Improving our Health: The Mental Health Conundrum –Part Three

Posted by DFWHC Staff | Date: February 5th, 2013 | Categories: Blog | Tags: , ,

Each of us can improve our mental health and the mental health of others. This is the hard work that could be done to minimize loss of health and loss of life in our society from desperately ill people. It’s important for all of us to get educated, get involved and get help when necessary.

Get Educated

One in four Americans suffer with a diagnosable mental illness. Most sufferers go undiagnosed. According to the National Institute for Mental Health Director Dr. Tom Insel, “Americans with major mental illness die 14-32 years earlier than the general population. The average life expectancy for people with major mental illness ranged from 49-60 years of age in the states examined — a life span on par with many African countries including Sudan (58.6 years) and Ethiopia (52.9 years).”

The most disadvantaged population in the U.S. is not a racial minority but people with mental illness. Sufferers have higher rates of metabolic disturbance, including diabetes and obesity, as well as chronic health conditions at least two to five times more common than the general population. High prevalence of co-morbid medical conditions – including substance abuse and addiction – among persons with mental illnesses is well documented.

For more about the relationship between obesity and mental health, go to:  http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/obesity-and-mental-health.

For more about the social determinants of mental health, go to:    http://www.nmha.org/go/socialdeterminants.

Get Involved

You can help yourself towards better mental well being. These tools can help you feel stronger and more hopeful:

  1. Connect with others: Fight stress with friendship.
  2. Stay positive: Change your thinking to change your life. 
  3. Get physically active: Exercise can make you happier.
  4. Help others: Serve others rather than sipping martinis at Happy Hour.
  5. Get enough sleep: Being tired hurts your mental and physical health.
  6. Create joy and satisfaction: Laugh, find a hobby, enjoy relaxation.
  7. Eat well: The right foods fuel your mind and fight disease.
  8. Care for your spirit: Pray, meditate or connect with inner thoughts.
  9. Deal with hard times: Coping tools help.
  10. Get professional help if you need it: Don’t hesitate to seek professional help. Learn about therapy, medication and other aspects of treatment.

 

For information:  http://www.liveyourlifewell.org/)

You can help others be mentally-fit as well. Help others by:

  1. Raising awareness on the importance of social determinants of health and their impact on individuals and communities.
  2. Pursuing policies to assure healthful food, safe housing and living wages are available.
  3. Supporting activities to build social networks among individuals who represent different racial or ethnic groups.
  4. Celebrate “May is Mental Health Month,” which began in 1949 to raise awareness.
  5. “Do more for 1 in 4” is a call to action to help American adults with a treatable mental health condition. For information: Do More For 1in4 Toolkit.

See more on these items at: http://www.nmha.org/go/socialdeterminants.

Get Help

Not sure you need help? Confident something is not right, but don’t know where to turn? Use these resources:

  1. http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/llw/depression_screen.cfm: This site provides a screening tool. Answer the questions, and if you are depressed, contact your health provider for assistance and referrals.

 

  1. Contact the Mental Health America team for referrals. In Texas, go to:  http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/index.cfm?objectid=E422360D-1372-4D20-C8A0285839C8503C&search=yes&srch_state_id=49.

 

  1. To find interactive tools and resources to help you understand treatment options, go to:  http://www.nmha.org/go/recovery.