Mental Health

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• QWhat are some factors that determine mental health?

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  A World Federation For Mental Health (WFMH) answered

  Mental health is determined by socio-economic and environmental factors:

  • Multiple and interacting social, psychological, and biological factors, just as health and illness in general.
  • The clearest evidence is associated with indicators of poverty, including low levels of education, and in some studies with poor housing and poor income. Increasing and persisting socio-economic disadvantages for individuals and for communities are recognized risks to mental health.
  • The greater vulnerability of disadvantaged people in each community to mental health disorders may be explained by such factors as the experience of insecurity and hopelessness, rapid social change, and the risks of violence and physical ill-health.
  • A climate that respects and protects basic civil, political, socio-economic and cultural rights is also fundamental to mental health promotion. Without the security and freedom provided by these rights, it is very difficult to maintain a high level of mental health.

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• QWhat kind of training does a psychiatric nurse have?

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  A Dr. John C. Norcross, PhD , Psychology, answered

  Psychiatric nurses are registered nurses (R.N., B.S.N.) who earned a master’s of science degree in nursing (M.S.N.). Some go on to earn the Nurse Practitioner (NP) designation and then can, in collaboration with a physician, prescribe medication. Some psychiatric nurses also offer psychotherapy.
  

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• QCan social isolation increase my risk for disease?

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  A Dr. Sarah LoBisco , Integrative Medicine, answered

  Social isolation has been linked to overall mortality, risk for cardiovascular disease, depression, and even immune health. For example, a 2009 study by the University of Chicago Medicine demonstrated in mice studies that social isolation increased breast cancer cell growth. Furthermore, caretakers of those with chronic diseases who are isolated have an increased risk for various diseases. These negative health effects of isolation could be for a variety of reasons.

  Being connected to others causes a release of the feel good hormone oxytocin and the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine. These powerful chemical signaling molecules have an impact on healthy lifestyle choices, weight maintenance, addiction and emotional health, pain relief, and hormonal balance.

  Many researchers who have studied this effect using "blue zones", indigenous cultures that have many centurions (those who live beyond one hundred years old). They have found the consistent factor of people preserving important social networks to be one reason for their long lifespan.

  Furthermore, some social researchers (Taylor) have shown that women who reach out to others enhance their capacity to modulate stress hormones in a healthier way. Specifically, they have a more positive response to the stress release of cortisol and insulin, which effects inflammation and blood sugar.

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• QAre there alternative treatments for muscle dysmorphia?

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  A Diana Meeks , Family Medicine, answered on behalf of Sigma Nursing

  Generally, treatment of muscle dysmorphia relies on cognitive-behavioral therapy, counseling, or antidepressant medication. There are supplementary things you can do to help treat your condition, however. Talking to a close friend or family member about your feelings, worries, insecurities, and other relevant issues can help you regain a firmer and more realistic grasp of yourself. Interpersonal interaction this kind can also be encouraging as you go through the often-difficult process of overcoming your disorder.

• QWhat are the behavioral symptoms of a mental health problem?

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  A Dr. Jeanne Morrison, PhD , Family Medicine, answered on behalf of Sigma Nursing

  Changes in a person's normal behavior are often a symptom of a mental health problem. Changes in sleeping patterns - sleeping much less or much more than usual - are a common symptom. So are changes in sexual behavior. People with mental illness may lose interest in sex or may become sexually very active. Another symptom is neglecting personal hygiene. Changes in eating patterns - eating very little or frequently overeating - are another behavioral symptom of mental illness.

• QHow can I make the best possible recovery from schizoaffective disorder?

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  A NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital answered

  The following are tips for making the best possible recovery from schizoaffective disorder:

  • Accept that you have a prolonged illness.
  • Identify your strengths and limitations.
  • Make clear, realistic goals.
  • After a relapse, go slowly and gradually back to your responsibilities.
  • Plan a regular, consistent, predictable daily routine.
  • Make your home as quiet, calm and relaxed as you can.
  • Identify and reduce stress. Make only one change in your life at a time.
  • Work toward an active and trusting relationship with the staff involved in your care.
  • Take your medicines regularly, as prescribed.
  • Identify early signs of relapse. Make your own early warning list.
  • Get involved with a group of people you feel comfortable with.
  • Avoid street drugs.
  • Whether or not you drink alcohol is a very personal decision you should make with your prescriber.
  • Eat a well-balanced diet.
  • Get enough rest.
  • Get regular exercise.
  • If you're not sure whether your feelings or fears are based in reality, ask someone you trust or compare your behavior with others.
  • Accept that there may be setbacks from time to time.

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• QCan medications treat muscle dysmorphia?

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  A Dr. Jeanne Morrison, PhD , Family Medicine, answered on behalf of Sigma Nursing

  Medications can sometimes treat body and muscle dysmorphia. In some cases an anti-depressant may be prescribed. Because the disorder is mostly caused by warped perceptions about your body and low self-esteem, psychotherapy and other counseling-focused approaches may be recommended before you turn to medication to treat the problem. Serotonin reuptake inhibitors, however, are an antidepressant medication that has been shown to help people with body dysmorphia by altering their brain chemistry.

• QCan muscle dysmorphia be prevented?

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  A Diana Meeks , Family Medicine, answered on behalf of Sigma Nursing

  Because the causes of muscle dysmorphia are still unclear, it is similarly unclear whether or not the condition is preventable. Certain behavioral signs, such as a distorted body image or the beginnings of compulsive diet and exercise, may be seen as predictive risk factors that can be effectively halted if recognized. Encouraging healthy body image and self-esteem early in life may also help to keep people from developing dangerously low self-image opinions in the future. Scientists have begun to believe that muscle dysmorphia can be linked to specific DNA patterns, though, which suggests that prevention may not be possible.

• QWhat should I know to care for someone with muscle dysmorphia?

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  A Dr. Jeanne Morrison, PhD , Family Medicine, answered on behalf of Sigma Nursing

  If you have a friend or loved one who is suffering from muscle dysmorphia but is not yet receiving treatment, you can be instrumental in helping them get on the road to recovery. Talk to a health specialist and get advice on how you or another trusted party can intervene. If appropriate, try to approach your friend in a private, safe setting with your concerns and help your loved one to recognize their self-destructive behavior. Be prepared to provide them with support information; do not, however, force help upon your loved one or press the issue if they become uncomfortable.

  If your loved one is already receiving treatment, help supplement their recovery by being encouraging and offering to talk to them about their feelings as they go through the recovery process.

• QWhat is cognitive behavior therapy for bipolar disorder?

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  A Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answered

  Cognitive behavior therapy is a little like spring cleaning -- out with the bad and in with the good. In cognitive behavior therapy, you learn what makes you behave or act in a certain way that affects your functioning or well-being. And once you find out why you act the way you do, you can replace the negative behaviors with positive ones, or at least learn coping mechanisms. You can also learn what situations trigger negative feelings and thoughts or behaviors so you can avoid them or learn how to deal with them constructively.

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