Never Underestimate the Value of Taking Care of Your Mental Health, Due to Its Impact on Your Body and Your Life
On too many days, we push ourselves past what we see as a blue day to keep going. If you had a bad cold or a physical injury, you would be far more likely to give yourself permission for a day off.
Why is that? Perhaps it is hard to explain to your boss, your family, or your social circle that your mental health isn’t strong enough to face the world today. However, there are dire consequences for those who ignore the warning signs and carry on.
The world was shocked by last year’s suicides of designer Kate Spade and celebrity foodie Anthony Bourdain. Who would have ever expected actor and comedian Robin Williams to take his own life? You can probably think of dozens of other famous faces that we have lost due to the inability to rise above depression or other ailments of the mind.
While suicide is a tragic result of severe mental health, there are a myriad of complications that take away from your quality of life: low energy, lack of engagement that leads to social isolation, anxiety, and phobias. Those are just a few examples of how debilitating mental disorders can become if you don’t take them seriously and treat them early.
Yet, we continue to put our physical health first, even when the outcomes are seemingly less likely to result in a life-altering loss. All the while, poor mental health contributes to a significant portion of illness across the globe.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” But if you think about health initiatives, you can picture inoculations, hospitals, and food programs. While there is more going on behind the scenes, our go-to assessment is to focus on keeping organs functioning and preventing the spread of viruses.
However, there are three reasons why is it vital for us to change our perspective:
The Toll That Mental Health Disorders Take Around the World
Did you know that close to 15 percent of the world’s diseases are related to mental illness? The rate is actually closer to 20 percent in adults in the United States. Those numbers should shock you.
Statistics show that about 44 million people deal with mental illness each year, with 300 million of them struggling against the pull of depression. The WHO has projected that, by 2030, depression alone will be the leading cause of the disease burden on Earth.
The incident of mental illness is far more common than recorded since so many people keep their self-diagnoses to themselves. There are many reasons why people choose to deal with their diseases in private, including stigma, lack of treatment resources, and a focus on simply getting through surviving one day at a time. It takes significant energy to seek out help when you are already taxed by daily life.
A huge boon would be the cultivation of a culture where people could talk more freely about how they feel and how it affects them. While the conversation is slowly evolving to be more open, 38 percent of Americans say they “definitely or probably” wouldn’t want to have a person with mental illness live next door to them; 58 percent say they don’t want a close co-worker with a mental illness; while 68 percent say they would be uncomfortable with a person with a mental illness marrying into their families. With that type of social reaction, it’s no wonder that so many people suffer in silence and don’t seek out the professional help that they need.
Figure 1. Stigma by the numbers
Source: Dingfelder SF. Stigma: Alive and Well. Monitor on Psychology. 2009; 40(6): 56.
Mental Disorders Arise From the Society Around Us
While the mind is silently suffering, the conditions that create pressures on mental health come from the outside world, just as physical health does. Several factors can contribute to the development of poor mental health:
- Whether your ancestors had a mental illness
- Childhood traumas
- Life-altering events as an adult, leading to anxiety or PTSD
- Access to treatment, due to income or geography
- Social exclusion due to racism or other factors
- Stress-induced by low incomes
Income levels are one of the most significant influences on anxiety disorders, as people living from paycheck-to-paycheck face additional stress. Between 2009 and 2013, 8.7 percent of people living below the federal poverty line say they have “serious psychological distress,” compared with the less psychological distress reported by households with higher incomes (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Inequality and mental health
Source: Cohn J. Mental Illness is a Much Bigger Problem for the Poor, New Study Shows. The Huffington Post. May 28, 2015. Accessed February 14, 2017.
Likewise, rates of mental illness have been linked to discrimination within often-targeted groups, such as visible minorities, immigrants, and members of LGBTQ2+ communities. When state laws permitted businesses to discriminate against same-sex couples, there was a 46-percent jump in mental distress within this social group.
Biases within the healthcare system also prevent members of marginalized communities from getting the treatment they need. Therefore, it is key to look at the broader socioeconomic forces that play such a vital role in causing, preventing, and treating people with mental health disorders.
Treating Children at a Young Age Is a Secret to Success
Young minds are so pliant, so identifying and dealing with anxiety or other mental ailments early makes a tremendous difference in a person’s quality of life and cost to the healthcare system later. By teaching children and teens coping strategies in their youth, we give them the tools to deal with recurring issues and lowers the stress that could lead to the development of physical ailments that could shorten their lives.
As of 2011, almost half of children and teens in the United States were earmarked as having at least one mental health disorder before their 18th birthdays. (Figure 3).
Figure 3. Percent of youth who meet criteria for a mental disorder diagnosis
Source: New data on mental illness among US youth. Monitor on Psychology. 2011; 42(2): 10.
Diagnosing and treating a mental illness early greatly increases the odds that a person will recover and live a healthier life. Sadly, people with mental illnesses have higher mortality rates at younger ages than their peers, due to heart disease, diabetes, and suicide. Deaths by suicide alone account for the loss of more than 800,000 lives every year across the globe.
Even improving prenatal care translates into higher rates of good mental health. Babies born prematurely and weighing less than three pounds are 4.5 times more likely to have psychiatric problems. A birth weight of less than five pounds bumps up the odds to 2.5 times greater likelihood of psychiatric problems as an adult.
Keeping children away from toxic substances in early life also protects them from anxiety and other depression-related disorders. For example, high lead levels in your bloodstream have been linked with the incidence of panic attacks in teens.
The link between physical and mental health is strong, which growing evidence teaches us more and more every year. Mental health disorders tend to show up via physical symptoms, such as cold sweats or chronic stomach aches. We need to take our conditions seriously before those signs manifest themselves.
It’s time to admit we need help for our mental health when we recognize the signs that we are struggling. Burying our heads in the sand — individually or collectively — will just lead to more dire consequences later. If you feel blue, be honest about it and get help from your support network and the medical community. Pass it on, so soon the stigma will fall on those who don’t seek help, inspiring them to advocate for themselves as well.
Reference
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/talking-about-health/201903/mental-health-should-matter-much-physical-health
