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Wrapping Up Mental Health Month

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Author:

Audrey Reich

Audrey Reich, LCSW Behavioral Health Program Manager

Audrey Reich, LCSW

Behavioral Health Program Manager

 

Hi everyone,

As this year’s May is Mental Health Month comes to a close, I want to thank you for reading information about how to improve your mental health, as it impacts your physical health and general well-being.  Just a reminder, we are here to help, and want you to receive care from head to toe! So, if you have questions or would like to discuss your needs, please give us a call: 589-8008.  I’d like to leave you with some interesting statistics and information about mental wellness.

Be well,

Audrey Reich, LCSW

Behavioral Health Program Manager

Mental Wellness Statistics and Important Takeaways

  • Nearly 1-in-5 Americans over age 18 will experience a diagnosable mental health disorder in a given year1, and nearly half (46.4%) will experience a mental health disorder in their lifetime2.
  • Approximately 70% of Americans experience physical and non-physical symptoms of stress, but only 37% think they are doing very well at managing stress.3
  • More than 2/3 of American adults are either obese or overweight.4
  • One in six Americans over age 18 binge drink. Excessive drinking (binge drinking and heavy drinking) causes approximately 80,000 deaths each year.5
  • Nearly half (48%) of Americans report not getting enough sleep, with women feeling so more than men.6
  • While it is estimated that approximately half of US adults use supplements, only 23% of supplements used were recommended by a health care professional.7
  • Relationships and social connections are important.  Low level of social interaction was found to have an impact on lifespan equivalent to smoking nearly a pack of cigarettes a day or being an alcoholic, and was twice as harmful as being obese.8
  • Half of American adults do not get the recommended amounts of aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercise.9
  • Mental health is integral to our overall health. The mind and body are intricately connected; there can be “no health without mental health.”
  • When a person has “good” mental health, they deal better with what comes their way.
  • Poor mental health can significantly harm a person’s general health
  • Stress has a huge impact on our lives and can make even day-to-day life difficult. Research shows that stress is closely linked to high blood pressure, heart disease and obesity. It also shows that people who feel depressed or chronically stressed may have a greater risk of physical illnesses.
  • The good news is there are many healthy choices and steps that individuals can adopt to promote and strengthen mental health—and overall health and well-being.
  • A healthy lifestyle can help to prevent the onset or worsening of depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions, as well as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and other chronic health problems.  It can also help people recover from these conditions.
  • Everyone can take steps to protect and strengthen their minds and bodies.
  • Living a healthy lifestyle may not be easy, but can be achieved by gradually making small changes and building on those successes.
  • If positive lifestyle changes aren’t helping a person’s mental health – they should seek help, and the MHA network is available to assist them in finding it.
1Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. (February 28, 2014). The NSDUH Report: State Estimates of Adult Mental Illness from the 2011 and 2012 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. Rockville, MD.
2Kessler RC, Berglund PA, Demler O, Jin R, Walters EE. Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). 
3American Psychological Association. (2012) Impact of Stress. [Online] [Accessed on 27th March 2014] https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2012/impact-report.pdf.
4Flegal KM, Carroll MD, Kit BK, Ogden CL. Prevalence of obesity and trends in the distribution of body mass index among US adults, 1999-2010. JAMA. 2012;307:491-7.
5https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/BingeDrinking/index.html 
6The Better Sleep Council. (April 2013) Survey: Americans know how to get better sleep-but don’t act on it. [Online] [Accessed on 27th March 2014] https://bettersleep.org/sleep-extras/the-science-of-sleep/sleep-statistics-research/better-sleep-survey/
7Bailey RL, Gahche JJ, Miller PE, Thomas RP, Dwyer JT. Why US adults use dietary supplements. JAMA. 2013;173(5):355-61.
8Holt-Lunstad J, Smith TB, Layton JB (2010) Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review. PLoS Med 7(7): e1000316. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316
9Schoenborn CA, Adams PF, Peregoy JA. Health behaviors of adults: United States, 2008–2010. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Statistics 10(257). 2013.

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