What Is Mental Health?

Mental health refers to the culmination of our psychological, emotional, and social well-being. How we think, act and feel are largely dependent on our mental health. Our mental health also defines how we handle stressful situations, relate to those around us, and make healthy choices. Hence, mental health is essential at every stage of life.

Although the term \”poor mental health\” is often used interchangeably with \”mental illness,\” both of these are not the same things. An individual can be a victim of poor mental health but not be diagnosed with any mental illness at the time. Similarly, a person diagnosed with a mental illness might not feel mentally unhealthy and might be able to can experience periods of physical, mental, and social well-being.

Factors Affecting Mental Health

So what exactly affects our mental health? Many different factors contribute to how healthy you are mentally.

For instance, your biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry, can affect your mental health. Even certain life experiences, such as abuse, torture, and trauma, can harm you mentally. If you have a family history of mental health problems, you are more likely to develop mental health problems. Your diet, physical activity levels, lifestyle, and history of substance use can also affect your mental health.

However, there are also some factors that affect mental health positively. For example, making an active effort and taking steps to improve your mental health can make a big difference. Activities like meditation and yoga using relaxation techniques and practicing gratitude can affect your psychological, emotional, and social well-being.

Signs of Mental Health Problems

When it comes to emotions and psychology, it can be quite difficult to determine what is normal and what isn\’t since symptoms are not always obvious. Below are a few warning signs that you may have a mental health problem:

• Having little or no energy
• Experiencing changes in sleeping and eating patterns
• Avoiding people and activities, you enjoy
• Feeling numb
• Experiencing pains and aches, you can\’t explain
• Feeling hopeless and helpless
• Feeling upset, scared, worried, angry, forgetful or confused, forgetful without any reason
• Having severe mood swings that cause relationship problems
• Being unable to get thoughts and memories out of your head
• Hearing voices
• Believing things that are not true
• Thinking of inflicting harm on others or yourself
• Being unable to carry out daily tasks such as getting to work or doing household chores

What Is the Importance of Mental Health?

Mental health is highly important because it can help you cope with the stresses of life. If you are healthy mentally, you will also be motivated to keep yourself physically fit, establish and maintain good relationships with people that matter to you, be productive at work and home, contribute to your community, and realize your full potential.

When talking about the importance of mental health, it is vital to study its correlation with physical.  Several mental illnesses, such as depression, increase the risk of prolonged physical health diseases such as type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. Reversely, the presence of chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart disease can increase the risk for mental illness.

Because of the stigma surrounding mental health, millions of people around the world do not receive the help they need. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five Americans experiences a mental illness in a given year. The most common and frequently reported mental illnesses include depression, anxiety, bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and dementia. Depression, however, remains the number one cause of disability worldwide and is one of the most significant factors contributing to the global disease burden and greatly impacting several individuals and their families not only mentally but also physically, financially, and socially.

Spread Awareness on Mental Health

The stigma surrounding mental illness is very powerful, mostly due to a lack of education and media stereotypes. People have a habit of attaching negative reproaches to mental health issues. This affects the number of resources available for proper treatment and the number seeking treatment.

Here are 3 things you can do to help:

• Show respect and acceptance for suffering individuals. This can remove a significant barrier and allow them to successfully coping with their illness.
• Advocate mental health and well-being within your circles of influence. This helps ensure that people suffering from mental illnesses receive the same rights and opportunities as other members of the community.
• Learn more about mental health so you can provide helpful support to those suffering around you.

irvingprimarycare.com Is Breaking Barriers to Mental Health

Do you now recognize the importance of mental health? If yes, it\’s time for you to act! If you or someone around you is suffering from poor mental health or a mental illness, please contact irvingprimarycare.com right away. Our trained teams can help diagnose your condition and suggest treatment options to improve your psychological, social, and emotional well-being. To make an appointment with a physician at irvingprimarycare.com, visit https://www.healthonemedicine.com/ or call (469)262-5762.