Best Mental Health Articles

Mental Health Is Important

Mental health is how people think, feel, and act as they face life’s situations. It affects how people handle stress, relate to one another, and make decisions. Mental health influences the ways individuals look at themselves, their lives, and others in their lives. Like physical health, mental health is important at every stage of life.

All aspects of our lives are affected by our mental health. Caring for and protecting our children is an obligation and is critical to their daily lives and their independence.

Children and Adolescents Can Have Serious Mental Health Problems
Like adults, children and adolescents can have mental health disorders that interfere with the way they think, feel, and act. When untreated, mental health disorders can lead to school failure, family conflicts, drug abuse, violence, and even suicide. Untreated mental health disorders can be very costly to families, communities, and the health care system.

In this fact sheet, “Mental Health Problems” for children and adolescents refers to the range of all diagnosable emotional, behavioral, and mental disorders. They include depression, attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and anxiety, conduct, and eating disorders. Mental health problems affect one in every five young people at any given time.
“Serious Emotional Disturbances” for children and adolescents refers to the above disorders when they severely disrupt daily functioning in home, school, or community. Serious emotional disturbances affect 1 in every 10 young people at any given time.

Mental Health Disorders Are More Common in Young People than Many Realize.

Studies show that at least one in five children and adolescents have a mental health disorder. At least one in 10, or about 6 million people, have a serious emotional disturbance.

The Causes Are Complicated

Mental health disorders in children and adolescents are caused mostly by biology and environment. Examples of biological causes are genetics, chemical imbalances in the body, or damage to the central nervous system, such as a head injury. Many environmental factors also put young people at risk for developing mental health disorders. Examples include:

Exposure to environmental toxins, such as high levels of lead;
Exposure to violence, such as witnessing or being the victim of physical or sexual abuse, drive-by shootings, muggings, or other disasters; Stress related to chronic poverty, discrimination, or other serious hardships; and
The loss of important people through death, divorce, or broken relationships.

Signs of Mental Health Disorders Can Signal a Need for Help

Children and adolescents with mental health issues need to get help as soon as possible. A variety of signs may point to mental health disorders or serious emotional disturbances in children or adolescents. Pay attention if a child or adolescent you know has any of these warning signs:

A child or adolescent is troubled by feeling:

Sad and hopeless for no reason, and these feelings do not go away. Very angry most of the time and crying a lot or overreacting to things.

Worthless or guilty often.

Anxious or worried often.

Unable to get over a loss or death of someone important.
Extremely fearful or having unexplained fears.

Constantly concerned about physical problems or physical appearance.

Frightened that his or her mind either is controlled or is out of control.

A child or adolescent experiences big changes, such as:

Showing declining performance in school.

Losing interest in things once enjoyed.

Experiencing unexplained changes in sleeping or eating patterns.

Avoiding friends or family and wanting to be alone all the time.

Daydreaming too much and not completing tasks.

Feeling life is too hard to handle.

Hearing voices that cannot be explained.

Experiencing suicidal thoughts.

A child or adolescent experiences:

Poor concentration and is unable to think straight or make up his or her mind.

An inability to sit still or focus attention.
Worry about being harmed, hurting others, or doing something “bad”.

A need to wash, clean things, or perform certain routines hundreds of times a day, in order to avoid an unsubstantiated danger.

Racing thoughts that are almost too fast to follow.
Persistent nightmares.

A child or adolescent behaves in ways that cause problems, such as:

Using alcohol or other drugs.

Eating large amounts of food and then purging, or abusing laxatives, to avoid weight gain.

Dieting and/or exercising obsessively.

Violating the rights of others or constantly breaking the law without regard for other people.

Setting fires.

Doing things that can be life threatening.

Killing animals.

Comprehensive Services through Systems of Care Can Help
Some children diagnosed with severe mental health disorders may be eligible for comprehensive and community-based services through systems of care. Systems of care help children with serious emotional disturbances and their families cope with the challenges of difficult mental, emotional, or behavioral problems. To learn more about systems of care, call the National Mental Health Information Center at 1-800-789-2647, and request fact sheets on systems of care and serious emotional disturbances, or visit the Center’s web site at

http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov

Finding the Right Services Is Critical

To find the right services for their children, families can do the following:

Get accurate information from hotlines, libraries, or other sources.

Seek referrals from professionals.

Ask questions about treatments and services.

Talk to other families in their communities.

Find family network organizations.

It is critical that people who are not satisfied with the mental health care they receive discuss their concerns with providers, ask for information, and seek help from other sources.

Important Messages About Child and Adolescent Mental Health:

Every child’s mental health is important.

Many children have mental health problems.

These problems are real, painful, and can be severe.

Mental health problems can be recognized and treated.

Caring families and communities working together can help.

Information is available; call 1-800-789-2647.

This is one of many fact sheets on children’s mental health disorders. All the fact sheets listed below are written in an easy-to-read style. Families, caretakers, and media professionals may find them helpful when looking for information about mental health disorders. For free copies, call 1-800-789-2647, or visit http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov

With Much Love,

Arthur Buchanan

President/CEO

Out of Darkness & Into the Light

43 Oakwood Ave. Suite 1012

Huron Ohio, 44839

567-219-0994 (cell)

http://www.out-of-darkness.com

They are calling Arthur Buchanan’s methods of recovering from mental illness REVOLUTIONARY! (MEDICAL COLLEGE OF MICHIGAN) ‘Arthur Buchanan has given us a revolutionary blue print for recovery in these uncertain times, when Mental Illness at a all time high in the United States of America, yet if you follow this young mans methods, we assure you of positive results and I QUOTE ‘If these methods are followed precisely, their is no way you can’t see positive results with whatever illness you have’ -Dr. Herbert Palos Detroit, Michigan

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Losing weight and going on a diet can be quite challenging! As someone who has lost over 50 pounds, I will share a bit of my “dieting wisdom” with you.

1. Throw Out that Scale! Of course we all want to keep track of our progress, but stepping on that scale everyday isn’t the way to do it. In fact, it can keep us from focusing on what we really should be focusing on. A preoccupation with what the scale reads can cause us to become dependent and depressed. Instead, keep close attention to how you feel–lack of energy and tiredness could be an indication that you are failing to loose weight in the healthiest way. On the other hand, increased energy could be a sign that you are becoming healthier. Focus on what your body tells you–monitor how clothes are fitting you. This is a much more positive way of monitoring your weight loss. Save the scale for regular doctor’s checkups or occuasional, periodic use.

2. Set Realistic Goals. Trying to “loose weight fast” is often times not only impractical, but also dangerous. Set goals that you know can be feasibly integrated into your daily routine. Not only are quick weight loss attempts often difficult to maintain, but they can also be hazardous to your health–causing you to ruin your metabolism and rapidly regain the weight as soon as you stop your diet.

3. Expect Fallbacks. We all have our bad days. Being hard on yourself for breaking your diet and falling back on your weight goals is part of the process! Frustration can make it even harder to get back on track. Instead, look forward and decide ways in which you can be more dedicated to your goals. Keeping a journal can help.

4. Praise Yourself Often. Remember, attaining your weight goals is just as much a mental process as it is a physical one. For this reason, it is important to keep yourself motivated. Think of ways to positively reward yourself. For example: get your nails done or have a guys-only night out. There are all kinds of ways to pamper yourself without spending too much money. Be creative!

5. Be Open with your Doctor. If you are struggling in acheiving your goals, don’t keep trying to do it alone! Contact your doctor. He/she may be able to help you customize your goals or refer you to a nutritionist or other professional trained to help patients mentally and physically stay on track when loosing weight.

Above all, remember that loosing weight does not mean foregoing fun and ignoring what your mind and emotions tell you. In fact, paying attention to your mental state can ultimately mean far better results. Forget about the scale, be realistic, reward yourself, and, if needed, seek professional assistance. With the right mindset, you will already be well on your way to reaching your weight loss goals!

Amie Gerlowski writes for Weight Loss Guide, an online resource about diet pills such as Hoodia.

Tags: diet, dieting, health, information, loss, mental, pills, tips, Weight, weight lossdiet, dieting, health, information, loss, mental, pills, tips, Weight, weight loss

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You just put in a good 10 hour day in front of your computer screen, and the last thing you want to do is exercise. Let’s see, exercise, and improve your fitness level, or sit down with a glass of wine and watch your favorite evening television show. What would you do?

Seventy percent of individuals know they should exercise, but
choose the wine and the television program instead.

Do you know this simple daily decision can end up being detrimental to your health? According to the USCDC, 54.1% of adults don’t do the minimum level of exercise or physical activity recommended for wellness. The slogan “use it or lose it” has never been more true.

The simple innocent choice of not exercising has shown, in studies, to promote 10 serious health conditions you don’t ever want to develop. The bottom line is physical inactivity has a lot of unhealthy implications even at our bodies cellular level. At the cellular level, inactivity decreases
the ability to transfer oxygen from your blood stream to your cells, and also decreases the number of power activating mitochondria. However, the worst cost of not exercising or being physically active can result in the following 10 devastating conditions:

1. CANCER - Studies have shown that fitness enthusiastic men and women who are physically active have a 30 to 40 percent lower risk of colon cancer compared to individuals who are inactive.

2. DIABETES - Studies show lack of regular physical exercise increases insulin sensitivity. Diabetes is considered the “sedentary disease” which is striking people at an alarming rate. If it is not controlled, it can destroy the body’s organs.

3. HEART - Lack of consistent physical activity, over time, decreases the function of the heart muscle, affects the blood vessels, including the large aortic artery to the veins and small capillaries. According to many studies, scientists have good reason to believe that regular exercise protects the
heart.

4. STROKE - Regular exercisers are 25% less likely to have a stroke than their sedentary counterparts. Being fit lowers blood pressure, raises HDL cholesterol, and reduces the risk of blood clots.

5. BRAIN - People who are physically active, according to solid evidence, are at lower risk for cognitive decline and dementia.

6. MUSCLES - If you don’t exercise on a regular basis, you are at risk of losing some 6 percent of your muscles mass every decade of life from the age of 30 on. This also translates into a 10 - 15 percent loss of strength per decade. Once again, if you don’t use the muscle, you will lose the muscle quickly.

7. OSTEOPOROSIS - Fragile bones cause more than 1.5 million fractures each year in the U.S. Bone is like muscle, if you stress it, it responds. If you don’t, you gradually lose its strength, and increase your chances of breaking them. Regular weekly strength training can help prevent osteoporosis, and decrease your chances of breaking a bone.

8. MENTAL HEALTH - People who don’t exercise on a regular basis are more prone to develop depression. According to a recent study, people who were more active were nearly 20 percent less likely to be diagnosed with depression over the next five years than less active people. Fitness conscious individuals also generally display an improved self esteem, or self image.

9. WEIGHT - If you are inactive, year in and year out, you will eventually gain weight and lose fitness which increases the chance of a heart attacks, and diabetes.

10. IMMUNE SYSTEM - Moderate amounts of exercise reduces the
risk of upper respiratory infection. Regular exercise may boost
immune function.

Now I would like to ask that same question I asked above. What
would you do? Wine and television, or physical activity?

Now for the good news! In as little as 30 minutes of exercise or
fitness work each day, you can significantly decrease your chances of developing any of these horrible conditions mentioned above. This is the best “medicine” any doctor can possibly prescribe!

I hope I have encouraged you to become more physically
active today, and beyond. Your quality of life depends upon
it. Consider these the most important words you will hear
today!

Remember, you have a choice. Make the fitness choice.
_______________________________________________

For information on how to develop a fitness program
which delivers twice the results in half the time, visit
Wellness Word Multimedia Newsletter at http://www.WellnessWord.com
________________________________________________

*** Attention: Ezine Editors / Website Owners ***
Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine, Blog, Autoresponder,or on your website as long as the links, and resource box are not altered in any way.

Jim O’Connor, Beverly Hills celebrity fitness consultant, has conducted thousands of personal fitness consultations with celebrities, business executives, and highly motivated
individuals throughout Los Angeles. He is the Chief Exercise Physiologist for Wellness WORD, LLC, a health, fitness, and nutrition promotion company. Jim is the author of a well
known, world wide multimedia newsletter called Wellness WORD, published online every other week promoting the health and fitness truth. He also is the author of a popular
ebook called Home Gym Shopping Secrets. Get The Wellness WORD “Multimedia” Newsletter delivered every other week for NO CHARGE to your inbox, and find out what the neat multimedia tricks Jim uses.

http://www.WellnessWord.com
http://www.HomeGymShoppingSecrets.com

Tags: cancer, diabetes, exercise, fitness, health, heart disease, osteoporosiscancer, diabetes, exercise, fitness, health, heart disease, osteoporosis

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