Increased workloads, emotional exhaustion, and the trauma of witnessing high mortality rates contributed to a marked rise in mental health issues among these populations. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on mental health globally, exacerbating existing mental health issues and creating new challenges. Psychological factors such as trauma, personality traits, cognitive patterns, and emotional resilience also contribute to an individual’s mental health status. Biologically, mental health can be influenced by genetics, neurochemical imbalances, and underlying medical conditions.
- Mental well-being refers to a positive state of emotional, psychological, and social health, characterized by a sense of contentment, resilience, and the ability to effectively cope with life’s challenges.
- Fixed effect and time-differenced estimates using one-year and two-year differences show a very consistent finding that physical health significantly affects mental health.
- The community environment also plays a significant role, as supportive social networks and safe neighborhoods promote resilience, while isolation, discrimination, and exposure to violence exacerbate mental health challenges.
- Because sleep and mental health are so intertwined, teasing out cause and effect between the two can be tricky.
- Poor sleep, whether due to insufficient duration or disrupted quality, can exacerbate mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.
Interventions for Mental Health Promotion and Prevention and Their Evidence
Therefore, policymakers and health practitioners must be sensitized about linkages between mental- and physical health to effectively implement various mental health promotive and preventive interventions, including in individuals with chronic physical illnesses (18). GMH research needs to include and center relevant stakeholders including people with lived experiences of mental illness (PWLE) as their perspectives play a valuable role in shaping interventions and policies for mental health 104, 105. It is possible that social media data could be used to supplement additional digital data, such as continuous monitoring using smartphone apps or smart watches, to generate a more comprehensive “digital phenotype” to predict relapse and identify high-risk health behaviors among individuals living with mental illness (Torous et al. 2019). Recent studies have reported negative effects of social media use on mental health of young people, including social comparison pressure with others and greater feeling of social isolation after being rejected by others on social media (Rideout and Fox 2018).
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Poor mental health increase risk for SIRC implementation research webinars communicable and non-communicable diseases, unintentional and intentional injuries (Prince et al., 2007). Vaillant (1979) showed that better mental health in the past was strongly linked to good current physical health. In contrast, poor mental health can lead to damaging behaviors or inhibit health behaviors (substance abuse, physical inactivity for instance), leading to poor physical health.
Up to half of all heart attack survivors experience some type of psychological distress, including sadness, worry, or irritability. By reconnecting with friends and family, meeting regularly, minimizing distractions, and staying in touch across distance, it’s possible to more connected and help protect long-term health. Gene-editing therapy lowers harmful blood fats in early study Researchers from Kathmandu Institute of Child Health and The Australian National University, reflect on the potential unresolved trauma of young people in light of the current political climate in Nepal and across the globe. A study from Western University and McMaster University explores how boredom may have an impact on the use of substances among persons who are unhoused living in high-income nations. The largest yet study on a four-day workweek included 141 companies, 90 percent of which retained the arrangement at the end of the six-month experiment
However, these measures usually occur in a person who has already developed an illness, therefore facing related suffering, hence may not always be successful in curing or managing the illness. Secondary and tertiary prevention targets those who have already developed the illness, aiming to reduce impairment and morbidity as soon as possible. Primary prevention includes health promotion and specific protection, while secondary and tertairy preventions include early diagnosis and treatment and measures to decrease disability and rehabilitation, respectively (51) (Figure 1).
Genetic counseling can also provide insights into risk factors and guide decisions regarding treatment options. The field of epigenetics explores how environmental factors can affect gene expression without altering the DNA sequence itself. Family history not only reflects genetic predispositions but also encompasses shared environmental factors. For example, a person with a first-degree relative (parent or sibling) diagnosed with bipolar disorder has a significantly increased risk compared to the general population. For instance, studies estimate the heritability of conditions such as schizophrenia to be approximately 80%, while MDD has a heritability estimate of approximately 37% . The basal ganglia, involved in motor control, motivation, and reward processing, also contribute to mood regulation, with dysfunctions in this region observed in conditions such as depression and OCD.