Mental Health Is Connected To The Immune System (M)
Both the immune system and the nervous system use similar molecules to communicate.
Category: Mental Health
Why Mental Illness Shortens Lifespan By 18 Years (M)
Around one-fifth of the world’s population live with mental illness.
An Obvious Sign Of Good Mental Health
The sign is linked to fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety.
The sign is linked to fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Having strong hand-grip strength is a sign of good mental health, new research finds.
People who have greater upper and lower body fitness in general are at a lower risk of depression and anxiety.
Indeed, strength training can lead to reductions in depressive symptoms, previous studies have shown.
The reason may be that exercise releases endorphins and increases blood flow to the brain.
The conclusions come from a study of 1,159 middle-aged women in Singapore.
Fully 15 percent were suffering depression and/or anxiety.
The results showed that women with weaker hand-grip strength were more likely to have depression and anxiety symptoms.
The longer it took women to perform a simple exercise involving repeatedly getting out of a chair, the worse their mental health was.
Dr JoAnn Pinkerton, the study’s first author, said:
“Strength training has been shown to lead to a significant reduction in depressive symptoms.
Both strength training and aerobic exercise appear to improve depression, possibly as a result of increased blood flow to the brain or improved coping with stress from the release of endorphins such as norepinephrine and dopamine.”
The study was published in the journal Menopause (Ganasarajah et al., 2019).
Psychiatric Diagnoses Are “Meaningless”, Study Finds (M)
Psychiatric labels create “stigma and prejudice”.
The App Linked To Good Mental Health (M)
People used the app for an average of just under one hour a day.
The Easiest Way To Boost Your Mental Health (M)
The minimum amount of time to spend in nature each week to boost mental and physical health.
5 Symptoms Of A Mid-Life Crisis (M)
The real cause of a mid-life crisis.
Two Mental Health Problems That Often Go Together (M)
A person diagnosed with one is highly likely to be diagnosed with the other within six months.
This Simple Question Reveals Your Future Mental Health
One question can diagnose your future mental health.
One question can diagnose your future mental health.
Just one question is enough to get a general idea of someone’s future mental health.
It is: “In general, would you say that your mental health is excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor?”
Surprisingly, around 60% of people who are depressed nevertheless rate their mental health as ‘good’.
One year later people who were positive about their mental health were less likely to be in serious psychological distress, even without any treatment.
Good mental health is about more than just a lack of symptoms, it includes being able to cope with life, having meaningful relationships and feeling purposeful.
A rating of ‘fair’ or ‘poor’ could suggest that some help would be beneficial.
Dr Sirry Alang, study co-author, said:
“Self-rated mental health is a very powerful construct that can be useful in clinical practice if we consider it a potential screener for mental health.
Positive ratings of mental health even in the face of symptoms might not be a result of denial but may offer valuable insights about a person’s ability to cope with their symptoms.”
The study was published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior (McAlpine et al., 2018).
This Pet Triples Risk Of Mental Health Problems (S)
The pet carries the parasite Toxoplasma gondii in its guts.
