scholarly journals Holistic Health: Does It Really Include Mental Health?

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 2092-2099 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly K. McClanahan ◽  
Marlene B. Huff ◽  
Hatim A. Omar

Holistic health, incorporating mind and body as equally important and unified components of health, is a concept utilized in some health care arenas in the United States (U.S.) over the past 30 years. However, in the U.S., mental health is not seen as conceptually integral to physical health and, thus, holistic health cannot be realized until the historical concept of mind-body dualism, continuing stigma regarding mental illness, lack of mental health parity in insurance, and inaccurate public perceptions regarding mental illness are adequately addressed and resolved. Until then, mental and physical health will continue to be viewed as disparate entities rather than parts of a unified whole. We conclude that the U.S. currently does not generally incorporate the tenets of holistic health in its view of the mental and physical health of its citizens, and provide some suggestions for changing that viewpoint.

2003 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 249-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Richardson ◽  
Paul Lelliott

Looked after children are disadvantaged with regard to their mental and physical health and education. Research is limited on this population, but dramatic findings prompted the Government to produce a number of guidance and policy documents over the past 5 years. This paper discusses the available research and highlights the problems that looked after children face. The new policy initiatives are listed, along with a number of obstacles to be overcome if the care of these young people is to be improved.


2003 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anonymous

In 1986 I suffered a severe mental breakdown. I have had serious mental health problems for 15 years. Over the past 15 months, my mental and physical health have improved considerably. During this time, I have been writing and using Insight Poetry to help overcome my illness.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 308-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marian Chen ◽  
Stephen Lawrie

Aims and methodMedia portrayals of mental illness have long been recognised as being misleading and stigmatising. Following the campaigns of several advocacy groups to address this issue, we aimed to evaluate the impact on mental health reporting over time. We repeated a survey we did 15 years ago using the same methods. Nine UK daily newspapers were surveyed over a 4-week period and coded with a schema to analyse the reporting of mental health compared with physical health.ResultsIn total, 963 articles – 200 on mental health and 763 on physical health – were identified. Over half of the articles on mental health were negative in tone: 18.5% indicated an association with violence compared with 0.3% of articles on physical health. However, there were more quotes from patients with mental disorders than physical disorders (22.5% v. 19.7%) and an equal mention of treatment and rehabilitation.Clinical implicationsMental health in print media remains tainted by themes of violence, however some improvement in reporting in recent years is evident, in particular by providing a voice for people with mental illness.


Author(s):  
Jieun Song ◽  
Marsha R. Mailick ◽  
Jan S. Greenberg ◽  
Jinkuk Hong

Parenting a child with developmental or mental health problems is a lifelong process with unique challenges and adjustments. Parents of children with these conditions often experience chronic stress and an elevated risk of mental and physical health problems and cognitive decline in later life, although profiles of resilience have been noted. This chapter reviews Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) studies that have examined the lifelong effects of parenting children with developmental or mental health problems. MIDUS research has found that midlife and older parents of children with these conditions have poorer physical and mental health profiles and poorer cognitive functioning in later life than counterparts whose children do not have such conditions, and that mental and physical health disparities increase as parents age. Possible mechanisms underlying these differences have been examined in studies utilizing the multidisciplinary data of MIDUS, which include a variety of psychosocial, cognitive, and biological assessments.


2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott B Teasdale ◽  
Geogina Latimer ◽  
Annette Byron ◽  
Vanessa Schuldt ◽  
Josephine Pizzinga ◽  
...  

Objective: This article aims to draw mental health clinicians’ attention to the connections between nutrition and mental health, and the roles that Accredited Practising Dietitians play in improving mental and physical health through dietary change. Methods: Selective narrative review. Results: Unhealthy dietary practices are common in high prevalence and severe mental illness. Epidemiological evidence demonstrates that nutrients and dietary patterns impact on mental health. In addition, poor physical health is well documented in people with mental illness and the greatest contributor to the mortality gap. Dietary intervention studies demonstrate improved mental and physical health outcomes. Accredited Practising Dietitians translate nutrition science into practical advice to improve the nutritional status of patients with mental illness, and prevent and manage comorbidities in a variety of care settings. Conclusions: Medical Nutrition Therapy offers opportunities to improve the physical and mental health of people living with mental illness.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Colleen E. McKay

Approximately fifty million people living in the United States (U.S.) use tobacco. Tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of disease and/or death in the U.S. People living with mental illness account for a disproportionate amount of tobacco use. Individuals living with mental health or substance use conditions consume almost half of all cigarettes sold in the U.S. People with schizophrenia are three to four times as likely to smoke as the general population. People living with mental illness also die prematurely compared to the general population and they and have a disproportionate number of tobacco-attributable deaths. Less than two-thirds of psychiatrists ask about tobacco use and screening for tobacco use is not standard practice in many community-based services for mental health. Despite this, approximately 70% of people living with mental illness who smoke say they would like to quit smoking. This tip sheet offers 7 tips to help your clients quit using tobacco.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 451-451
Author(s):  
Hansol Kim ◽  
Richard Schulz ◽  
Scott Beach ◽  
Heidi Donovan

Abstract With a sample of 54,076 caregivers, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS, 2015-2017) provides an opportunity to assess the impact of caregiving on U.S. adults varying in age, gender, and race. We focused on sandwich generation (SG) caregivers, aged 30-59, with childcare and eldercare responsibilities (n=8,805). In multivariate regression models of mental and physical health, we evaluated the association of age, gender, race and caregiving factors controlling for marital status, education, housing status, income, employment status, and self-rated health status. SG caregivers were predominantly female (65.6%), white (69.6%), black (13%) and were caring for a parent/parent-in-law (50%) or another relative (26.4%). Age, gender, and race were associated with mental health outcomes such that SG caregivers who were younger (aged 30-39), female, and white reported poorer mental health during the past month (p<.05). Older (aged 50-59), female, and white SG caregivers reported poorer physical health during the past month (p<.05). Caregiving factors were not associated with mental health, but SG caregivers who had been providing care for a longer period of time were more likely to report poor physical health in the past month. Finally, education, income, employment, housing status, and self-rated health status were statistically significant covariates in both models (p<.05). These findings demonstrate that young caregivers are at risk for poor mental health; older caregivers for poor physical health. Being female, white, with lower socioeconomic status is associated with poor mental and physical health. Future research should address the unique needs of SG caregivers with dual caregiving responsibilities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. e66-e66
Author(s):  
James Wang ◽  
Sheila K Marshall ◽  
Colleen S Poon

Abstract Primary Subject area Adolescent Medicine Background Youth in care (YIC), including those living in foster care, kinship care, group homes, and youth agreements, are a vulnerable population with many risk factors leading to a high prevalence of mental and physical health needs. YIC are recommended to have more frequent health care encounters than the general adolescent population, though it is unknown how Canadian YIC perceive whether their health care needs are sufficiently met. Objectives To assess YIC's perception of their health care needs and frequency of missed care, defined as not having received needed health care. Design/Methods A representative sample of 38,015 students in Grades 7 to 12 across British Columbia was surveyed in the 2018 BC Adolescent Health Survey (McCreary Centre Society). Questionnaire items on demographics, mental and physical health, and health care access in the past year were examined. Frequencies and cross-tabulations were performed using IBM SPSS® Complex Samples module software. Results In the past year, 1.9% of respondents reported living in government care. YIC had a mean age of 14.76 years and were 50.9% female. YIC reported worse mental health (46.5% vs. 27.6% poor/fair rating, p < 0.01) and physical health (36.4% vs. 19.1% poor/fair rating, p < 0.01) compared to non-YIC, with female and non-binary YIC most severely impacted. YIC were less likely to report not needing health care (15.6% vs. 21.3%, p < 0.01) and more likely to report missed care (11.2% vs. 3.1%, p < 0.01) compared to non-YIC. Although the rate of any health care usage was not significantly different between the groups, nearly one-quarter (23.7%) of YIC accessed health care at 3 or more locations, compared to only 16.4% of non-YIC (p < 0.01), with YIC accessing counsellors/psychologists and youth clinics more frequently. YIC reported more missed mental health care (32.9% vs. 18.4%, p < 0.01) and physical health care (21.6% vs. 7.8%, p < 0.01) than non-YIC, with female YIC reporting more missed care than male YIC. Non-binary YIC also reported more missed mental health care than male YIC. YIC were more likely than non-YIC to have missed mental health care due to reasons such as prior negative experiences and lack of transportation. Conclusion YIC reported worse mental and physical health and greater frequencies of missed care compared to non-YIC, especially female and non-binary YIC. Further attention is needed in addressing systemic and individual barriers to health care in this vulnerable population.


Author(s):  
Emily Shoesmith ◽  
Panagiotis Spanakis ◽  
Emily Peckham ◽  
Paul Heron ◽  
Gordon Johnston ◽  
...  

Research has reported the benefits of companion animals for people with severe mental illness (SMI). However, this evidence base is fragmented and unclear. The COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity to explore the role of companion animals in the context of social distancing and isolation measures for people with SMI. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the links between mental and physical health and animal ownership in people with SMI and to explore animal owners’ perceptions related to human–animal interactions during the pandemic restrictions. A survey was conducted with a previously assembled cohort of individuals with SMI in the UK. The survey included previously validated and new bespoke items measuring demographics, and outcomes related to mental and physical health, and human–animal interactions. The survey also included a question inviting free-text responses, allowing participants to describe any experiences of their human–animal relationships during the pandemic. Of 315 participants who consented to participate, 249 (79%) completed the survey. Of these, 115 (46.2%) had at least one companion animal. Regression analyses indicated that animal ownership was not significantly associated with well-being and loneliness. However, animal ownership was associated with a self-reported decline in mental health (b = 0.640, 95% CI [0.102–1.231], p = 0.025), but no self-reported change in physical health. Thematic analysis identified two main themes relating to the positive and negative impact of animal ownership during pandemic restrictions. Animal ownership appeared to be linked to self-reported mental health decline in people with SMI during the second wave of the pandemic in the UK. However, the thematic analysis also highlighted the perceived benefit of animal ownership during this time. Further targeted investigation of the role of human–animal relationships and the perceived human–animal bond for human health is warranted.


Author(s):  
Mike McHugh

Until recently the biomedical model dominated thinking about both physical health and mental health in Western society. It is now more useful to frame health as an integrated totality—one that includes physiological functioning, psychological and spiritual processes, and behaviour. This chapter explores this emerging agenda and focuses on well-being and prevention, particularly where well-being and prevention impact on both physical and mental illness. Evidence tells us that by strengthening mental health and well-being we not only reduce the risk of mental illness, but we also enhance physical health and population health more widely. Equally, improving physical health has a significantly positive influence on population mental health. We can increasingly exploit our understanding of these interconnections and release their potential to tackle some of the pressing health and well-being challenges we face. We have an opportunity to meaningfully draw physical and mental health together as a mutually dependent, integrated whole.


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