This month is MENTAL HEALTH MONTH!!! Throughout my life I have had a special place for those living with mental health symptoms. I am careful to say symptoms because I feel a large part of the problem with our care of these issues is that we as a country and a health care system have stigmatized mental health to the point that people are afraid to say when they are struggling or need help. We have made it about not being strong enough, not being resilient enough, not practicing enough stress management things etc. But let's be honest. We can do all the self care things that Dr. Logan has outlined above and still, at the end of the day, struggle. It’s often like a deep dark secret that we have to work up the nerve to tell someone about, even our family and health care providers.
We often think and feel that we are in a small group of people who “can’t get themselves together.” But the truth is that according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 40 million adults (19.1% of the population) aged 18 and over are affected by anxiety. And in 2017, around 17.3 million adults 18 and older (6.7% of the population) in the US had had at least 1 episode of major depression in the previous year. What this tells me is that these two conditions are common and, also according to the ADAA, only about 40% of those with anxiety and 60% of people with depression receive treatment.
In addition to the stigma often associated with mental health symptoms, there is also a fear that once you have told your health care provider the immediate response or only treatment option offered will be medications. People are looking for and deserve something more.
So let me be the first to say that I have struggled with anxiety on and off in my adult life. My anxiety increased significantly after my heart attack as it often does after this kind of life threatening event. But if I am honest with myself, I probably had it before and was just powering through life like many of us do. But after my heart attack and being faced with my own mortality, it was no longer something that could be ignored. During every minimally strenuous activity I wondered, 'is this going to bring on another event that would lead to my demise’. It is much better now as I have made self care a priority by spending time in prayer, in nature and deep breathing for stress management.
For people struggling with chronic illness, we know there is often an increase in both depression and anxiety. Every day brings potentially new challenges, and there is often no consistency in symptoms. There may be more “bad days” than “good days.” I believe we are designed for routine and thrive when life is more predictable. I have found that when life becomes more unpredictable, as is often the case with chronic disease, stress levels increase and our resiliency decreases.
So, I want to invite you into a space of self acceptance and grace. If you live with anxiety or depression, you are not alone. You are also not crazy and not weak. You don’t need to “push through it, get over it, or suck it up.” What you are is a normal person who is walking through a difficult time who may need some assistance from a professional with navigating the path. You are strong and you are resilient.
We at the Logan Institute invite you to be honest about any struggles you are having because that is the first step in true healing. We invite you to have grace for yourself and to be your biggest advocate instead of your worst critic. We encourage you to make self affirming talk your default. We are here for you and look forward to walking this path together.
-Dr. Litty
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