Change Your Mind About Mental Health. Mental health. It's the way your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors affect your life. Good mental health leads to positive self-image and in turn, satisfying relationships with friends and others. Having good mental health helps you make good decisions and deal with life's challenges at home, work, or school. It is not uncommon for teenagers to develop problems with their mental health. National statistics indicate that one in every five teens has some type of mental health problem in any given year. The problems range from mild to severe.
Sadly, suicide is the third leading cause of death among teens. Unfortunately, most young people with mental health problems don't get any treatment for them. If you broke your leg or came down with pneumonia, you wouldn't let it go untreated. The pain and emotional discomfort that people experience when they have mental health problems are real. Dealing With Panic Carmen was 14 when she started having panic attacks. Finding Help for Problem Eating. Time To Change | let's end mental health discrimination. Mental health | Talk about mental illness.
You don’t have to be an expert to talk about mental health. If your friend had a broken leg, or he or she had just come out of hospital after an operation, you probably wouldn't think twice about asking how they were. Anyone can experience a mental health problem, so being able to talk about it is important to us all. You don't need to be an expert about mental health though. Sometimes, just doing the little things, like asking someone how they are, is all it takes to let someone know you're still thinking about them and make a big difference to how they're feeling.
Our TV advert shows the small things you can do to be there for someone you know. Our tips are available to help you start your conversation. There are lots of simple, everyday ways you can support someone who has a mental health problem. If your friend had a broken leg, or he or she had just come out of hospital after an operation, you probably wouldn’t think twice about asking how they were.
You don't have to be an expert. Telephone support, mental illness helpline | SANE. SANE runs a national, out-of-hours mental health helpline offering specialist emotional support and information to anyone affected by mental illness, including family, friends and carers. We are open every day of the year from 6pm to 11pm. SANE responds to 15,000 calls each year. Often this means helping people to deal with very difficult situations, thoughts and emotions.
We deal with the full spectrum of mental illness from anxiety and depression through to eating disorders, self-harm, psychosis and suicide. Helpline volunteers are empathic and non-judgemental, providing a space for you to talk about any aspect of your mental health, or the mental health of someone you care about. You can get emotional support to address your individual experience, as well as help to explore options and action. The mental health helpline support service can also be a safe haven and refuge in times of crisis, as illustrated by the following feedback: Causes of mental disorders. As defined by experts, a mental disorder is "a clinically significant behavioral or psychological syndrome or psychological pattern that occurs in an individual and that is associated with present or disability or with a significantly increased risk of suffering death, pain, disability, or an important loss of freedom"[1] The causes of mental disorders are generally complex and vary depending on the particular disorder and the individual.
Although the causes of some mental disorders are unknown, it has been found that different Biological, Psychological, and Environmental Factors can all contribute to the development or progression of mental disorders. Most mental disorders are a result of a combination of several different factors rather than just a single factor. Research results[edit] Theories[edit] General theories[edit] There are a number of theories or models seeking to explain the causes (etiology) of mental disorders. Outside the West, community approaches remain a focus.[16] Bipolar Disorder Signs & Symptoms: Mania & Bipolar Depression. What is bipolar disorder?
Bipolar disorder (also known as manic depression) causes serious shifts in mood, energy, thinking, and behavior—from the highs of mania on one extreme, to the lows of depression on the other. More than just a fleeting good or bad mood, the cycles of bipolar disorder last for days, weeks, or months. And unlike ordinary mood swings, the mood changes of bipolar disorder are so intense that they interfere with your ability to function.
During a manic episode, a person might impulsively quit a job, charge up huge amounts on credit cards, or feel rested after sleeping two hours. During a depressive episode, the same person might be too tired to get out of bed, and full of self-loathing and hopelessness over being unemployed and in debt. The causes of bipolar disorder aren’t completely understood, but it often appears to be hereditary. The first manic or depressive episode of bipolar disorder usually occurs in the teenage years or early adulthood. Hypomania symptoms. 10 Ways to Look After Your Mental Health. Anyone can make simple changes that have a huge impact on their mental health and wellbeing. We've come up with ten practical ways to take care of yourself and get the most from life.
Mental health is about the way you think and feel and your ability to deal with ups and downs. Making simple changes to how you live doesn't need to cost a fortune or take up loads of time. Anyone can follow our advice. You can also download this section in a print-friendly version. Talking about your feelings can help you stay in good mental health and deal with times when you feel troubled. There are strong links between what we eat and how we feel – for example, caffeine and sugar can have an immediate effect. Friends and family can make you feel included and cared for.
A change of scene or a change of pace is good for your mental health. Some of us make people laugh, some are good at maths, others cook fantastic meals. Experts believe exercise releases chemicals in your brain that make you feel good. Happiness and Emotional Well-Being - Emotional Health Center. A healthy diet and exercise are great for your body, but don't neglect your emotional health and well-being. Reducing stress, getting enough sleep, and having fun are all ways to find happiness. When your mind is frazzled and stressed, and your emotions are taking over your thoughts and affecting your everyday activities, it's time to take a step back, take a deep breath, and relax.
Of course focusing on your physical health is crucial, but so is treating your mind and spirit to the same attention. Your happiness goes a long way in protecting your overall well-being. Happiness and Well-Being: Why It's Important Emotions are one aspect of a person's health that often get neglected. Your emotional health is just a term for how you feel — your overall happiness and well-being. Happiness and Well-Being: How It Feels Being emotionally healthy is a huge plus. Happiness and Well-Being: When All’s Not Well Happiness and Well-Being: Getting Started Other rituals might involve: Exercise.
30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself. Creativity linked to mental health. New research shows a possible explanation for the link between mental health and creativity. By studying receptors in the brain, researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have managed to show that the dopamine system in healthy, highly creative people is similar in some respects to that seen in people with schizophrenia. High creative skills have been shown to be somewhat more common in people who have mental illness in the family. Creativity is also linked to a slightly higher risk of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Certain psychological traits, such as the ability to make unusual pr bizarre associations are also shared by schizophrenics and healthy, highly creative people. And now the correlation between creativity and mental health has scientific backing. "The study shows that highly creative people who did well on the divergent tests had a lower density of D2 receptors in the thalamus than less creative people," says Dr Ullén. Mental Health Recovery: Avoiding Triggers! I hate to admit it, but when you live with a mental illness there are probably things you/we need to avoid–things that can upset the stability we have fought so hard to find. First, let’s break it down a little bit. Using Addiction as an Example… Let’s use the example of addiction. I know a thing or two about addiction. When you are in recovery from addiction you are told, wisely, to avoid ‘triggers’. A recovering addict often has to avoid certain places, specific people, even little things like the music we listened to when we were using.
If they run into people they used with–that’s a trigger. In The Realm of Mental Health What is a ‘Trigger?’ First, let’s assume you have achieved some stability. Often, this involves eliminating possible triggers, such as… >Alcohol. >Research over the counter medication. >Stress! >Negativity. >Isolating yourself. Learning self-care–and it really is something you need to learn– is crucial to sustained mental health recovery. Mental Health and Self-Care. How does Exercise Improve Mental Health?
We know that exercise has positive effects on the brain. Researchers at Duke University demonstrated several years ago that exercise has antidepressant properties. Other research has shown that exercise can improve the brain functioning of the elderly and may even protect against dementia. How does exercise improve mental health? One theory for some of the benefits of exercise include the fact that exercise triggers the production of endorphins. These natural opiates are chemically similar to morphine. They may be produced as natural pain relievers in response to the shock that the body receives during exercise. Some studies have found that exercise boosts activity in the brain's frontal lobes and the hippocampus.
Exercise has also been found to increase levels of "brain-derived neurotrophic factor" (BDNF). The bottom line is that most of us feel good after exercise. Sources: John Briley. James A. Michael Babyak, et al. The Opposite Side of Dopamine: The D2 Receptor. When most people think of dopamine, they think of things that can get you high. Things that feel good. Cocaine. Sex. Food. We imagine floods of dopamine in our brains as the pleasurable feelings take hold. As more and more media outlets cover neuroscience, we get the idea that serotonin means happiness, but dopamine means...pleasure. And sure, sometimes it does. This current paper looks at the way we look at D2 receptor function. Bello, et al. In order to understand how the D2 receptors these authors are looking at work, we're going to have to go back to the basics of neurotransmission (for a more detailed explanation, see my SCIENCE 101 post here). (Source) What we're looking at here is a synapse, the space between one neuron and another where a signal has to get passed along.
You can also see the little pink flip things on the presynaptic neuron. But there's something missing in this charming picture, where it's been left out for simplification. Of course, we THINK that's what happens.