Mental health and physical health are dependent on one another. When one goes off track, the other will likely follow. The medical industry spends billions treating physical need and disease. People with medical issues, perhaps even major medical illness, can improve their problems by improving the treatment of their mental health. A healthy mind is necessary for a healthy body, so we should expand on our concept of illness to include behavioral and mental health.
Behavioral Health
Behaviors which are bad for us, yet repeated time and again, will surely lead to a depletion in physical health. Those with reported behavioral health problem are also more likely to report a physical health problem. Sixty percent of people don’t receive the mental health treatment they need.
With millions of people living with mental and behavioral health issues (and not getting treatment), we must establish greater direction in healing those who need it. Improvements in behavioral health will surely improve physical conditions, and we should take a more direct approach in helping people make life changes which can help them.
Chronic Illness
Chronic illness accounts for millions of deaths, and people suffering with chronic illnesses are at higher risk of (maybe even severe) depression. Popular mental conditions like depression can lead to suicide attempts, the tenth leading cause of death. Suicide isn’t immediate; it goes against the body’s goal of staying alive.
Depression is a slow killer, and it’s hard to say which (physical or mental) health problem precedes the other. Feelings of emptiness, sadness, anxiety, and loss of pleasure doing things they normally enjoy are some things people experience when they allow themselves to fall into a depressed mood. While not everyone with depression will complete (or attempt) suicide, all will surely feeling the draining effects on the mind and body.
Mental Illness and Addiction
The brain is essential to bodily function, and yet mental health is commonly overlooked as a concern for physical condition. Mental health affects about a fifth of the American population, and some cases are rather serious. Sometimes pre-existing mental health conditions can keep people from getting the physical care they need. If mental health isn’t taken care of in conjunction with pain management, for example, a person may end up in addiction recovery and opioid withdrawal treatment.
Most addicts have a co-existing mental health problem (and possibly a physical illness), and things like opioid withdrawal treatment aren’t easy for everyone to find. Those with mental health issues, including addictive behaviors, should get the treatment they need. We should make an effort to treat these people as ill instead of morally corrupt. Treatment only comes after a problem has been discovered (and admitted).