Yes, really. You or someone close to you will benefit from this information.
According to the CDC, 50% of adults in the USA will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder sometime in their lifetime.1 About 21% of Americans or 1 in 5 2 currently live with a diagnosed mental illness. Young adults (almost 30%!) are suffering the most.3 Then, there are the millions who suffer in silence4.
It’s complicated. Some avoid medical treatments due to side effects with medications, not liking medicines in general, or they plain can’t afford treatment. Others are wary of exposing their lives in therapy and feel as if they should “get their act together”. Some worry about being stigmatized by friends, family, or employers, thinking or considering therapy as a sign of weakness.5 All along, they and their families and friends suffer.
Until we acknowledge the damage our fast paced, stressful, uncertain, overloaded lives have on our brain health, we will remain a population more depressed, anxious, angry, and flailing then ever before. We all suffer until we break the stereotypes and stigma of mental illness.
Mental health is NOT all in our heads.
There are real physical contributors to mental health. Genetics, body systems, and the environment, are examples ofcontributors to mental health. Shedding light on the physical aspects of mental health dispels stigma and stereotyping that keeps people entrapped.
Consider for a moment: What would it be like if mental health was viewed more like heart health?
It should be. Diet, lifestyle, supplements, exercise, stress management are considered important treatments in heart health. We also know emotional trauma affects heart health. If the exact same things matter in mental health, what’s our problem?
Yes. Let’s talk about mental health and get real that what we feel is as much a physical condition, complicated by emotions, that changes the chemistry and biology of the brain.
© Susan Buta, BNP 2017, 2021
Connect with me @ ExploringBNP@gmail.com
