IDENTIFICATION OF MENTAL HEALTH DISORDER INDICATORS AND ITS MANAGEMENT USING GRAPHOLOGY -

BEN EZEOHAGWU

ABSTRACT

This paper examines some mental health disorder indicators and its management using graphology. It provides graphological (psychographic) features of each named health disorder as such manifest in handwriting and its subsequent clinical treatment (graphotherapy) required to restore such mental health disorder – as in the case of: depression, anxiety disorder/worry, Schizophrenia, Anger (emotional disorder), among others…..to normalcy where it is still necessary.

Graphotherapeutic measures are important as they provide facilities as tools to rehabilitate such mental health disorder patients, by encouraging them to write certain letters and words exercises continuously over a period of time and thereby raise their handwriting modalities to high form level in pattern, rhythm, order, etc.

Key words: Identification, mental health disorder, indicator, management, feature, graphology and graphotherapy.

INTRODUCTION

According to (Ezeohagwu, 2018), Graphology is: “the scientific study and analysis of handwritten documents (handwriting, signature, doodles, drawing, etc.) as means for ascertaining human personality traits, attitude and behavioural patterns. The importance and application of Graphology to all facets of human life cannot be overemphasized –Graphology is useful in ascertaining human mental health disorder indicators through the medium of handwritten documents – handwriting (script), signature, doodles, drawing, etc. Mental health disorders can be identified as manifest in handwriting features depicting particular mental health disorder trait in humans.

It is important to know that whatever a human(man) has ever thought, said or done continuously habitually remains with him/her as the author, and this is always expressed and preserved in the brain, whenever a man picks up a pen and writes he/she thereby expresses his/her personality according to the manner of his/her energy (emotions, thoughts, feelings, desires, etc.) as contained in/by such individual.

In other words, handwriting consists of integrated resultant chemistry of man’s thoughts, feelings, words, desires, emotions and experiences, subsequently translated to the trail of ink features left on the paper.

MENTAL HEALTH DISORDER

According to Mayo Clinic (Online, 2022), Mental Health Disorder refers to a wide range of mental health conditions – disorders that affect human mood, thinking and behavior. Examples of mental health disorders include: depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, mood disorder, etc.

Mental health disorder renders the patient miserable and causes problems for the patient in his/her daily life, such as at school, office, family or in other human relationships. Graphology and Graphotherapy have been found useful in the management of mental health disorders.

GRAPHOLOGICAL FEATURES AND ANALYSIS OF SOME MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS, INCLUDING GRAPHOTHERAPEUTIC EXERCISES

DEPRESSION

Depression is dejection, an absence of optimism or enthusiasm and confusion, a situation when an individual has feelings of sadness, hopelessness, helplessness, emptiness, disappointment, etc. and such individual refuses to let go of such negative feelings and situations. Depression is caused by several factors, namely: troubled marriage, lack of job, deaths of love ones, health issues, social and romantic challenges, etc.

In graphology, there are several indicators (handwriting features or psychographic features) which manifest depression.

The two dominant depression psychographic features are:

-The overall direction of the baseline and the frequently unnecessary rise and fall of words on the baseline indicate depression.

-Crossing the t-bars really low on the t-stem,

GRAPHOTHERAPY FOR DEPRESSION

The depression patient is encouraged to write specified letters, words and sentences in a rectilinear manner, inscribed in high form level depicting regular order, pattern, size and harmony.

ANXIETY

Anxiety is one of the major sources of unhappiness and can be a factor responsible for low performance in career and life, among others; a form of self-inflicted emotional harassment usually due to concern for the outcome of situations beyond control. Anxiety and worry reflect human inability to respond flexibly to changing circumstances of life. Excessive worry is a source of headaches, insomnia, ulcers, paranoia, anxiety disorders, etc. Excessive worry is a negative personality trait of anxious people.

GRAPHOLOGICAL FEATURES AND ANALYSIS OF WORRY/ANXIETY INCLUDING ITS GRAPHOTHERAPY

In graphology, the following are indicators (psychographic features) of worry/anxiety mental health disorder:

Variation in handwriting pressure
Predominantly High pressure manifests high anxiety in individual.
In alphabets ‘m’ , ‘n’ and ‘h’ appear undersided loops (resting on the baseline) appear like in inverted ‘e’
In some cases, upper zone loops that are pointed.

GRAPHOTHERAPY FOR ANXIETY: Inscribing uniform pressure texture in high form level.

SCHIZOPHRENIA

Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe mental health disorder that affects they way a person thinks, acts, expresses emotions, perceives reality, and relates to others. Schizophrenia patients often have problems doing well in society, at work, at school, and in relationships. They might feel frightened and withdrawn, and could appear to have lost touch with reality. Schizophrenia can be controlled with proper treatment,medication,graphotherapy,etc.

GRAPHOLOGICAL FEATURES AND ANALYSIS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS, AND ITS GRAPHOTHERAPY

In graphology, the following are indicators (psychographic features) of schizophrenia mental health disorder patient;

Different levels of pressure texture applied from pen to paper (due to poor muscle coordination)
Unusual handwriting stroke lengths
Poor, undeveloped, or incoherent thought expression in the handwriting…depicting poor form level.

GRAPHOTHERAPY: Inscribing uniform pressure texture with firmness and harmony in pattern and order, coherent and balanced.

ANGER

Modern psychologists view anger as a normal, natural and mature emotion when self-controlled within realistic range. Uncontrolled anger can negatively affect personal or social well-being and negatively impact those around them. Anger can have many physical and mental health consequences, as can be observed in facial expressions, body language, physiological responses, and at times public acts of aggression. Anger when not controlled can lead to violence, depression, and to negative vices.

GRAPHOLOGICAL FEATURES AND ANALYSIS OF ANGER AND ITS GRAPHOTHERAPY

In Graphology, the following are indicators (psychographic features) that depict Anger in individuals:

Sudden pressure surge, especially on down strokes.’
Slashing strokes on i-dots or t-bars
Tick-mark stroke at the beginning or the end of a letter.
Sharp terminals in the letters y and g
Pointed upper-zone loops.
Sudden right slant in letter d
Pointed final strokes in letters m and n

GRAPHOTHERAPY: Inscribe the letters, words and sentences in lines and paragraphs in High form level with consistent balance, harmony, concrete pattern and order.

EVOLVING BASIS OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Human is a creature of the creator from the outset diversely endowed with qualities that are to be awakened and developed to full blossom as abilities (traits) through the gift of free-will to choose and act. These developed human abilities should be tended into VIRTUES – by which human development can be achieved.

Some of these human VIRTUES are: Love, Patience, Wisdom, Reliability, Resourcefulness, Productivity, Poise, Politeness, Goodwill, Freewill, Intelligence, Reasoning, Concentration, Peace, Happiness, Joy, Vitality, alertness, Dignity, Generosity, Maturity, Tactfulness, Gracefulness, Shamefulness, Honesty, Nobility, Simplicity, Purity, Courage, Nonviolence, diligence, Self-control, Modesty, Considerate, Contentment, Delight, Skillfulness, Prudence, Aggressiveness, etc.

The above (some listed) positively developed human traits (virtues, abilities) are necessary potentials to achieving better humanity in every society, nation, organization and family. Whenever, and wherever these virtues are not developed by men and women, then the opposites of the VIRTUES, which are VICES are automatically developed instead, such as instead of contentment – greed, honesty -dishonesty, etc. of course, human body and psychology would develop diseases in due course when people or individuals could not awaken and develop their natural qualities into abilities ( virtues)+.

RECOMMENDATIONS

As health Professionals in diverse fields of human health, there is need to keep training and retraining through constant researching as important as possible, the field of Natural Medicine should not be an exception i.e that motion in knowledge renewal and constant research is a law applicable to every sphere of human life. Since human challenges are constant then training, retraining and researching should also be constant human activities as means to discover and resolve human challenges.

Further researches in the changing world of Natural Medicine in Nigeria, must be used to broaden the scope of Curriculum of Natural Medicine Schools and enhance the perception of the Natural Medicine Practitioners and Physicians to improve continually in their practices, which must reflect in the Natural Medicine training students, among others.

There is need to introduce health graphology fully to other Natural Medicine Institutes and their curriculum.

CONCLUSION

The paper attempts to provide a sketch insight on the relevance of handwriting science (graphology) in Mental health disorder cases and how graphotherapy at initial stages of such mental health disorder can be of immense help in rehabilitating such patients, as well as providing important psychological information to psychologists, neurologists, physicians and other mental health disorder professionals, (particularly at a point when graphoherapy may not fully rehabilitate such mental health disorder patients).

REFERENCES

Craze, R; Graphology for Beginners. Holders and Stoughton Educational Press. First published (1994) Great Britain.

Ezeohagwu. B; As A Man Writes. GlowflowersAssociates. First Published (2017). Revised edition (2018), Lagos.

Ezeohagwu, B; The Artist (2017).Glowflowers Associates, Lagos.

Holder, R; You can Analyze Handwriting. Published (1969).

Jide-Oni, C; Principles of Graphoanalysis. Onigraffiks Press. Published (2000), Lagos.

Wikipedia (2000 – 2022).

Ben Ezeohagwu was born on 29^th August, 1970 in Mgbidi, Awgu Local Government District, Enugu State, Southeastern Nigeria to Mr. Chukwuma Ezeohagwu and Mrs. Mercilina Ezeohagwu. Ben Ezeohagwu attended St. Mary’s School (1979-1983) in Ipetu-Ijesa, Osun State; Ipetu-Ijesa Grammar School (1984-1989), Ipetu-Ijesa, Osun State; Obafemi Awolowo University/UNIFECS, (1996-1999) Higher Diploma, distinction, Ile-Ife, Osun State; British American University, Canada, Graphopsychology (2006 – 2010) Msc, PhD) and subsequently earned and appointed a Professor: Professor of Graphoanalysis (Graphology), University of Business Technology, Wilmington, Delaware, USA; Edexcel University, Ifangni, Plateau, Republic of Benin (2015) and a Professor of Comparative graphology, British American University, Canada (2018), among others.

Ben Ezeohagwu is Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe graphonomical research Scholar (2019), and a tripartite awardee of culture and Creative Art Forum, Nigeria (CCAF); Society of Nigerian Artists, SNA (Lagos State Chapter) and School of Art, Design and Printing (SADP), Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos (2018).

He was listed in BLERF’S WHO’S WHO IN NIGERIA ONLINE (2018) for his immense contributions to Nigeria in the fields of Graphology, Education and Arts. Ben Ezeohagwu is a Consultant graphologist (2019 – till date) to Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos.

Ben Ezeohagwu is the First Nigerian Professor of Graphology, and also the first Black African Professor of Graphology, University of Business Technology, Wilmington, Delaware, USA. Edexcel University, Ifangni, Plateau, Republic of Benin (2015). He is the first black African Writer Winner of Onigraffiks Prize in Literature (2017).

Ben Ezeohagwu is the patent originator and formulator of graphical-statistical graphoanalysis system, called BENEZOGRAFS (2012).

MEMBERSHIP OF PROFESSIONAL BODIES

Fellow, Institute of Graphoanalysts, Nigeria (FIGAN, 2011);
Fellow, Institute of Business Technology Management, Nigeria (FIBTM, 2015);
Fellow, Institute of Leadership and Human Resources, Nigeria (FILHR, 2018);
Master Artist Member, Society of Nigerian Artists, Lagos State Chapter (mst.sna, 2018);
Fellow, Institute of Crisis Resolution, Peacebuilding and Conciliation (FICRPC, 2020);
Fellow and National President, African American Institute of Forensic Examiners (FAAIFE, 2019);
Fellow and National President, Graphological Science Society of Nigeria (FGSSN, 2022);
Member, Editorial Board, Neptune Prime, 2021
Fellow, Enterprise Management and Technology Institute, Nigeria (2022).

Ben Ezeohagwu is the Chancellor and President, African American University, Porto-Novo, Republic of Benin/Canada/USA.;

Ben Ezeohagwu is the President, Enterprise Management and Technology Institute, Nigeria.

In the field of Natural Medicine in Nigeria, he broadened the scope of Natural Medicine curriculum by introducing: ‘HGR 201 Health Graphology”, a Faculty member, HOD (General Studies) and Senior Lecturer (then) at Green Centre Academy, Ikeja, a course relating to mental health, which shows how mental health manifests through the medium of handwriting or handwritten documents, portraying human energy in forms of thoughts, feelings, potentials, weaknesses, etc. via psychographic features.

Ben Ezeohagwu, a regular columnist, consultant, researcher, Faculty member and expert guest to a number of corporate organizations in Nigeria and abroad. He lives and works both in Nigeria and Republic of Benin.

Being a Paper delivered by the Founder and Chancellor of African American University, Porto Novo, Benin Republic, Prof Ben Ezeohagwu, at the Annual International Conference, Mandatory CPD, And Awards Ceremony of the Nigerian Council of Physicians of Natural Medicine/ Association of Physicians of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, under the Theme: Mental Health; Natural Medicine and Its Synergistic Approach, which held on December 7, 8 and 9, 2022 at the Nigerian Educational Research Development Council (NERDC), Plot 384, NERDC Road, Agidingbi, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos