HEALTH & MEDICINE :: APRIL/MAY 2007
“MIND Your Health”
May is National Mental Health Month. The focus this year is “MIND Your Health” (www.MentalHealthAmerica.net). Mood and Anxiety Disorders frequently “co-occur” with diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke and HIV/AIDS. Studies indicate that people with chronic diseases fair better if they seek psychological treatment in addition to their medical regimen. No matter how hard we try, we cannot separate the mind from the body. Consider these facts:
- 75% of visits to doctors’ offices concern stress-related ailments (APA 2004)
- People who have untreated mental health issues use more general health services than those who seek mental health care when they need it (APA 2004)
- People who have depression are more likely than others to develop diabetes (AJE 2005)
- Panic Disorder is frequently associated with unexplained gastrointestinal complaints
People often assume that feeling depressed is a normal response if someone
has a chronic physical disease. However, people with depression experience greater
distress, and this hinders the treatment of their other medical conditions.
Sadly, the diagnosis of depression is missed 50% of the time in primary care
settings (JCP 1994). People who get treatment for both depression and anxiety
associated with medical conditions experience an improvement in their overall
medical condition and a better quality of life.
If you read our article in the last issue of the New Castle County Women’s
Journal, you know that 60% of employee absences are due to psychological problems
(APA). This statistic is consistent with the fact that mental health conditions
are the second leading cause of workplace absenteeism (APF 2005). How does this
affect the workplace and your life?
- Even moderate levels of depression or anxiety symptoms can affect work performance and productivity (JOEM 2005)
- Early and proper treatment of depression is associated with a marked decrease in disability leave time (JOEM 2005)
- Total health care costs for workers who receive treatment for depression and have complete remission of symptoms are 2/3 less than the medical costs of untreated individuals (JOEM 2005)
These facts relate only to the financial burden. What about costs in terms of quality of life and relationships? What is the solution? Seek proper treatment from mental health professionals! The truth is recovery is possible!
- Treatment success rates for depression are greater than 80% and panic disorder 70-90%. These success rates surpass those of other medical conditions such as heart disease which is 40-50% (NIMH 2004)
- Treatment of Panic Disorder decreases healthcare utilization and costs by 94% (JOEM 2005)
You may be asking, “I know about depression, but what is Panic Disorder?” Briefly, Panic Disorder is defined as frequent unexpected panic attacks. Panic attacks involve the whole body and symptoms may include: a sudden and intense fear that something terrible is happening, your heart may begin to pound, you may feel dizzy and nauseous, you might feel as if you can’t get enough air, you may experience “pins and needles” in you fingers/toes and feel as if you are losing control or going “crazy”. These attacks generally last only 20-30 minutes, but they are terrifying, and you may feel physically and emotionally drained even after the symptoms subside.
How do we help people move beyond these symptoms that reduce their quality of life? We can raise awareness of the importance of good mental health. Employers can provide Employee Assistance Programs and forums to educate their work force on mental health issues. Primary care and other health care providers can network with mental health professionals in their community, conduct screenings with their patients for mental health symptoms and encourage their patients to follow up with trusted mental health professionals. Make it “OK” to talk about mental health.
Please, “MIND Your Health”! Take care of ALL of you: body and mind. “De-stigmatize” mental health issues and treatment by offering support and encouragement, just as you would if a friend or family member told you he or she had diabetes or high blood pressure. We can’t experience true health or wellness if we ignore such an important part of who we are!
Karen Gibble, APRN, BC is a psychiatric advanced practice nurse with eight years of experience providing both counseling and medication management for people of all ages who are struggling with mental health issues. She is co-founder of Advanced Treatment Options, LLC. A nurse-run practice dedicated to providing personalized, holistic care in a professional, accepting and understanding manner. She can be reached at 1-800-211-1202 ext 17122.
