Health is wealth, especially when it comes to mental well-being. As children grow older, they learn if they are physically hurt in any area to ask for help. The same should be true for everyone’s mental health.
Lt. Nicholas Grant, Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific’s embedded clinical psychologist, expressed his thoughts on mental health.
“Mental and physical health are interconnected. Mental health is an essential component of overall health, and a holistic perspective is important to understand the relationship between these variables and enable individuals to manage their cognitive, behavioral and emotional well-being. ” Grant said.
When left untreated, mental health can negatively impact an individual’s success, happiness, and safety. Therefore, the negative stigma surrounding mental health must be combatted by understanding, providing support and educating members and families on the importance of seeking help.
Despite what it may seem, Mental Health Awareness Month is a celebration of mental health. The goal is to raise awareness of the struggles people face and commemorate their recovery and progress. Mental health is essential for an overall productive and happy life. However, in the military, there is a strong stigma against seeking help due to fear of being treated or perceived differently.
“Military-specific stigma regarding mental health has a lot to do with concern about changing a person’s service status, including the potential determination of their fitness and fitness for service, as well as how that might impacting access to resources that accompany active duty.” can minimize symptoms due to these concerns. We need to be thoughtful in how we communicate about mental health and the importance of seeking help,” Grant said.
Due to stigma surrounding the topic and lack of knowledge about resources, only 38 to 45 percent of people have expressed interest in receiving help, according to BMC Public Health.
The COVID-19 pandemic has not only affected the physical health of patients, but it has also played a role on their mental health. With the sharp rise in mental illness associated with the pandemic, society has been forced to have difficult conversations about the negative implications of poor mental wellbeing. As a result, awareness has spread and support has grown.
Mental health has a direct impact on a person’s quality of life. If neglected, other aspects of life can deteriorate. To get the most out of life, you need to take care of yourself on a deeper level. It would be a disservice to overlook the difficulties that prevent someone from realizing their full potential. Society’s mentality is changing every day as the view of mental illness becomes more and more accepted.
“The more we can normalize mental health as an essential component of holistic health and well-being, as well as change the way we talk about mental health, the more we will see a societal shift in the way mental health is perceived.” »Grant pointed out.
Check in on your friends and family and, most importantly, give yourself the support you deserve.
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