Mental Health Awareness
Whether you’re aware of it or not, your mental health affects everything you do. How you perform and interact at work are often impacted, as well as your home life and relationships, both casual and close.
Mental health issues are so widespread. It is estimated that more than half of all Americans will be diagnosed with a mental health disorder at some point in their lives – and that’s not counting all the others who remain undiagnosed. Serious mental illness is expected to affect one in five adults in any given year.
Just because you might be able to hide symptoms of a mental health issue, doesn’t mean you’re fine. It’s important to seek help because chronic mental health problems, much like chronic medical problems, can negatively impact your health and happiness – as well as those around you. In the worst-case scenario, mental health issues can lead to self-harm and suicide. Seeking help and healing, on the other hand, can improve your productivity, energy level, and overall health.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Post-traumatic stress disorder is just what it sounds like: difficulty recovering after a traumatic experience. PTSD can affect anyone, not just those who have seen military combat – although veterans are particularly susceptible due to their proximity to armed conflict and risk of death. Hallmark signs and symptoms of PTSD include intense, recurring thoughts and feelings about the experience that stress or frighten you even when you are no longer in danger. Flashbacks, nightmares, and extreme anxiety are common among those with PTSD.
Depression
By far, the most common mood disorder in the U.S. is depression. It is more than just feeling sad or blue; it can seriously impair your thoughts and actions. Many people with depression self-medicate, which may make painful emotions temporarily more manageable. However, as anyone who’s ever been depressed will tell you, there is no “snapping out of it,” and self-medication does more harm in the long term than good.
Mental Health FAQs
It’s true, you may be able to function just fine for a period of time. Typically, however, some unrelated stress or trigger will stir up any unprocessed or repressed feelings. For people with PTSD, for example, the telltale symptoms of PTSD may not occur for years after the initial trauma. For those with depression, it’s not unusual for the major depressive bouts to come and go in cycles for years.
Most people find a way to cope, at least initially, by avoiding people or situations, or by self-medicating with alcohol or drugs. However, in both cases, you end up creating a smaller and smaller world in which you can feel free and safe from harm. But who among us would choose to live in such a prison? The only way to be truly free is to address the underlying reasons for your symptoms. You may be surprised at just how much doing so can change your life.
Classic symptoms of depression include feelings of hopelessness and a loss of interest in activities you used to enjoy.
Additional symptoms of depression that may come as a surprise include feeling emotionally numb and detached from others, as well as chronic irritability or ease to anger. Chronic aches and pains may also be an unexpected symptom of depression.
The only way to know for sure is to see a mental health professional. Your primary care physician should be able to recommend someone to you.
If the memories of the traumatic event are extremely distressing or causing any disruption to your usual day-to-day activities, it is time to get help. This includes severe emotional or physical responses to triggers – or avoiding certain people or situations that remind you of the event. Many with PTSD also engage in substance abuse in an effort to escape thoughts of the trauma. Without professional help, PTSD symptoms are likely to worsen over time.
Anytime you feel overwhelmed is a good time to reach out for help. There’s no line that has to be reached before you should seek help – it’s about perspective and impact. When your experience is severe or prolonged, it’s time to get help.
Not necessarily. It depends on the type of issue you’re looking to address. For trauma-based PTSD psychotherapy, treatment is focused solely on the trauma experienced, discovering ways to process the trauma, and incorporate helpful strategies into your day-to-day life. Trauma-based PTSD may only require a dozen or so sessions to see results.
Treating Mental Health
Treatment for PTSD, depression, and many mental health problems typically involves some type of psychotherapy, or what is commonly referred to as “talk therapy.”
Trauma-focused psychotherapy to treat PTSD often tends to include:
- Exposure Therapy – This gradually desensitizes you to reminders of the trauma.
- Cognitive Restructuring – This helps change the way you think of the trauma. For example, a therapist may help you make realistic sense of the event, to better understand your feelings about it, change your responsiveness to triggers, and/or help you employ specific tactics designed to help you relax or better manage stress and anger.
Medications such as antidepressants (SSRIs and SNRIs) are also part of conventional methods of treating PTSD, depression, and other mental health problems.
Alternative therapies include meditation, hypnotherapy, acupuncture, and more.
The most important thing about treating mental health issues like PTSD and depression is that no single treatment is appropriate for every person. It may take some trial-and-error to find the therapy that brings relief for your symptoms and unique situation. If you’re not sure where to begin, asking your primary care physician is a good place to start. If you or a loved one is in crisis, see below a few nationwide mental health resources that can help.
Mental Health Resources
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
- Call (800) 273-8255 or (888) 628-9454 (en Español)
- Chat online anytime, 24/7, confidentially
- Veterans Crisis Line, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD:
- Call (800) 273-8255
- Send a text to 838255
- Chat online anytime, 24/7, confidentially
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline, (800) 662-4357
