In The News: Mental Illness a Hot Topic

What’s Up?

The world is teetering on the brink of sanity – according to the news.

Headlines this past week ranged from, Mental Health Burden Greater than all Cancers to Workplace Depression Stigma Remains… to Mental Health: Vulnerable Children Falling through the Cracks. And that’s just scratching the surface.

Some Context for you…

Given the volume and breadth of news stories recently, you might be thinking there’s no hope for our collective mental state. What you may want to consider is what’s behind this media blitz.

October 10^th, 2012 was World Mental Health Day, which falls squarely in the middle of Mental Illness Awareness Week, which is enveloped by Mental Health Awareness Month. It’s a PR perfect storm. It’s also why seemingly countless studies were held until this past week to be released.

That’s not to say that mental illness is just PR spin. The statics and studies give enough reason for the media to jump on these stories. Boiling it all down, mental illness is a growing concern in modern society, it affects the individual, the workplace and children. It’s ALSO costing our health care system a heck of a lot of money.

But it’s not all doom and gloom – some of those studies offer a ray of hope for our mental health:

• Back in July, it was revealed that meditation actually affects brain activity and can be an effective treatment for mental illness.

• Numerous studies have shown that regular exercise is beneficial to mental health and that yoga can be a fantastic stress buster.

• The scientific community has ongoing studies that have connected environmental toxins with mental illness, especially in children.

• On top of that, adopting a healthy diet (with low sugar intake as sugar has been directly linked to mental illness) has been cited as a natural way to prevent or minimize mental health issues.

What Now?

When people become depressed or are suffering from hormonal or chemical imbalances they have a few choices: move to the prescription-and-therapy model, look to the natural health industry for answers, ignore and deny it, or a combination of the above.

Given the scientific support, the wellness world seems like a pretty logical place to start. If enough people embrace this idea, maybe next year the headlines during Mental Health Day/Week/Month will be about the positive changes coming out of the wellness community.

Here’s a headline we wish to see in next year's media mental illness flurry: 

Wellness Industry Boom Linked to Mental Illness Crisis Decline

Wouldn’t that make you happy?  If it does, well, that’s a good thing because happiness is good for your mental health. 

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Valerie McTavish is a professional writer and video producer living ‘the good life’ in Kelowna, BC. She’s a long-time decision evader which she satisfies by letting a roll of the dice deliver her to spontaneous fun. Follow her adventures by chance at www.zufalladventures.com.