Thank you for your incredible insight and expertise on mental health. Depression and anxiety appears to run in my family of origin and has touched on the next generation. When depression hit me, I tried in vain to exercise and meditate it away. That was not working. At the time, I had been sober for several years and going to my AA meetings on a regular basis (still do😊). My husband asked me about antidepressants and I said no. He said, “You know, sometimes people who are depressed go back to what made them feel good.” I stopped dead in my tracks terrified of the thought of going back to drinking. I made the appointment with my family doctor and was put on an antidepressant. It saved me. I am a productive and active individual. There is no shame in having and/or talking about mental illness. The more we talk to each other about it we realize that we are not alone. Thank you, again.
Thank you! I believe this is a critically important topic for discussion and understanding. I find so many people who are in a place that is not what they hoped for; thus, frustration, anxiety and a sense of helplessness overwhelms them. While their expectations may not have been realistic, they still frame their sense of success and failure. I so agree that the past is past and there is nothing one can do about it, the challenge is looking forward with a fresh and positive approach to life. Keep the discussion going and share success stories along the way.
Fascinating case study, Dr. McBride. As a physical therapist who has personally been challenged with anxiety, panic disorder and PTSD, your patient provides a very thoughtful history on how debilitating anxiety can be for optimal brain function. Through my challenges with brain health 10 years ago, I discovered many tools to effectively heal and prevent. Lisa Millers exceptional work from The Awakened Brain provided so much insight. Spirituality and writing were paramount for me. My mission as a PT has shifted to educating young women through experiential workshops on mind, body, soul & spirit care to optimize their health, well-being and purpose. I’d love to connect further…
Thank you, Dr. McBride! Please continue the mental health conversation. Would you also please include thoughts on how to support loved ones who are struggling with mental health challenges, especially aging parents, children, siblings, spouses?
I was very interested in your article about mental health. Therefore I would like to share my opinion with you based on my sparsely experiences:
As you said, mental health is dynamic. It’s based on many factors as well, as the resources you prevent getting mental ill and cope those “mental problems”.
Every human being has his sense of coherence (soc) in his individual strength [It’s based on sense of comprehensibility, sense of manageability and sense of meaningfulness], his intrinsic and extrinsic resources.
Accordingly, above all, this should be strengthened and built up in order to prevent mental illness / strengthen mental health.
I would describe myself as a “mental ill recovered woman” and I would definitely say that your soc is a major importance. Later or sooner, (hopefully not) there will be a situation, a trauma, a great misfortune and this soc will be tested deeply. The higher and stronger your soc is, the mental healthier you are and faster you will “recover”. * In addition, there will not only be a single situation that will test you so much, there will be only that one cause that will make the barrel overflow.
Excellent article! I have been treated for bipolar for about 25 years using both medication and talk therapy. Recently, an emergency hospitalization took me off my meds (long story), and I suffered, indeed am still suffering, from that time off meds. The general public needs to understand that mental health issues impact EVERYONE! The stigma that mental health issues make someone "inferior" has to go, and that only happens with education as to what it means for all of us. Children in grade school should start learning this, too. Thank you for helping do this.
Please continue this important conversation! I'm struggling with depression and often find it makes it difficult to experience joy in my life. I dwell on the negatives over my life and have a hard time remembering the positive experiences. This has become more debilitating as I age (I'm 75 and in lifelong treatment for MBC). I ask myself often whether my life has had worth. It's really painful!
This is why, as a psychologist, I practice Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Instead of trying to “feel better” (eliminating painful emotions), ACT helps people get better at feeling. It’s an evidence-based treatment that teaches people how to live well with the wide range of emotional experiences we may have.
My belief is that after awareness and acceptance, a person must be WILLING to ADAPT. In my thinking willingness to adapt , IS THE STEP WHICH PRECEEDES a person's gaining agency. AGENCY..
Excellent! I look forward to next week. I read the book Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach years ago and it helped me so much. Your article reminded me to accept what I’m feeling when I am resisting those painful feelings. It immediately helps.
THIS!!! From a professional and personal perspective! I'm a NYS LMFT and this was better than most of my clinical reading requirements! So helpful in so many ways. Thank you!
Couldn't agree more, Dr. McBride: "... in reality, mental health is the ground zero of health. Without it, our cholesterol and liver tests are meaningless." Strong mental and emotional health give physical health it's meaning. They also coexist in a intertwined cycle where exercise tends to improve mental and emotional health and strong mental health enables you to exercise.
Thanks for writing so thoughtfully on such an important topic.
Thank you for this post, Dr. McBride. I wish that our health system acknowledged all of these things. I am fortunate to be quite physically healthy, but I can say with certainty that the recurring physical health issues I've had were related to/made worse by unmanaged stress and not having emotional support. It's all connected and interrelated. And grief has knocked me down harder and kept me down longer (or as long as) physical illnesses have. Mental health is health, as you say.
Thank you for your incredible insight and expertise on mental health. Depression and anxiety appears to run in my family of origin and has touched on the next generation. When depression hit me, I tried in vain to exercise and meditate it away. That was not working. At the time, I had been sober for several years and going to my AA meetings on a regular basis (still do😊). My husband asked me about antidepressants and I said no. He said, “You know, sometimes people who are depressed go back to what made them feel good.” I stopped dead in my tracks terrified of the thought of going back to drinking. I made the appointment with my family doctor and was put on an antidepressant. It saved me. I am a productive and active individual. There is no shame in having and/or talking about mental illness. The more we talk to each other about it we realize that we are not alone. Thank you, again.
Thank you! I believe this is a critically important topic for discussion and understanding. I find so many people who are in a place that is not what they hoped for; thus, frustration, anxiety and a sense of helplessness overwhelms them. While their expectations may not have been realistic, they still frame their sense of success and failure. I so agree that the past is past and there is nothing one can do about it, the challenge is looking forward with a fresh and positive approach to life. Keep the discussion going and share success stories along the way.
Fascinating case study, Dr. McBride. As a physical therapist who has personally been challenged with anxiety, panic disorder and PTSD, your patient provides a very thoughtful history on how debilitating anxiety can be for optimal brain function. Through my challenges with brain health 10 years ago, I discovered many tools to effectively heal and prevent. Lisa Millers exceptional work from The Awakened Brain provided so much insight. Spirituality and writing were paramount for me. My mission as a PT has shifted to educating young women through experiential workshops on mind, body, soul & spirit care to optimize their health, well-being and purpose. I’d love to connect further…
https://catherinegoodmanfarley.com/
We were all created to thrive!
Thank you for being an impactful and empowering voice for whole-health! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
Thank you, Dr. McBride! Please continue the mental health conversation. Would you also please include thoughts on how to support loved ones who are struggling with mental health challenges, especially aging parents, children, siblings, spouses?
Yes, more on mental health please. You have so much wisdom to offer us.
I was very interested in your article about mental health. Therefore I would like to share my opinion with you based on my sparsely experiences:
As you said, mental health is dynamic. It’s based on many factors as well, as the resources you prevent getting mental ill and cope those “mental problems”.
Every human being has his sense of coherence (soc) in his individual strength [It’s based on sense of comprehensibility, sense of manageability and sense of meaningfulness], his intrinsic and extrinsic resources.
Accordingly, above all, this should be strengthened and built up in order to prevent mental illness / strengthen mental health.
I would describe myself as a “mental ill recovered woman” and I would definitely say that your soc is a major importance. Later or sooner, (hopefully not) there will be a situation, a trauma, a great misfortune and this soc will be tested deeply. The higher and stronger your soc is, the mental healthier you are and faster you will “recover”. * In addition, there will not only be a single situation that will test you so much, there will be only that one cause that will make the barrel overflow.
Excellent article! I have been treated for bipolar for about 25 years using both medication and talk therapy. Recently, an emergency hospitalization took me off my meds (long story), and I suffered, indeed am still suffering, from that time off meds. The general public needs to understand that mental health issues impact EVERYONE! The stigma that mental health issues make someone "inferior" has to go, and that only happens with education as to what it means for all of us. Children in grade school should start learning this, too. Thank you for helping do this.
Please continue this important conversation! I'm struggling with depression and often find it makes it difficult to experience joy in my life. I dwell on the negatives over my life and have a hard time remembering the positive experiences. This has become more debilitating as I age (I'm 75 and in lifelong treatment for MBC). I ask myself often whether my life has had worth. It's really painful!
This is why, as a psychologist, I practice Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Instead of trying to “feel better” (eliminating painful emotions), ACT helps people get better at feeling. It’s an evidence-based treatment that teaches people how to live well with the wide range of emotional experiences we may have.
My belief is that after awareness and acceptance, a person must be WILLING to ADAPT. In my thinking willingness to adapt , IS THE STEP WHICH PRECEEDES a person's gaining agency. AGENCY..
Excellent! I look forward to next week. I read the book Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach years ago and it helped me so much. Your article reminded me to accept what I’m feeling when I am resisting those painful feelings. It immediately helps.
Yay! Thank you for the read.
THIS!!! From a professional and personal perspective! I'm a NYS LMFT and this was better than most of my clinical reading requirements! So helpful in so many ways. Thank you!
Couldn't agree more, Dr. McBride: "... in reality, mental health is the ground zero of health. Without it, our cholesterol and liver tests are meaningless." Strong mental and emotional health give physical health it's meaning. They also coexist in a intertwined cycle where exercise tends to improve mental and emotional health and strong mental health enables you to exercise.
Thanks for writing so thoughtfully on such an important topic.
Thank you for this post, Dr. McBride. I wish that our health system acknowledged all of these things. I am fortunate to be quite physically healthy, but I can say with certainty that the recurring physical health issues I've had were related to/made worse by unmanaged stress and not having emotional support. It's all connected and interrelated. And grief has knocked me down harder and kept me down longer (or as long as) physical illnesses have. Mental health is health, as you say.
Definitely yay! Thank you for addressing this issue during these challenging times.