Mental Wellness: Nurturing Your Mental Well-Being

Mental health and well-being is something that lacks in most people, sometimes without even knowing. Stress and pressure is put on all people whether it is students studying for a big test or an adult stressed over work and paying the bills. Lack of positive mental health and well-being can lead to depression, anxiety, and long term health problems that can impact lives to the fullest extent. How is your mental health? The following blog elaborates on just that. Information on the causes, the effects, and the preventions to mental health is in the following article!

What is Mental Health?

Mental health involves our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It is a large part in how we handle situations and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence, through adulthood, up until our last breath on this planet. Our physical health, genetics, diet, and sleep are biological factors that affect mental health. Beliefs, mental health diagnoses, perception, and addictions are psychological factors that affect mental health. Relationships, family, culture, work, money, and housing affect social factors of mental health.

Why Does Mental Health Matter?

Quality of life is centered around mental health. There are many benefits of positive mental health including better physical health, better mood, increased self-esteem, and greater resistance to health problems. On the other hand, having a bad mental health can cause lack of happiness, anxiety, depression, withdrawal, self hate, and can cause substance abuse. In a world that is constantly filled with hate and negativity, it can be easy to fall into our own mental traps, however positive mental health can allow us to have a good outlook on life. Regardless if someone is a student or an adult with a full time job, having a good mental health will increase productivity and social skills within the environments. The external people in our lives can benefit from positive mental health as well. When we are in good moods, we connect with people and build strong relationships.

How Often is Mental Health Impacted?

More than 1 in 5 US adults live with a mental illness. Over 1 in 5 youth (ages 13-18) either currently or at some point during their life, have had a seriously mental illness. About 1 in 25 U.S. adults lives with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression.

What Are Types of Mental Illness?

There are over 200 classified forms of mental illness that people suffer from. The three most common diagnoses are anxiety disorders, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) usually involves a persistent feeling of anxiety or dread, which can interfere with daily life. It is not the same as occasionally worrying about things or experiencing anxiety due to stressful life events. People living with GAD experience frequent anxiety for months, if not years. Symptoms include feeling restless, wound-up, being easily fatigued, having difficulty concentrating, being irritable, having headaches, muscle aches, stomachaches, difficulty controlling feelings of worry, having sleep problems, and difficulty falling or staying asleep. An estimated 31.1% of U.S. adults experience any anxiety disorder at some time in their lives.

• Depression is a constant feeling of sadness and loss of interest, which stops you doing your normal activities. Different types of depression exist, with symptoms ranging from relatively minor to severe. Generally, depression does not result from a single event, but from a mix of events and factors. Depression is very common, roughly 280 million people suffer from it, 9.5% of Americans over the age of 18, and 1 in 5 adolescents report symptoms of depression. Depression is a mix of negative feelings, negative thoughts, and experiences. Negative feelings include sadness, guilt, disappointment, irritable, and self-hate. Negative thoughts include believing failure, taking blame, feeling no worth, feeling no confidence, or having no desire to live anymore.

• Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, series of events or set of circumstances. An individual may experience this as emotionally or physically harmful or life-threatening and may affect mental, physical, social, and/or spiritual well-being. Examples include natural disasters, serious accidents, terrorist acts, war/combat, rape/sexual assault, historical trauma, intimate partner violence and bullying. PTSD affects approximately 3.5 percent of U.S. adults every year. People with PTSD have intense, disturbing thoughts and feelings related to their experience that last long after the traumatic event has ended. They may relive the event through flashbacks or nightmares; they may feel sadness, fear or anger; and they may feel detached or estranged from other people. People with PTSD may avoid situations or people that remind them of the traumatic event, and they may have strong negative reactions to something as ordinary as a loud noise or an accidental touch. Symptoms of PTSD include intrusion, avoidance, alterations in cognition and mood, and alterations in arousal and reactivity.

Is Mental Health Becoming Worse?

In short, yes, mental health is becoming worse. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a nationally representative survey that tracks drug use, alcohol use, mental health, and other health-related issues in individuals age 12 and over in the United States. They looked at survey responses from more than 200,000 adolescents age 12 to 17 from 2005 to 2017, and almost 400,000 adults age 18 and over from 2008 to 2017. The rate of individuals reporting symptoms consistent with major depression increased 52 percent in adolescents from 2005 to 2017 (from 8.7 percent to 13.2 percent of total population) and 63 percent in young adults age 18 to 25 from 2009 to 2017 (from 8.1 percent to 13.2 percent of total population). There was also a 71 percent increase in young adults experiencing serious psychological distress in the previous 30 days from 2008 to 2017 (from 7.7 percent to 13.1 percent of total population). The rate of young adults with suicidal thoughts or other suicide-related outcomes increased 47 percent from 2008 to 2017 (from 7.0 percent to 10.3 percent of total population). The research was published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology®. Although mental health is getting worse, with new advances and knowledge of the brain, more resources are available to help mental health.

What Are Causes of Bad Mental Health?

A wide variety of internal and external factors can impact mental health. Genetics, environment, and culture are all factors that can all impact our mental health, although there is less control. We cannot pick and choose the genes we receive or the environment we are raised into, however our mindset and the help of others can lessen these factors. Drug use and abuse is a major factor in the decline of mental health. Roughly 50 percent of individuals with severe mental disorders are affected by drug and alcohol abuse. 37 percent of alcohol abusers and 53 percent of drug abusers also have at least one serious mental illness. Of all people diagnosed as mentally ill, 29 percent abuse alcohol or drugs. Substance use can lead to changes in some of the same brain areas that are disrupted in other mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, anxiety, mood, or impulse-control disorders. These changes can increase the chances of developing these metal disorders, as well as worsening the severity of symptoms.

Stress is known to negatively impact mental health. Long-term stress increases the risk of mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, substance use problems, sleep problems, pain, and bodily complaints.

How to Improve Mental Health?

There are a variety of ways to improve mental health, the "never ending" cycle can have a happy ending. Regular exercise is key, cardio is the most effective because it causes the brain to release natural endorphins. Eating healthy, regular meals while being fully hydrated. A balanced diet and plenty of water can improve your energy and focus throughout the day. Pay attention to caffeine and alcohol intake, this can counteract the benefits. Make sleep a priority, sleep is so important for your health overall, not just mental. Caution using devices before bed because the blue light can impact sleep. Stay positive and keep a growth mindset.

Break The Stigma

If you suffer from mental health disorders, remember to never compare yourself with your illness, you are not an illness. Be open about what you are dealing with, there is always someone who wants to help you. Speaking about the situation can help you get help and develop positive attitudes. Know the facts, be aware, and focus on the positive. Help Lines are always available, don't wait. You are not alone.

There is always a way out of these situations. People are available and want to help you. You are not alone. It is ok to not be ok, just do something about it.

Citations:

“About Mental Health.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 Apr. 2024,

https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/learn/index.htm#:~:text=Mental%20and%20physical%20health%20are,%2C%20heart%20disease%2C%20and%20stroke.

“Factors That Affect Mental Health.” Mental Health Foundation,

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/factors-affect-mental-health#paragraph-47731

“Mental Illness and the Family: Recognizing Warning Signs and How to Cope.” Mental Health America, https://www.mhanational.org/recognizing-warning-signs#:~:text=There%20are%20more%20than%20200,dementia%2C%20schizophrenia%20and%20anxiety%20disorders.

“Anxiety Disorders.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, April 2024 https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders

“What Is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?” Psychiatry.Org - What Is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?, November 2022 https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ptsd/what-is-ptsd

“Caring for Your Mental Health.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Feb. 2024, https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/caring-for-your-mental-health