Mental Health

5 Reasons Why You Should Never Overlook Your Mental Health

By Ernest Hamilton | Update Date: Nov 11, 2020 10:14 PM EST
5 Reasons Why You Should Never Overlook Your Mental Health

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With all the stress and difficulties, the world is facing today, it's hard to catch up and take a look at your mental health. Many individuals tend to look only at the physical aspect of their health, leaving the mental aspect in the dark. Little do people know, mental health is important to one's well-being.

People invest their time, effort, and money to provide the essential needs of the body, such as food, hydration, and supplements. They visit health professionals, such as physicians, dentists, and nutritionists to have their regular check-ups and examinations. It makes you wonder why mental health doesn't receive the same attention.

In this article, you'll be able to explore various reasons why you should never overlook your mental health:

1. Mental health is the middle ground of your emotional, social, and psychological well-being.

You might notice that mental health isn't considered as one of the main aspects of health, but a more interesting fact is that mental health is a combination of other health aspects. Emotional health covers what you feel, social health is how you interact with others, while the psychological well-being reflects your emotions and behavior. These three comprise mental health which is all about how you make decisions, handle stress, relate to others' situations, and more. 

Without having a good sense of your mental health, you'll more likely have a poor understanding of your emotional, social, and psychological condition. One of the most helpful steps to understand your mental health better is through finding a psychologist for you.

2. Mental health can directly impact your physical health.

The importance of mental health can be best explained in terms of the link between depression and physical health issues. Depression is a serious condition that affects the way you think, feel, and react to everyday life. It also leads to physical conditions such as fatigue, lack of energy, muscle tension, low concentration and memory loss, and inability to think logically. It can also lead to physical illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. 

When depression is left untreated, it will inevitably lead to physical illnesses such as high blood pressure, stroke, arthritis, and obesity. It's important to note that physical illness can often be caused by depression and it's, therefore, essential to treat both together. Indeed, mental health and physical well-being are two essential aspects of one's self that affect one another significantly.

3. Mental health is relevant to society. 

According to the World Health Organization, one in four people in the United States has a mental health disorder at some point in their lives. Here are some statistics that can show you how mental health is extremely evident today, and why it shouldn't be neglected:

  • In the US, anxiety is the most common mental condition, affecting 18.1% of the population annually.

  • 264 million people around the world suffer from depression which can lead to suicide. 

  • After a traumatic event, around eight million adults experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 

  • Bipolar disorder affects 45 million people globally. 

  • Dementia occurs in roughly 50 million individuals.

  • A severe mental disorder, schizophrenia, puts 20 million people at risk. 

Unfortunately, these whopping numbers don't even include people who haven't been diagnosed due to lack of access to mental healthcare, expensive costs of treating mental health conditions, fear of being judged for their mental illness, and more.

4. Detecting mental issues early makes a huge difference. 

Many individuals are guilty of this: they only consult with a health professional when their condition has worsened. Late detection of health problems often leads to further complications, and longer and more difficult treatment. In terms of mental health, consulting a mental health professional can help you obtain an early diagnosis if any conditions exist. 

Checking on your mental health makes a huge difference in identifying if you have any underlying symptoms and conditions connected to your mental health. Also, this will give way in preventing your mental health symptoms from worsening, and use the diagnosis to determine the right treatment plan while it's still early.  

5. Mental health has genetic predispositions.

Some mental health conditions run in the blood. Through taking a look at your family's medical history, you get to identify the risks and the chances of getting the same mental disorder. Health experts have discovered that the symptoms of many mental disorders can be predicted using biological markers and genetic makeup, helping blood-related individuals identify the existence of mental illnesses within their family. These genetic markers can help you identify if you're at risk of illnesses such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression. 


Bottom Line

An individual's mental health is important. Poor mental health can make a person lose their self-esteem, damage relationships, affect their potentials, suffer from more health conditions, and many more. The reasons elaborated in this article reflects what makes mental health so crucial, as well as the consequences of not having your mental health checked.

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* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of counselheal.com

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