What is Mental Health?
Mental health refers to our cognitive, and/or emotional wellbeing - it is all about how we think, feel and behave. Mental health, if somebody has it, can also mean an absence of
a mental disorder. Approximately 25% of people in the UK have a mental health problem during their lives. The USA is said to have the highest incidence of people diagnosed with mental health problems in the developed world. Your mental health can affect your daily life, relationships and even your physical health. Mental health also includes a person's ability to enjoy life - to attain a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience.
Mental health problems (disorders) can affect anyone
Experts say we all have the potential for suffering from mental health problems, no matter how old we are, whether we are male or female, rich or poor, or ethnic group we belong to. In the UK over one quarter of a million people are admitted into psychiatric hospitals each year, and more than 4,000 people kill themselves. They come from all walks of life.
What are the most common serious mental disorders (illnesses)?
Most major (serious) mental illnesses tend to have symptoms that come and go, with periods in between when the person can lead a relatively normal life (episodic illness). The most common serious mental disorders are:
Schizophrenia
Bipolar disorder
Depression
Treatments and strategies for mental health problems
There are various ways people with mental health problems might receive treatment. It is important to know that what works for one person may not work for another; this is especially the case with mental health. Some strategies or treatment are more successful when combined with others. The patient himself/herself with a chronic (long-term) mental disorder may draw on different options at different stages in his/her life. The majority of experts say that the well informed patient is probably the best judge of what treatment suits him/her better. It is crucial that healthcare professionals be aware of this.
Self help
Diet and mental health
Scientists, psychiatrists, and other health care professionals know that the brain is made up in large part of essential fatty acids, water and other nutrients. It is an accepted fact that food affects how people feel, think and behave. Most experts accept that dietary interventions could have an impact on a number of the mental health challenges society faces today. So, why is it that governments and public health authorities in developed economies invest so little in developing this knowledge?
The function of fats and amino acids in our brains:
Our brains' dry weight consists of approximately 60% fat. Our brain cell membranes are directly affected by the fats we eat. Saturated fats make our brain cell membranes less flexible. Saturated fats are those that harden at room temperature. 20% of the fat that exists in our brain is made up of essential fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6. The word essential here means we cannot make it ourselves, so we have to consume it in order to get it.
Fish and omega-3 linked to mental skills.
Experts recommend that infant formula should include DHA omega-3 and AA omega-6 to guarantee correct eye and brain development.
The diet of Typical North Americans is deficient in omega-3 fatty acids and may pose a risk to infant development.
Manu Benefits of Physical Activity
Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. It can help:
•Control your weight
•Reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease
•Reduce your risk for type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome
•Reduce your risk of some cancers
•Strengthen your bones and muscles
•Improve your mental health and mood
•Improve your ability to do daily activities and prevent falls, if you're an older adult
•Increase your chances of living longer
New Research-Link between Exercise and Mental Health
We've heard it time and time again: exercise is good for us. And it's not just good for physical health - research shows that daily physical activity can also boost our mental health. But what actually accounts for the association between exercise and mental health?
A new article in Clinical Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, explores whether certain psychosocial factors may help to explain the benefits of daily physical activity for adolescents' mental health. Karin Monshouwer of the Trimbos Institute in the Netherlands and colleagues at Trimbos and VU University Medical Center specifically wanted to examine two existing explanations for the link
between exercise and mental health. The self-image hypothesis suggests that physical activity has positive effects on body weight and body structure, leading to positive feedback from peers and improved self-image, and ultimately improving mental health. The social interaction hypothesis, on the other hand, holds that it's the social aspects of
physical activity - such as social relationships and mutual support among team members - that contribute to the positive effects of exercise on mental health. Monshouwer and her colleagues surveyed over 7000 Dutch students, ages 11 to 16. The adolescents completed validated surveys aimed at assessing their physical activity, mental health problems, body weight perception, and participation in organized sports. The researchers also gathered data on the adolescents' age, gender, and socioeconomic status; whether they lived at home with their parents; and whether they lived in an urban area.
The researchers found that adolescents who were physically inactive or who perceived their bodies as either "too fat" or "too thin" were at greater risk for both internalizing problems (e.g., depression, anxiety) and externalizing problems (e.g., aggression, substance abuse). Adolescents who participated in organized sports, on the other hand, were at lower risk for mental health problems. Confirming both the self-image hypothesis and the social interaction hypothesis, adolescents' body weight perception
(i.e., "too heavy," "good," or "too thin") and sports club membership each partially accounted for the relationship between physical activity and mental health, even after taking adolescents' backgrounds into account. These results suggest that certain psychosocial factors - body image and social interaction - may help to explain at least part of the connection between physical activity and mental health. The researchers acknowledge, however, that other factors, such as the physiological effects of exercise, are probably also at work. "We think that these findings are important for policymakers and anyone who works in healthcare or prevention. Our findings indicate that physical activity may be one effective tool for the prevention of mental health problems in adolescence," says Monshouwer.
Monshouwer and her colleagues hope that future studies will be able to examine similar questions while following participants over time. Such longitudinal studies could help researchers to understand how physical activity type and context might influence the relationship between exercise and mental health.
(Source- Clinical Psychological Science)
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