Mental illness once occupied the harsh frontier of medicine.  In the past, mental health patients were often treated with disregard for their whole person.  Physicians went after their symptoms, hoping to extinguish their symptoms with radical therapies and strong drugs.  Studies show that current mental health patients are still receiving substandard care.  Individuals with mental illness are much more vulnerable to developing health problems than the general population.  In fact, a recent UK study found that mental health patients were five times more likely to develop diabetes, and twice the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, than the general population.  Mental health patients often lack lifestyle management advice and training, as well as the social interaction that is key to maintaining good health. 

Fortunately, the medical and psychiatric community is beginning to adopt a more holistic approach to mental illness.  What exactly do we mean by a ‘holistic approach?’  Holistic therapy and medicine refers to treating the whole person.  This means that disease is viewed as affecting a person’s mind, body, and spirit. A holistic view infers that disease does not merely inhabit the body, but that it can infiltrate the mind and spirit as well.  Therefore, holistic medicine uses both conventional and alternative medicine to treat disease.  In a sense, holistic medicine is very practical.  It seeks to use several avenues to reach and treat disease, rather than the more single-minded approach of other therapies. 

A holistic approach to mental illness means the patient’s physical, mental, and spiritual health will be diagnosed.  The patient’s overall health will be analyzed according to their physical health, mental health, nutrition, emotional state, as well as lifestyle and social factors.   A holistic approach to treatment is particularly important in cases where the patient suffers from more than one disorder or illness at the same time, known as co morbidity.

What sort of therapies might be part of a holistic approach to mental illness?  Conventional therapy might include drug therapy, as well as psychiatric and psychological therapy.  Complementary therapies might include art therapy, music therapy, relaxation therapy, and traditional Chinese medicine, including acupuncture, naturopathy, and Bach flower therapy.  Other techniques used may include hypnotherapy, reiki healing therapy, dance and movement therapy, addressing diet and nutrition, lifestyle management classes, aromatherapy, and exercise therapy. 

What kind of benefits can these therapies have?  Research has shown that acupuncture can help people with schizophrenia.  Addressing diet and nutrition can also be beneficial to schizophrenia patients, whose diets have been shown to lack folic acid, and whose depression may be eased through the use of certain amino acids.  Meditation, yoga, aromatherapy, and hypnotherapy are all proven methods for reducing mental stress and anxiety.  Reflexology, which involves placing pressure with one’s fingers and thumbs on certain pressure points on the feet and hands, has been proven effective in relieving anxiety and reduce the side effects of certain anti-psychotic drugs.  Herbal therapies, such as the use of St. John’s Wort, can also be useful in relieving depression and anxiety.

A shift is beginning to evolve in the way we view mental health.  Before, good mental health simply meant not having any overt symptoms that indicated a mental illness.  Now, the psychiatric community is beginning to study the prevention of mental illness.  Like other illnesses, recent research indicates that some mental health problems can be prevented or greatly eased by exercising good ‘mental fitness.’  What sort of things can just about anyone do to prevent mental illness?  The first thing everyone can and should do is to take a periodic mental health inventory.  Ask yourself:  how is my mental health?  Do I feel anxious, depressed, calm or frazzled?  The second thing you can do is to give yourself permission to be proactive about your mental health.  Make deliberate choices that will help put your mind at ease. What sort of things can you do that will help you maintain good mental health?  Psychologists recommend journaling, a proven method for relieving stress and tension.  Physical exercise has also been proven to relieve stress.  Other things you can practice include daydreaming, learning to deal with negative thoughts, laugh often and share laughter with others, set small personal goals, learn to take time for yourself, and establish a secure personal network of emotional support. 

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