Mental Health

What Is Mental Health? What Is Mental Disorder?

for one simple reason - governments are reluctant to fund, conduct or publish rigorously controlled large scale studies which look at the effect of additives on human mental health. Changing farming practices have introduced higher levels of different types of fat into our diet. For example, chickens reach their ideal weight for slaughter twice as quickly today compared to three decades ago - this has changed the nutritional profile of meat, according to a report by the Mental Health Foundation (UK). Three decades ago a typical chicken carcass used to be 2% fat - today they are a whopping 22%. The omega-3 fatty acid content in chicken meat has dropped while the omega-6 fatty acids have risen. The same is happening to farmed fish. *The function of fats and amino acids in our brains: Our brains" dry weight consists of approximately 60% fat. Our brain cell membranes are directly affected by the fats we eat. Saturated fats make our brain cell membranes less flexible. Saturated fats are those that harden at room temperature. 20% of the fat that exists in our brain is made up of essential fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6. The word essential here means we cannot make it ourselves, so we have to consume it in order to get it. Fatty acids perform crucial functions in the structuring of neurons (brain cells), making sure that optimal communication is maintained within the brain. Nutritionists say omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids should be consumed in equal amounts. If we consume unequal amounts there is a higher chance of having problems with depression, concentration and memory. It is crucial omega-3 intake is kept up. While one study shows a link between omega-3 intake and mental skills, others show there are benefits for cardiovascular problems, diabetes, ADHD, and a host of other problems: Fish and omega-3 linked to mental skills. Experts recommend that infant formula should include DHA omega-3 and AA omega-6 to guarantee correct eye and brain development. The diet of Typical North Americans is deficient in omega-3 fatty acids and may pose a risk to infant development. Trans-fat, which has appeared in growing quantities into much of the food we eat over the last few decades, assumes the same position as essential fatty acids in the brain. In other words, the proper vital nutrients are not able to assume their right position for the brain to function effectively. Trans-fats are commonly found in cakes, biscuits, shortbread, some pastries and many ready meals. Neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, are made from amino acids which we often have to get by eating it. If you want to feed your brain with good stuff eat less intensively farmed chicken and meat, and go for organic chicken and non-farmed oily fish, such as tuna, sardines, trout, or salmon. The Mental Health Foundation has a booklet "Healthy eating and depression", for anyone who wishes to protect their mental health through healthy eating. A study found that eating a Mediterranean diet appears to be associated with less risk of mild cognitive impairment - a stage between normal aging and dementia or of transitioning from mild cognitive impairment into Alzheimer"s disease. An Australian study found that a high quality breakfast, with foods from at least three different healthy food groups, was linked with better mental health in 14 year old boys and girls. The researchers found that for every extra food group eaten at breakfast, the associated mental health score improved. *Exercise and mental health An interesting animal study found that physical and mental exercises help improve schizophrenia symptoms. A Harvard University study found that exercise may help people with depression by enhancing body image, providing social support from exercise groups, a distraction for every day worries, heightened self-confidence from meeting a goal, and altered circulation of the neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine, and the endorphins. Even a very small amount of additional exercise has been seen to have an important impact on mental health. A Scottish study involving 20,000 people found that performing as little as twenty minutes of any physical activity, including housework, per week is enough to boost mental health. Interesting related article: What is exercise? What are the benefits of exercise? Exercise can boost an exercise-related gene in the brain that works as a powerful anti-depressant, scientists at the Yale School of Medicine found. They then compared the brain activity of sedentary mice to those who were given running wheels. The researchers observed that the mice with wheels within one week were running more than six miles each night. Four independent array analyses of the mice turned up 33 hippocampal exercise-regulated genes-27 of which had never been identified before. The UK"s National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued guidelines for health professionals on how to encourage older people to engage in more physical activity as a way to boost their mental health; one suggestion is for GPs to encourage their older patients to join local walking schemes and tell them how walking benefits mental wellbeing. Another study, carried out in the United Kingdom found that regular intense physical exercise is linked with lower rates of depression and anxiety in men up to five years later. Sadly, the Mental Health Foundation found that very few UK patients are offered the choice of exercise therapy for mild to moderate depression. Apparently, only 5% of GPs (general practitioners, primary care physicians) use it as one of their most regular treatment responses, compared to 92% who use antidepressants as one of their most popular treatment responses. In 2006 only 42% of UK GPs reported having access to exercise referral schemes, despite the overwhelming evidence of its benefits for patients. Even among GPs who do have access to exercise referral schemes, only 15% use them very frequently or frequently for patients with mild or moderate depression. Unfortunately, apart from a couple of exceptions, much of the rest of the world"s health care professionals seem to ignore exercise as a vital treatment for mental illness. If you have a mental disorder, remember that you can do the exercise yourself. You do not need to wait for your doctor to "prescribe" it for you. Perhaps you should initially check whether you are in acceptable physical health to do exercise. If you are not, insist that your doctor help you devise an exercise plan that suits you. The benefits may surprise you. Alcohol is a common form of "self-medication" for people with mental health problems There is evidence that very moderate alcohol consumption may aid mental health in some cases. However, the evidence is overwhelming that excessive alcohol has a very bad impact on people"s mental health. Whatever your attitude is to alcohol, remember that alcohol will not resolve your mental health problems, and will most likely make them worse if you are not very, very careful. Check out our specialized latest news channels, with up-to-date news on the following subjects (click on the relevant one to go to that specialized news channel): Alcohol, Addiction, and Illegal Drugs News Alzheimer"s and Dementia News Anxiety and Stress News Autism News Depression News Eating Disorders News Mental Health News Psychology and Psychiatry News Schizophrenia News Sleep and Sleep Disorders News Drinking to deal with difficult feelings or symptoms is referred to by some mental health professionals as self medication. It is important to know that excessive drinking is a likely medium to long term consequence of this type of self medication. Most studies clearly prove that consuming high amounts expose people to significant risks of higher levels of mental health problems. People who suffer from more severe mental health problems are more likely to have alcohol problems too, compared to other people. Experts say this does not necessarily mean that alcohol causes severe mental illness. Perhaps it is more linked to "self-medication". A report in 2008 said that urgent action is needed to prevent a "silent epidemic" of alcohol-related dementia in the UK. A statistical modeling study suggests that problems with alcohol abuse may lead to an increased risk of depression, as opposed to the reverse model in which individuals with depression self-medicate with alcohol. In other words, alcohol increases depression risk - it is not the other way round. A study found a clear link between binge drinking and depression. It seems the link is stronger for women. However, the relationship between alcohol use and depression when depression is measured as recent feeling of depressions or unhappiness, is the same for both sexes. Scientists at the University of North Carolina School of medicine found that stopping drinking - including at moderate levels - may lead to health problems including depression and a reduced capacity of the brain to produce new neurons, a process called neurogenesis. Written by Christian Nordqvist Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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