Whether you are experiencing anxiety, depression or another mental health condition, it is important to take care of your overall well-being. The good news is that many things can be done to improve your mental health including talk therapy and medicines. A healthy lifestyle can also have a positive impact on your mental health. This includes exercise, eating a nutritious diet, getting adequate sleep and reducing stress through relaxation techniques like meditation or mindfulness. It is also important to see your primary care provider if you suspect you have a mental illness.
Mental health is determined by an interplay of individual, social and structural factors that either enhance or undermine mental well-being. These risk and protective factors can be at different scales – from local threats that heighten risks for specific individuals, families or communities to global threats such as economic downturns, disease outbreaks, humanitarian emergencies and forced displacement. While some risk factors are modifiable, such as being female or living in poverty, most of the determinants of mental health are unmodifiable and vary widely across countries and groups.
Many people who experience a mental health condition have difficulty accessing appropriate health care. This can be due to a number of reasons including lack of insurance coverage, language barriers and cultural beliefs that discourage seeking help. Often, people do not seek treatment because they believe that there is a stigma associated with mental illness which can lead to delayed professional care and feelings of shame or embarrassment. In addition, those who experience a mental health condition have a harder time taking care of their physical health such as seeking regular medical checkups and following prescribed medications.
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