Essay On Mental Health

2270 Words5 Pages

The American health care system is segmented. When someone has a heart problem they go see a cardiologist. When someone has a skin problem they see a dermatologist. When someone has a mental health problem they go see a Psychologist, Psychiatrist or a Counselor. The health care industry has broken up the body into separate parts treating each part like its own entity when really a problem in one area has an effect upon the rest of the body. According to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride the author of “Gut and Psychology Syndrome” “One area of medicine is particularly prone to look at its organ separately from the rest of the body. That area is psychiatry.(50)” The mental health field has successfully found medications to suppress the symptoms of mental health disorders yet has failed to treat the body as a whole and treat mental illnesses holistically. Mental health i is a complex and serious issue that is seldom approached holistically. People deserve the chance to heal their bodies and minds. There is a considerable amount of research that shows a correlation between nutrition and mental health. Mental health treatment should include diet change, exercise and supplements for every patient.
The definition of metal illness according to medicine.net is “any disease or condition that influences the way a person thinks, feels, behaves, and/or relates to others and to his or her surroundings.”(medicine.net) Mental illness can be hereditary, biological or stem from a psychological trauma or stress from a persons environment. People with a family history of mental illness are more likely to have a mental illness themselves. Sometimes biological factors such as unbalanced chemicals in the brain can cause a mental illness. Trauma such a...

... middle of paper ...

... greatly impacts the others. The mental health community is slowly starting to realize the importance of lifestyle and natural treatments on mental health. There are several other natural treatments that show promise including accupunture, massage and chiropractic treatment. Depending of the severity of the mental illness medication as well as therapy or counseling my be necessary. However, lifestyle choices greatly impact physical and mental well being. Unfortunately the American culture does not promote a healthy lifestyle so it is up to the individual to take care of the body he or she has been given. At some point people must educate themselves on how to be healthy, as it is no longer integrated into our culture. Pills may be necessary but they rarely fix the underlying cause. Personal responsibility for health is important as depending on others is futile.

Open Document