level of support. They need support from their families. But they also need support from government services and non-government groups together.”
Voice 1
People suffering from mental sicknesses are not just insane¹⁴. Mental sicknesses are not something to be afraid of. Mental sicknesses are just another kind of disease - they can be treated. Knowing more about mental sickness can improve our own lives, our families, and our communities.
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 suicide   

n.自杀，自毁，自杀性行为

参考例句：

• The number of suicide has increased.自杀案件的数量增加了。
• The death was adjudged a suicide by sleeping pills.该死亡事件被判定为服用安眠药自杀。

4 overflowing   

n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The stands were overflowing with farm and sideline products. 集市上农副产品非常丰富。
• The milk is overflowing. 牛奶溢出来了。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

7 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

8 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

9 influenza   

n.流行性感冒，流感

参考例句：

• They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。

10 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

11 fellowship   

n.伙伴关系，团体，奖学金，研究员职位

参考例句：

• You'll lose your fellowship if you do that.你如果做那件事就会丧失研究员职位。
• It looks that they'll be admitted to the fellowship.看来他们要被吸收入会了。

12 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

13 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 insane   

adj.蠢极的，荒唐的，精神错乱的，疯狂的

参考例句：

• Insane people are sometimes dangerous.精神病人有时非常危险。
• The letter made her insane with jealousy.那封信使她妒忌得发疯。