Focus on Mental Health Should Start Early in Life

Focus on mental health problems should start younger as the impact of depression and related health problems in older adults can be more severe. Depression is associated with declining health in people with conditions like heart disease and diabetes.
Updated: April 12th, 2021
Curtis Dean

Contributor

Curtis Dean

Just like your physical health, you must take good care of your mental state. As it happens, a good mental state aids in your resilience and recovery from the stresses of everyday life.

The talks about mental health have become a lot more apparent these days. More and more people are becoming quite aware and conscious of this aspect of one’s holistic health.

All About Mental Health

By definition, mental health involves a person’s psychological, emotional, and social well-being. This is why the condition and state of one’s mentality affect almost every aspect of their life.

It also helps people assess how they handle stress, make connections with others, and come up with decisions. Accordingly, it makes total sense why valuing mental health is a must at every stage of life.

This is because mental health concerns and problems may arise if they are not taken care of properly. If these mental health issues arrive, they may negatively affect your mood, behavior, outlook, and way of thinking.

Keep in mind, though, that while mental health problems are common, it is not normal. Nevertheless, help is accessible and available. Such concerns are also treatable, and every person can recover.

Young Adults and Mental Health

Everyone may experience different mental health problems. To date, even children and young adults suffer from mental-related issues, like anxiety and depression.

Reports said that one in every ten children faces mental health concerns. While this is already a crisis, data shows that 70 percent of these young individuals do not receive appropriate interventions and proper treatments, which makes the whole thing a lot more alarming.

As much as possible, it is ideal for giving children with mental health problems the proper care and treatment. Having a healthy mental state allows young ones to develop their overall character and personality. It also helps them grow into well-rounded, empowered adults.

The Most Frequent Mental Health Problems in Young Adults

The most frequent mental health problems

The symptoms may include flashbacks and nightmares, as well as extreme anxiety and intrusive thoughts.

  • Self-Harm

Another common mental health concern among young ones is self-harm. Some individuals find harming themselves an outlet to manage intense emotional pain. While many young individuals do this, it does not necessarily mean that they intend to take their own lives.

  • Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are very common among teenage girls. This always has something to do with how they perceive themselves, as well as their confidence.

Studies show that developing such disorders are not quite apparent. But, having them is quite risky as they pose several health issues.

  • Substance Abuse

Substance abuse is not all about illegal drugs. This also involves other legal drugs, like alcohol, nicotine, and pain medications.

Usually, substance abuse is a result of another underlying mental health concern. 

In most cases, people who were or are substance abusers are suffering or living with other mental health illnesses or disorders.

What Help Is Available?

There are several ways, avenues, and tools available to help young adults and other individuals living with mental health problems. Medications and therapies are some of the most common instruments that people utilize to address the issues.

However, keep in mind that these platforms are not always highly recommended for children and young individuals. More often than not, they are more suitable for adults, especially medications.

The more fitting ways to help kids, teens, and other young ones are assistance and guidance from parents and experts. Establishing an effective, reliable, and open relationship is the first step to help them cope up and get through mental health concerns. 

For some, these are already enough to help minimize the symptoms and even eliminate the concern.

Other practical options for parents to help their kids with mental health issues include guiding them on their respective diets and physical health. Be social with them and have effective communication. Enrolling them in music lessons also helps as music offers tons of health benefits.

Mental Health Promotion for Young Adults

The education systems and the health sectors of society continue to work on promoting mental health awareness among the youth. Over the years, these sectors and industries have been very helpful in addressing various related issues.

As the number of people who are becoming more aware of mental health increases, society remains keen on finding ways to alleviate further the conditions and situations. Despite this, it is worth noting that the help should always begin within the family and start inside the homes.

Don't Be Afraid to Discuss Mental Health

All in all, mental health is a challenging matter to discuss. It is very abstract and subjective, making it more difficult to address and assess.

But, regardless of its difficulty, everyone should keep an eye on their respective mental health states and conditions. Even more so, parents should always guide and help their kids in these aspects of their lives.

Ignoring mental health can make treatment more complicated as you get older. But even if you don't suffer from mental health issues when you are younger, you might get older. 

People experience painful events which tend to increase with age. Many people experience changes in their situation that may affect their overall well-being. These changes and experiences can make an individual more vulnerable to problems, such as depression or anxiety. 

These situations can include changes in relationships, job loss or retirement, grief, loneliness, dependency on family, and health changes. Medications can also cause or aggravate existing health problems causing depression and anxiety.

The CDC estimates that 20% of people aged 55 years or older experience some mental health concern. It may become more challenging to treat when you are older. Identifying and treating mental health issues when you are younger is ideal. 

Major depression can lead to needing full-time help with daily activities when you are older. Those with depression have a higher risk of suffering from cognitive decline. The costs of long-term health care have a dramatic impact on your savings since health insurance, including Medicare and supplements, will pay very little toward long-term health care of any kind.   

Those people who own a Long-Term Care policy will have benefits for all types of long-term health care. 

As with anything, early planning is always essential. Addressing mental health issues early will provide you and your loved ones more peace of mind.

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