The Relationship Between Mental and Physical Health

Many people do not understand how fundamentally linked mental health is to physical health and well-being. According to GS Movement, many associations can be drawn between a person's mental health and the chronic physical conditions they experience that may be impacting their lives negatively. It also puts more demands on healthcare and other publicly funded services when people need chronic physical care due to poor mental health.

Chronic Illness and Mental Health Connections

Studies have shown that poor mental health is a risk factor for someone developing chronic physical conditions. People with severe mental health conditions are at a higher risk of experiencing chronic pain and other chronic physical conditions.

There are many ways to prevent chronic physical conditions, such as eating nutritious foods, increasing physical activity, and ensuring that you or others have plenty of social interaction. All of these aspects can help reduce the risk factors when it comes to detrimental mental and physical health.

It is good to understand the links between your mind and your body. This will help you reduce the risk of experiencing coexisting conditions, such as depression, and its effects on physical health. Depression directly affects a person's overall physical and mental well-being. There is also a correlation between depression and heart disease. This means that people who are experiencing depression, as well as physical health problems, are at increased risk of not being able to overcome depression.

Keep in mind that, on the flip side, someone with a chronic physical illness is at an increased risk for psychological distress and diseases, such as depression or panic attacks.

The Link Between Heart Disease and Depression

We have all heard the expression mind over body. This means that you will be physically healthier overall if you have a healthy mind and outlook on life. In a 2009 study of patients suffering from severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, it was found that 22 percent of the patients participating in the study had at least a case of mild depression, and 17 percent of them were taking antidepressant medications. The study shows that depression is a detriment to a person's health-related quality of life. This means that a person's mental well-being can directly affect their mental and physical health since there is a mind, body, and soul connection.

Mind and Body Interactions

For a person suffering from mental health issues, their physical health can be significantly impacted. Examples include someone suffering from obesity, which can also contribute to heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol. Keep in mind, also, that some medications prescribed for various mental health diseases can put a person at a higher risk for physical medical conditions. For example, someone who is taking Depakote and Paxil for bipolar disorder needs to have blood work conducted monthly to ensure that their liver and other organs are not being adversely affected by the medications.

People suffering from a mental health disorder may attribute physical elements to their condition and not seek treatment immediately. They may think that the reason they can't get out of bed in the morning is due to their depression, but in fact, they may have a thyroid condition or be suffering from a blood sugar level that is abnormal. People with mental health conditions may be less likely to receive the proper medical treatment for their physical ailments because many providers don't understand the person's emotional needs or their lack of access to things that could help them with their overall mental health and well-being.

The same can be true on the flip side. For example, a person diagnosed with high blood pressure may not realize they also have an anxiety disorder. When they are nervous and shaky, they may think that it is because of their blood pressure when, in fact, it is due to an anxiety disorder that needs to be treated.

The Connection of Addiction to Mental and Physical Health

Often, a person suffering from a drug or alcohol addiction is diagnosed properly. They may have begun drinking or taking drugs because they already suffer from a mental health disorder, such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. The same can be said in reverse since a person can bring on a mental health disorder by not taking care of their body correctly and abusing it with alcohol and drugs. This is why dual-diagnosis treatment centers are so vital for people suffering from addiction. They more than likely have a mental health disorder and physical ailments affecting them and possibly causing the addiction or at least adding to it.