Category: Mental Illness

Schizophrenia is a long-term mental health condition causing a range of different psychological symptoms. It has been described by professionals as a type of psychosis. Psychosis means a person is not always able to determine their own thoughts from actual reality.

Some of the symptoms of Schizophrenia can include confused thoughts that may be based on hallucinations and unusual beliefs. These unusual beliefs are often referred to as delusions.

As a result of this mental illness patients can become self-isolated, they may avoid self-care and good personal hygiene. Social interaction may also become somewhat difficult and in some cases, avoided completely.

Some patients share similar genetic abnormalities, such as missing specific chunks of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid). How these gaps contribute to the disease is still unknown. Although, it is believed by professionals and specialists in the field of psychology that Schizophrenia is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Researchers in Denmark looked into twins and found that if one twin had Schizophrenia, then the other twin with the same genes was also affected. This happened in 1/3 cases. Researchers also found that 79% of the risk of developing Schizophrenia was down to their genes. The study was carried out by researchers from The Centre for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia at Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark.

For Schizophrenia to be expressed there must be multiple alleles present. The rate of births of two Schizophrenic parents is under 40%. Many relatives of people with schizophrenia may carry a slight genetic susceptibility. Deletions of genetic material in any number of several chromosomes which can affect numerous genes are thought to raise the threat of Schizophrenia. In specific, a small deletion in a region of chromosome 22 called 22q11 could be involved in a slight percentage of cases of Schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia has a tendency to run in families, but no particular gene is thought to be liable. It’s more probable that different patterns of genes make families more vulnerable to the disorder. However, owning these genes does not automatically mean you’ll develop schizophrenia. Two genes overlap with GWAS markers, these genes are called GRIN2A and SP4. This implies to us that although less than one in 10,000 people may carry the risky mutations, variations of the exact genes that increase the danger of Schizophrenia could be more widespread.

GRIN2A, and a third gene is known as GRIA3 code for brain receptors for the neurotransmitter glutamate. Research has suggested that the Glutamate pathway is heavily entwined in Schizophrenia. This is because researchers have found that two drugs that block these receptors, PCO and Ketamine, can trigger Schizophrenia behaviors and symptoms.

Recent studies have been designed to investigate the non-pharmalogical treatments in the world of mental disorders. A variety of mental disorders are set to have a (possible) psychotic component: schizophrenia, psychosis, schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder. Non-pharmalogical treatments exist of exercise therapy, cognitive therapy, art therapy, relaxation and music therapy. Zooming in on the music therapy gives us reason to think that there could be a beneficial aspect for using it to reduce psychotic problems. Thus, we can question whether musical therapy would clinically relevant reduce psychotic symptoms [positive, negative and general wellbeing].

Oude studie van muziek positief effect op mental zieken

In a cross-national survey of 1124 choral singers, the benefits of group singing have been shown. These benefits included improved mode a enhancement of the quality of life, a rise in happiness, reduction of stress and improved wellbeing. In another qualitative study, where a choir consisting of 89% members with a mental illness, membership in the choir and singing had a personal impact, social impact (better social functioning and connection with others) and improved physical health.

Psychose Uitleg

Psychosis is a group of symptoms and is currently defined by hallucinating and delusions dividing the conscious mind from reality. Delusions are strong beliefs that are false. They are based on false inferences about reality and maintained despite evidence that undeniably contradicts the belief. Hallucinations are sensory perceptions in the absence of corresponding external stimulus. In other words, sensations that are not real. Delusions are strong beliefs that are false. They are based on false inferences about reality and maintained despite evidence that undeniably contradicts the belief Hallucinations can be experiences with any sense: hearing, sight, smell, taste, or touch. There should be added that the person in question doesn’t have insight into a hallucination. Meaning that the person in unaware of it being unreal, therefore preserved insight like the visual hallucination of migraine aura will not be defined as symptoms of a psychosis. psychotic disorders are defined by abnormalities of one, or more, of five domains: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking (speech), grossly disorganized or abnormal motor behaviour (including catatonia), and negative symptoms. Psychosis can be seen in multiple psychiatric disorders presented in the DSM-5. It is the defining feature of the schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Psychosis can also occur in bipolar disorders (during a manic or depressive episode) and during a major depressive episode associated with major depressive disorders. In those conditions, the psychotic symptoms (usually delusions) may increase or decrease in correlation with the change in mood.

Severe mental Ilness uitleg + Dat therapy niet helpt music therapy well?

Starting off with the term severe mental disorders also called severe mental illness: we can define these types of mental disorders by a severe global impression, low level of functioning or by chronicity and treatment resistance. Specific states that are considered as severe, such as psychosis or suicidal behaviour, meet these criteria.

Consequences for people with these types of illnesses include difficulties in maintaining employment, isolation from others and having and having unstable future where the family relationships can be difficult due to separation from family support.

Treatment options for these people include psychopharmacological and psychotherapeutic approaches. These are efficient in patients, but it must be stressed that it’s not efficient in all patients and the effect has its limits. The remaining patients show substantial symptom levels and impaired functioning. This is where other forms of therapy came in place. Several studies have described how participants, that not improved through other therapies, benefitted from music therapy.

Geschiedenis

It was in North and South America, 1940, that music therapy was first recognized as a profession. In Europe this was more than a decade later (Austria and England 1958).

In 1962, it was noted that the influence of music may not only have effects on physiological human functioning, but also the quality of life and psychological well-being. Applications of music for treatment of various diseases have been recognizable and musicians practiced musical therapy for patients in mental hospitals in the early years of the last century.

After that we see innovative efforts to broaden the use of musical therapy. This caused increased use of various kinds of musical therapy that have been performed in clinical practice for patients with psychosis. Therapists in Japan, influenced by the beginnings and accomplishments made in America and Europe, started systematized efforts of musical therapy practice for psychiatric patients. Most of these patients having schizophrenia. These events resulted in the establishment of the Japanese Federation of Musical Therapy (1995). This unification of musical therapy organizations provided a base for the specialized training while it spread over other areas of psychiatric practice.

Music Therapy Now And Goal

Music therapy as we know it today is a form of psychotherapy that uses musical interaction and communication alongside verbal communication to address intra- and intrapsychic as well as social processes. It is hypothesized to diminish severe emotional disturbances. This is done by increasing communication skills, social interactions, and quality of life. Bruscia defines music therapy as “a systematic process of intervention wherein the therapist helps the client to promote health, using music experiences and the relationships developing through them as dynamic forces of change”. It addresses social isolation and stimulates the evolvement of new relationships. Social interaction is enhanced through singing familiar songs, instrumental improvisation, writing original songs and receptive listening to music. This could all be done in group form or individually. The aim is to help people suffering from a severe mental illness to develop relationships and open up or address issues they aren’t able to with words alone. Music is used as an outlet for self-expression and creativity. Going beyond words, it “can be uplifting to the spirit and can be a source of inspiration and hope for positive change”.

Individueel Specifiek Niet Diagnose En Actief Vs Passief

Generally, music therapy is more focused on the individual than the clinical diagnosis. The diagnose does not demand a specific technique. It does however play a role in the therapist’s choices, attitudes and behaviours during the therapy. Meaning the diagnoses of the clients can be different but they follow the same form of music therapy.

This brings us to the different forms of music therapy. Which we divide in active and passive. The active component in active music therapy is creating the music, being through instruments or vocally. This is done by the therapist and patient together. In passive music therapy the therapist is the one that plays music while the patient rests or recorded music may be selected by either therapist or client. The therapists invite the patients to visualize peaceful images, hereby producing a state of mental rehabilitation. A study of Gold found that active and passive music therapy can correct psychosis and depression, even within treatment resistant cases.

Improvisatie structuur/vrij, hoezo werkt het, niet alleen muziek

Except from the form being active or passive, the predefined structuring may vary. By either using more structured forms of music making or having already selected the activities beforehand, as opposed letting these be decided during the session. The level of structuring may vary depending on the clients need, but they also differ between different music therapy models. We see these differences between American and European approaches.

Improvisation might be the most prominent form of interaction in music therapy, being free or structured. The central role of it can be seen in many of the music therapy models. Clients and therapists play together on self-chosen instruments with a musical or non-musical theme. The therapists are trained to imply the therapeutic intervention within the medium. E.g. this could be done by providing the base rhythm, to clarify or confront the client’s expression in the music.

Songs can be used to express feelings in a safe and socially acceptable way. Feelings that normally would be too overwhelming for them to express. Music listening may be helpful to find therapeutically relevant issues and make them come to the surface. Issues like emotions, associations, memories and identity issues.

One of the main focusses in music therapy is the stimulation of social interaction and learning the process of coping with difficulties in the social setting. Musical techniques emphasize the playing of instruments, and it is this mechanism that demonstrates that one is responsible for his or her own actions. There is no sound if no-one plays the instrument, if the client stops the music stops. Therapists try to motivate clients to write or sing own songs and there is a place for reflection in the group discussions.

These different angles of approach in music become therapeutic when used in the context of a therapeutic relationship. Discussions, reflections or interpretations connected to the music play a role in the clients meaning of this experience and help to relate the new experiences in the therapy to situations to its own life. It is still unsure how much the music itself is the active and effective factor as to the verbal reflection. The degree in which it’s one or the other may vary between different models of music therapy, as well as between individuals.

However, if the effect of music alone would be tested we wouldn’t call this music therapy. Music therapy is more than the direct effect of music alone and involves a therapeutic setting where there is a process of intervention between client and therapist and this form of music therapy could be given individually or in small group settings over an extended period.

Veel Studie Schizophrenie – Paar Feiten

Most studies in this thesis tend to focus on schizophrenia in regard to psychotic disorders. Schizophrenia is one of the most serious mental disorders. The prevalence is over 1.1 percent (for the people above 18). The Who states that over 21 million people in the world suffer from schizophrenia. People with schizophrenia have a disruption in their thinking pattern this influences language perception and sense of self. As stated before psychotic experiences are included in schizophrenia. The illness has a grip of the patient’s personal life sometimes in such a way that they are incapable of earning a living. Antipsychotics are the main therapeutic intervention for schizophrenia, but these are not without side effects. Schizophrenia has a high risk of chronicity. Treatments until now are aimed at the positive symptoms and the effect on the negative symptoms is less.

Negative symptoms

An important predictor of the quality of life for people with a psychotic disorder are negative symptoms. This aspect of psychotic disorders is described as the reduction or even absence of affective, social and behavioural expression. Negative symptoms may also be side effects from antipsychotic medication or may be secondary to depression. Persistent negative symptoms however are often labelled as primary to the underlying disease. 25% of the patients with a first episode psychoses show persistent negative symptoms this is even more for people with chronic schizophrenia. Biological treatments have a modest impact on negative symptoms. Currently the use of psychological an psychosocial interventions in addition to the medication is suggested. Music helps as a medium for emotional expression and diminish the negative symptoms (affective flattening). Also, the music therapy helps the clients in the social aspect and thus helping them with problems in this area. Another wat in which music therapy helps is by motivating the participants, especially for those who show little to no motivation, this motivation may then have effect in other situations.

Depressive symptoms

Expect from positive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia depressive symptoms also play a role in the wellbeing of the person suffering from schizophrenia. Depressive symptoms partly remit when the positive symptoms decrease. 40% of the people show depressive symptoms a year after remission. In psychosis depressive symptoms are associated with poorer adherence, substance abuse (alcoholism) and poorer outcome in symptoms and daily functioning. Depressive symptoms during a psychosis is also linked to an increased risk of suicides. Therefore, it is important to treat this side of the psychoses also. There isn’t a unanimous decision in the guidelines whether antidepressant should be prescribed in adjunct to antipsychotics or not. Music therapy, as well as other nonverbal therapies, have positive results on depressive symptoms. This will be further investigated in this thesis.

EINDE

All in all, this thesis gives an update on the effect on music therapy for people with a psychotic disorder, mainly focussing on schizophrenia but not only. Studies for the additional effect of music therapy will be systematically reviewed and results for quality of life, positive symptoms, negative symptoms and depressive symptoms will be given in a table to compare (with music therapy and without).

Introduction:

Music therapy is a type of treatment that addresses psychological and social issues among people for all ages. As the brain responds towards sounds, it can act as a mood stimulator. It has the ability to cure both psychological and physical diseases. Music enables to express emotions through which certain chemicals are released in our body which helps us to restore our well-being. Even if we are feeling sad, stressed or eccentric, we convey our feelings through music, so we can denote that music is actually therapeutic. If anyone thinks they have the need to treat their mental health but are unable to express in words or are hesitant to talk to a psychiatrist about it they may seek help through a musical intervention. Musical activities and responses are also known as a powerful obstructive medium to improve both psychological and physical well-being.

Music has an impact over the listener’s mood, therefore, these moods bring about a variety of actions which includes perceptive performance (i.e. thinking, reasoning, problem-solving, innovativeness and mindfulness). These treatments are structured in a way where individuals participate in singing, playing music instruments, rhythmic interventions and learning through music. Surgeons are also said to use music to reduce pain and calm anxiety in patients during surgery. Music therapy focuses on all the aspects of nurture, including speech and communication goals, mental health and addiction issues. [ Ben Dyment, January 2016] Many therapists recommend music therapy as a cure for autism, behavioural development or learning disabilities. They also deal with lifelong diseases in people such as Alzheimer’s, Dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Music is proven to be related to the enhancement of well-being as found in various studies. The benefits of musical intervention in curing mental health seems to be rising as benefits have been found. Therefore, in recent years there have been number of studies that investigates the relationship between music, well-being and health. Music therapy involves the clinical and evidence based use of music interventions to accomplish individual goals. It has been used as a medium to process emotions such trauma, grief but it also acts as calming agent for stress and anxiety.

Background

The brain engages with music to provide significant ways to respond to it with profound cellular signals which develop emotions in us. Just considering, how often we are seen with our earphones plugged on or choosing the song which fits perfectly with our mood for the day. It affects with our experience or we feel a certain change in our daily activities with music playing in the background. When we are listening to music while we are working out at the gym, our body suddenly receives this surge if energy flowing within us resulting in a great workout session. Therefore, music does alter the perception of the environment around us. An experiment carried out by scientists where an individual’s brain was shown was shown on a function magnetic resonance imaging machine or FMRI, while he was listening to music certain areas in the brain was lighting up, this however was just not any music but something the person was familiar to. A music that made them feel significant to. The neurons, through which the brain cells sends messages was activated during the experiment. The different areas of the brain was awakened such as attention, memory, movement, emotion and coordination. Music releases such as serotonin, endorphins into our system which enables our mind to be more engaged to the receptors of the brain.

Music was first used as an impact over the human body was first discovered during in an Egyptian Medical paper dating back to 1500 BCE, according to Rolando Benenzon. There has been various notions of music used as a treatment method in all culture Greco-Roman, Arabic, Indian and Chinese. Mythological and biblical stories prove the usage of music therapy. The infamous biblical story for an instance, where Israelite David was accounted for King Saul to play the harp to soothe him as it was believed he was taunted by an evil spirit. We may refer to the evil spirit as depression or maybe anxiety today. David would have a special chord which he would play for the Lord. Greek philosophers Pythagoras, Aristotle and Plato also addressed the healing and reformative power that music holds. Pythagoras believed that music was more meaningful and was related to mathematics. As a result he carried out an experiment where he discovered and compared the diverse mixture of melodies played on the lyre or sung was able to evoke a range of emotions. Plato and Aristotle has their contribution to this profound method, where they created a structure of thoughts which had four outcomes to music. The four results included echoing emotion, mental satisfaction, positive attitude towards pain and developing intellect.

The roots of music in the ancient times are wide ranged and has been utilized in various ways. Ancient Egyptian used music therapy to cure epilepsy by pipes chant. As stated in historical records, in the 6th century, melancholy patients were put in separate room from other patients to treat illness in the hospitals of Qallawon in Cairo. In the western world, in 1347, many died due to a scary plague called “dancing mania”. The victims of this disease would dance uncontrollably until they passed out of exhaustion. According to the historical records, the infected were cured after musicians were appointed to play a soothing melody which calmed those dancers. The use of music further expanded during the Renaissance, Italian composer and music theorist Gioseffo Zarlino said that music can be seen as therapeutic or curative. He believed that music doesn’t not only cure depression and pain but also had the ability to restore hearing. The many beliefs of Renaissance, made its way towards music therapy into an absolute scientific approach.

The practice of music therapy to address mental health is still on the verge of development, as only a few are aware of this remedy. Bangladesh has yet to consider mental health as an important issue as they are mostly focusing on the cure for physiological diseases. Talking about mental health is still seen as a stigma in the society where people refrain from disclosing their depression or anxiety. However, music therapy is already used to develop cognitive skills in the children of autism which shows that the practice exists in the country but needs more awareness.

Research Questions

Music therapy has the ability to heal and recover mental health illness. As I have mentioned earlier, music therapy treats both psychological and physiological disorder but people are not aware much about this method of treatment in Bangladesh. As a result, I have decided to get people’s opinion on Music Therapy and see their willingness to try it to cure stress and anxiety. Some of my questions are as follows:

• How is the current mental health scenario?
• Have they ever tried any treatment for their mental health?
• What do they know about music therapy?
• Do anyone they know have experienced Music Therapy?
• Do they think Bangladesh should introduce music therapy into their rehabilitation centers?

Hypothesis

Since, music already plays a major role in relaxing the mind when under pressure. Most people are seen turning to music as a medium of relaxation. I believe, majority of the people will acknowledge Music Therapy as a treatment method for stress and anxiety. As we know, talking about mental health or seeking help for psychological issues is still stigmatized in Bangladesh, my research will awaken those people to be more concerned. The people who have been hesitant of addressing their mental health issues will seek help. It will be found that the mental health scenario in Bangladesh has worsened over time and needs serious attention. Most of the respondents may not be aware of Music Therapy but maybe intrigued to try it before trying any other medication.

I presume, most people out there may have never even visited a proper psychologist when they have suffered a trauma. They may know few people who have experienced Music Therapy but have not been fully able to acknowledge it’s benefits.

Research Methodology

The primary research was carried out on a target group from North South University. I have chosen my university as the main area to carry out my research since it enables access to more number of people.A survey questionnaire was give out to them which consisted of a collection of all the questions relevant to the subject of the research. The questionnaire contained two parts; personal information and questions related to their opinion on Music Therapy. The first part asked basic information such as the Gender, Age and the Department. The second part focused on the questions which was related to the research. The questions are mostly multiple choice questions with a single open minded question. The survey was carried out on 40 random students present in North South University on the 5th of April between 11.00 AM to 3:00 PM. 34 respondents completed the sample out of the 40 sample.

For my secondary research, I gathered information from various sources such as online pdf books on my topic and articles on the web. The primary was mostly done on the web. I have looked up information about the topic on the internet by the use of basic search engine such as Google and Bing as well as large reference sites and news sites. The local book café has helped me find books related to my topic. I used online journals and accumulated information from newspaper articles as well as gathered data about Music Therapy from the many Music Therapy associations online.

Data Presentation And Analysis

I have designed a survey questioning various aspects on my topic so that I could get sufficient data about people’s opinion on Music Therapy to cure stress and anxiety. I was able come to a conclusion about my research topic with the help of the data that I had collected during this survey. The questions were completed by a group of people mostly students of whom 17 were male and 17 were female. The data collected is presented and analyzed in the following pages ahead:

The first question, I asked my respondents how often do they think listening to music is beneficial for their mood. This was a general question addressed to know how often listening to music can affect their mood. The results were as expected. About 57% responded listening to music frequently and approximately 40% believes that listening to music very frequently is beneficial for their mood. There were two other options which suggested listening to music “Never” or “Rarely” to which none of my respondents responded which shows that almost everyone considers listening to music in general has benefitted them.

Figure 1: How often do you feel listening to music is beneficial for you mood?

The data collected shows us vividly to what extent listening to music is considered beneficial for their mood. Most of the people listen to music quite often to improve their mood which shows the significance of music in their lives. They may listen to music while they are studying or just driving on the road, music does have an impact on their daily activities. There are various kinds of music online which people listen to depending on how they want to feel. If someone is having trouble to sleep , they may tune into some mild music to help calm their mind and put it to rest or for someone who is feeling lethargic would listen to something of a higher note to boost their overall energy. This can be said that music is a medium through which people like to express themselves.

My second question is based on people participating in Music Therapy as an alternative Treatment for depression and anxiety. 52% responded “Yes”, while 45 % responded “Maybe” and merely a 3% responded “No” to this question. The respondents who have chosen “Yes” has agreed to Music Therapy and does see it as a treatment method for their mental health. The 45% of the people who responded “Maybe” may not be aware of this treatment but are positive about it. And the rest do not prefer music therapy as a means of treatment.

According to the data collected, it suggests that people are positive about Music Therapy being a treatment method. The majority of the respondents who have given positive feedback believes this a treatment without any side effect and is harmless. It already has therapeutic abilities to soothe the mind and body as a result people consider it as an alternative treatment for depression and anxiety. However, most are not aware of this method of treatment and hence they are unsure whether this treatment is able to heal their well-being. As a result, the 45% of the respondent who responded “Maybe” might consider this treatment method if it was actually practiced more often to treat mental health.

The following question queries about the whether people feel there is a greater need for mental health awareness towards music therapy for mental health treatment in Bangladesh. To which 59% said “Yes” and 35% said “Maybe” and only 6% responded “No”. This suggests that a greater number of people feel that Music Therapy should be practiced in rehabilitation centers in Bangladesh and most psychologists should consider this as a method of treatment. The 35% of the respondents are not certain whether Music Therapy should be taken into account. And the rest are denial about this treatment being popular in Bangladesh.

Figure 3: Do you feel there is a greater need for mental health awareness towards music therapy for mental health treat

Mental health awareness needs to be addressed in Bangladesh and gradually develop methods of treatments to cure it. More people needs to talk about the difficulties they are facing mentally and that is when music therapy will come into the picture as a healing method for those issues. Since, people are acceptant towards music therapy there is a higher chance if it’s usage if it is widely preached among the society.

Summary Of Research Findings

The data that I have collected was similar to my hypothesis. In consideration to the data that I have received, it proves that music therapy is actually a treatment method that people may consider as a method of cure for psychological disorders. Also, according to some of my queries I have found that majority of people listen to music when they are feeling upset which shows how often people seek to vent their feelings through music.

I have also queried people if they would choose music therapy as a treatment option before considering any medication. This shows that people would not consume those anti-depressants or anxiety pills if they had a therapeutic treatment medium. They say that those medication come with a lot of after affects which has fallen an impact over their functionality. So, if rehabilitation centers launch music therapy many people would be willing to try it in order to restore their mental stability.

As per my research, many of my respondents were not fully aware of music therapy of how it works as well as only a few people in Bangladesh takes anxiety and depression as a serious issue which needs professional help. In order to address the matter, I have also included an open ended question where they have shared their thoughts about mental health awareness in Bangladesh, to which a larger number of people said that there should be a vast access to psychologists and counsellor to restore mental health. The stigma of speaking about trauma should not be overlooked. Many of them even suggested that the government should launch more psychiatric centers. They should subsidize mental health treatment as it is quite expensive people overlook and suppress themselves which worsens their well-being even more. The comments were evident enough to prove my hypothesis as most of the respondents were interested to know about music therapy and acknowledges its health benefits.

My primary research data suggests that nearly all respondents listen to music on a regular basis, and for most of them it is a constant activity, whereas if someone does not listen to music, they are considered an outlier. I’d like to point out that the data collected concerns young adults – and this is the demographic that needs the most help through the use of music therapy. So we are in a good place to start. All we need is to raise awareness and put a system into place that can begin to provide a service for these young adults to try to relieve them of their anxiety

Conclusion

It can be deduced that music therapy does have therapeutic abilities to cure stress and anxiety in people. A majority of people consider music as a method of relaxation. It has said to stimulate our mood as a result it can work immensely against our mental health. It is a great gateway for introverts who have difficulty in expressing their thoughts and feelings, they can connect through music. It may act as a self-care treatment for someone who suffers from anxiety quite often. Listening to their favorite track may help calm them without depending on any medication. Most of the people I have surveyed believe that they either listen to music or have at least taken a musical instrument lesson for recreational purposes. The younger generation seek music as a medium to express and voice their words through lyrics. Music also helps enhance mindfulness through the rhythm it resonates. Its practice has been successful both in history and the modern world which was proven by secondary research. The reassuring results of music therapy for mental health illness management over the years shows its rising potential as a mental health treatment option in future. I believe the rehabilitation centers in Bangladesh should do more research on Music Therapy and launch it as a program in their respective health care centers. They should educate people about Music Therapy and the remedies it has against psychological disorders. The fact that depression and anxiety should be noticed in its initial stage and healed with such therapeutic measure before they turn into severe disorders which eventually affects their physiological health.

Pregnancy is a massive switch in a woman’s life, and a mix of new emotions, both mentally and physically. Nothing creates more happiness to a women than holding her new born but it also comes with lots of responsibilities. Nurturing a baby is not a easy task, you need to be alert subconsciously as it is rightly said “a mother is never off duty”. Childbirth accompany a lot of changes in woman’s life such as new responsibilities, sleep deprivation, fatigue and no personal space. Hormonal Changes takes place immediately after pregnancy due to which you undergo mood swings.

Post childbirth you are triggered with various hormonal imbalances such as reduction in estrogen and progesterone levels,metabolism issues,functioning of immune system and blood pressure leads to postpartum depression or baby blues.The stress of being a new mother and adapting the changes in your life becomes the most common reason for baby blues.

Baby Blues

Approximately 70-80% of all new mothers experience some negative feelings or mood swings after the birth of their child among which the feeling of tearful is most common.Crying or weeping out unexpectedly on small things is normal.Suddenly you start losing interest and feels everything is worthless for you. It is important to remember that you are not alone in your feelings.

Due to sleep deprivation and physical change you ends up yelling every now and then at your loved ones and get annoyed with the simple mistakes done by anyone around you.Don’t try to be the best mom from the start everything needs time.

Even though you are tired and exhausted after a hard day but you will not be able to sleep due to stress as you always feel anxious about your baby’s health even if everything sounds to be great. Don’t stress out you can blame it on baby blues too.

Sometimes you seems to forget the most important things, this happens due to lack of concentration and lack of mental rest. Although its not a reason to worry as it gets back to normal in few weeks.

Postpartum Depression

The birth of a baby can trigger a jumble of powerful emotions, from excitement and joy to fear and anxiety. But it can also result in something you might not expect — depression.

The early signs of postpartum depression (PPD) are very similar to baby blues but the signs might be quite noticeable.Its easy to miss the difference at start as most common symptoms are mood swings, insomnia, irritability, crying, and sadness.But the major differences which need to be consulted immediately are the thoughts of harming yourself or baby or the fear that someone is going to harm your baby.You start overthinking and worry about the things which don’t exist.It impacts your relationship with your partner as well and you start feeling disconnected with him.This symptoms should not be ignored.

Schizophrenia may impact on the individuals and the filmily in many ways. Many people with schizophrenia faces socio economic and emotional stresses (Goldman 1982). This is because an individual may be unable to maintain a work relationship with others due to lack of self-motivation to get up, go to work and take part in day to day activities. This as a result could leads to job lose and consequently have financial problems, and individual may eventually end up relying on family members to survive. Besides, the lack of employability associated with those with schizophrenia aggravates parents with children who needs care find it very hard to secure employment (Tolsdorf 1976). White et al (1995) argued that this socio-economic burden compounded with chronic relapsing nature of the condition make it almost impossible for majority of mothers giving consistent nurturing of their children in a good environment leading to most mothers end up losing custody of their child, and to some extent family relationships may also break down as a result schizophrenia. However, people from minorities experience double economic stressor, as they consistently have lower income and less access to resources economic as well as health services notably mental health services (Lawson 1986)

Impact of discrimination and stigma on the patient and family member

In many societies, traditionally strength has admired, and weakness discouraged. As result of this approach, many people hid health problems and consequently suffered unnecessarily; this is because sometimes the mother of schizophrenia child faces stigma because of prejudicial beliefs attached to schizophrenia, being diagnosis of schizophrenia is very traumatic and most people do not lives openly, happy and rewarding life. Again, the stigma of the label attached to the diagnosis ‘schizophrenic’ as a results leads to loss of status, and people become more exclusive to society and being subjected to discrimination, contributing to the schizophrenia person and family member being reluctant to seek help and when they do seek help they may have to wait before services are available (Link and Phelan 2001).

The impact on Effect of policy, treatment and demographic transition

The Mental Health Act 1983 which give mandatory of the application of compulsory treatment is based on means tested, either the person with schizophrenia is a risk to self-harm or other come into contact. This suggests that in some cases a person suffering from schizophrenia must fail mental capacity or reach a point of self-harm or harm somebody before the person receive medical attention (Cockerham, 1992,313). Besides, the demographic transition attached to the policy and treatment among certain groups illustrates numerous problems such as lack of continuity, different service ethos and approach, many families must cope with changes and the way they are viewed and valued. The curtailed of treatment when children reached the age of 18 years and become adults create conflict between children social services and adults social service about who should be responsible in terms of cost.

This trend also shows that whenever there is delay of transition youth schizophrenia from community to hospital due to CAMHS shortage beds increase the level of risk among children and young people undergo. These risks may include self-harm, suicide, sexual and violent assault (Lewis et al 2005 and NICE NG43 2016). Burr et al. (1979); (Caton et al. (1999) and White et al. (1995) argued that, the demographic trends also shows high level of people with schizophrenia becoming parents and women leading the chased. However, miller and Finnerty (1996); Mowbray et al. 1995a, 1995b; White et al. (1995) strongly argued that, women with schizophrenia are not just likely to become parents but also most of the pregnancies are unplanned consequently causing divorce and they are more likely to raise the children by themselves.

Although the transitional of schizophrenia inpatient health setting to community, care home, shelter accommodation or back to their family as way of deinstitutionalisation by the policy has had negative impact on those people using the services and their families. The main issues arising from this deinstitutionalisation are lack of integrated service and collaborative working practitioners. This has led to inadequate and break-up of support for service users leading to a pattern of discharge, relapse, readmission and so forth. (Goodwin 1997). Further, the delays and timing of admission in transition of schizophrenia mental ill-patient from the community to the hospital due to shortage of inpatient beds, means that those vulnerable people cannot access services on time when they needed it most. This exacerbates the stress and depresses among the patients and their families endured, and to some extent leading to the unbearable burden on families (Gasby and Tew 2015).

The consequences of schizophrenic illness extend beyond the ill individual to the family, as relatives play an important role in caring for the family sufferer with schizophrenia (Zahid and Ohaeri, 2010). It affects 20million people worldwide (Global Burden of Diseases, 2017). Lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia is high, ranging from 0.4 to 1.4%, due to the early age of onset and chronic course of the disease (Beck, 2014). It is associated with considerable disability and may affect educational and occupational performance (WHO, 2019)). More than 69% of people with schizophrenia are not receiving appropriate care (Lora et al, 2012). Ninety per cent of people with untreated schizophrenia live in low- and middle- income countries (WHO, 2019).

Family members often play a vital role as caregivers in the lives of individuals with schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses (Avasthi, 2010) consequently, constant caregiving has impact on the caregivers themselves, and in turn directly affect the care they provide to their relative patients (Rosland, 2012). Caregivers of patients with schizophrenia have experienced chronic stress in their daily lives due to the destructive and progressive nature of the condition. Some studies showed that constant care for patients with schizophrenia could have a negative impact on family members’ mental health (Iseselo, 2016) and could result in missed work, financial strain (Lasebikan & Ayinde, 2013) negative impact on leisure and social activities and family relationships (Chan, 2011) which in turn could create more psychological distress and to influence the ability of the family to cope and function effectively (Shah, Wadoo, & Latoo, 2010). Caregivers staying with their patients live in the same social, cultural and economic environment exhibit tremendous stress due to handling the symptoms of patient with financial insufficiency and stigmatized attitude of the society with less cooperation from the neighbors (Eag, 2014; Lesselo, Kajula & Malema, 2016;Raj, Shiri & Jangam, 2016;Chadda, 2014).

Assuming these responsibilities is often difficult and research shows that caregiving demands lead to caregiver anxiety, depression, sadness, and anger, as well as physical problems including headaches, stomach pains, and problems with sleep (Small, Harrison, & Newell, 2010). Family caregivers for persons with schizophrenia are also shown to have decreased quality of life, increased stress, and several competing priorities such as maintaining their careers or providing care for other family members (e.g. other dependent children or ailing parents) (Sapouna et al., 2013).

Family caregivers report decreased quality of life as a consequence of their role and responsibilities, and quality of life is mediated through a number factors including time spent caregiving, symptom severity of the care recipient, and psychological distress experienced by the caregiver (Kate et al 2014; Quah, 2014). Social consequences, such as less engagement in activities, increases in household arguments, and economic difficulties are all contributing factors to reduced quality of life (Pshuk & Pshuk, 2015; Kate et al 2014; Sapouna et al., 2013).

Psychological distress is widely used as an indicator of the mental health of the population in public health, in population surveys and in epidemiological studies and, as an outcome, in clinical trials and intervention studies. Yet the concept of psychological distress is still vague for some. Indeed, a closer look at the scientific literature shows that the expression “psychological distress” is often applied to the undifferentiated combinations of symptoms ranging from depression and general anxiety symptoms to personality traits, functional disabilities and behavioural problems (Aline, 2014).

Individuals can react to stressful situations using adaptive or maladaptive coping strategies. Some studies have reported that caregivers use both adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies to deal with problems caused by family members’ mental illness (Pompeo et al, 2016). Grover and Pradyumna (2015) also argue that caregivers’ coping mechanisms can affect patient-related outcomes including relapses, readmission and quality of life.

While there is an abundance of literature that explores family caregiving in mental illness generally (Chang & Horrocks, 2006; Chien, Chan, & Morrissey, 2007; Hsiao & Tsai, 2014; National Alliance for Caregiving, 2016; Onwumere, Larmonth, & Kuipers, 2016), less is known about the experiences of family caregivers of persons with schizophrenia (Young, 2018).

Unlike in the west, where paid informal caregivers take up the role of looking after patients with chronic illness, the family of the mentally ill in sub-Saharan Africa are actively involved in rendering care to their psychiatrically ill relative. Therefore, understanding the coping strategies employed by a particular group such as family caregivers can provide valuable information for designing interventions to help them adapt to the problems caused by living with a mentally ill family member (Kartalova et al, 2008).

Do people who are treated poorly in society due to a mental illness, hold accountability for their own actions? Well this question is tested in the book Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck. The story takes place in the early 1930’s. Two men, Lennie and George are workers who dream of one day having their own farm. Lennie is a bigger man, who seems to suffer from a mental disability, while George is smaller, but is Lennie’s companion, and fellow worker. George always seemed to stick with, and help Lennie, due to his disability, but this all changes once they begin working on a farm together. George always knew Lennie was one to get into trouble, even if it wasn’t on purpose, and tried his best to keep him safe. His illness always prevented him from seeing why or how he got himself into trouble in the first place, which was one of Lennie’s biggest obstacles. People who suffer with these illnesses don’t seem to know the differences between right and wrong, especially if they have a negative impact from the society around them.

Throughout the novel, it is clear how Lennie has had multiple impacts and experiences, that helped with his outcome in the novel. Some of these impacts are shown in situations he was put in from his younger days, into his older ones. As a young child, his Aunt Clara would always give him mice to play with and pet, because Lennie likes soft things. It was said in the novel, how he would accidentally kill the mice, because he was being too rough with them, but it was never intentional. “ ‘ They was so little,’ he said, apologetically. ‘I’d pet ‘em and pretty soon they bit my fingers and I pinched their heads a little and then they was dead- because they was so little.” (Steinbeck, 10) Lennie never intentionally meant to harm the animals he collected, only stop them from biting him, or play with them a bit, but he could never control himself because he didn’t know any better. Another situation that he couldn’t control was when he accidentally killed the puppy toward the end of the novel. He claimed that the puppy was beginning to bite him, and he smacked it to stop it, but used too much force and accidentally killed him. Lennie had good intentions, just didn’t seem to handle his emotions correctly. And the final situation was when he killed Curley’s wife. She came in shortly after Lennie killed the dog. She comforted him, and let him touch her hair, after Lennie had explained how he liked to touch soft things. Eventually Curley’s wife pulled away, and this made Lennie panic, and tug her hair. As he was struggling with Curley’s wife, trying to keep her from yelling so he wouldn’t be in trouble, he accidentally snapped her neck, not knowing what he was doing. “Lennie was in a panic. His face was contorted… ‘I don’t want you to yell. You gonna get me in trouble jus’ like George says you will.’… And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck.” (Steinbeck, 91) Lennie never had any intention of hurting her, just trying to keep her from getting in trouble with George. He had no control over his actions in these situations because he was never told right from wrong. He was never taught to be gentle, and not to hit or squeeze the animals. Only yelled at and punished if he hurt someone or something on accident, just because he had a disability.

Another way that Lennie’s outcome, and the overall outcome of the book was affected was through societies views and actions toward Lennie. One of the main views that Lennie relies on throughout the book is George. George is his main companion, and someone who Lennie trusted. Even though George was a friend, he was also someone who made Lennie nervous, and this can be seen in Lennie’s reactions. George knew about Lennie’s condition, but yet he treated him like he was any other person. While this is good in some cases, in other cases it can be harsh, because Lennie has a hard time understanding where George is coming from. An example of this would be when Lennie and Curley’s wife were struggling, and Lennie begged her to keep quiet because george would yell at him. “ ‘Oh! Please don’t do none of that,’ he begged. ‘ George gonna say I done a bad thing. He ain’t gonna let me tend to no rabbits.’” (Steinbeck, 91) This scene showed the significance of the relationship between Lennie and George, and how Lennie really felt about George when Lennie made a mistake. Another person who was a very negative influence on Lennie’s life, and behaviors, was Curley. He never really disciplined Lennie for his bad actions, but provoked them. Curley would take advantage of Lennie and fight with him physically. “Curley’s fist was swinging when Lennie reached for it. The next minute Curley was flopping like a fish on a line, and his closed fist was lost in Lennie’s big hand. George ran down the room. “Leggo of him Lennie, Let go.” ( 63, Steinbeck) Curley would go after him, proving to Lennie that violence was not only his only defense, but right, because no one would tell him otherwise. Lennie was easily influenced due to his disability, and these people played a part in the way Lennie behaved.

People who suffer from mental illnesses, can’t decipher the difference from right or wrong easily, or on their own. Lennie was a clear representation of this statement, and also helped prove the question if people with disabilities could be held accountable for their own actions to be false. Influences and people play big parts in mentally disabled people’s lives, and should be better cared for. If Lennie had received the discipline he needed, the outcome would have been very different.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder that causes recurring thoughts and obsessions that lead to repetitive day-to-day behavior. Many do not understand what the mental illness truly is. Keeping things in a certain place or touching things like door handles and light switches multiple times or a particular number of times are just a couple of examples of how OCD affects people’s lives every day. The symptoms, false accusations, the different types of the disorder, medication, and treatments are mostly unknown to many people worldwide. Many have the wrong idea and conceptions about OCD and how it works. This disorder is one of the most growing mental health illnesses.

Symptoms fluctuate depending on the person and the type they have. Some examples include being fearful of germs or dirt, counting, tapping, fear of losing control resulting in harming yourself or others, superstitions, double-checking everything, and repeatedly checking on loved ones to make sure they’re okay. The symptoms that come along with this disorder are ongoing and cause anxiety. Symptoms in children are somewhat different from the ones in teens and adults. According to the helpguide.org article, “While the onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder usually occurs during adolescence or young adulthood, younger children sometimes have symptoms that look like OCD. However, the symptoms of other disorders, such as ADHD​, autism, and Tourette’s syndrome, can also look like obsessive-compulsive disorder, so a thorough medical and psychological exam is essential before any diagnosis is made”.

Nobody that has this disorder wants to have it, they just learn to deal with it. Studies have shown that OCD is characterized by two major symptoms – obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are intrusive, unwanted thoughts or urges that cause distress, anxiety, or unease. In contrast, compulsions are behaviors that a person engages in as they try to eliminate their obsessions and decrease their distress. OCD develops when a person becomes trapped in a cycle of obsessions and compulsions, and this can have devastating effects on the overall quality of life. This disorder affects millions of people every year. Most people that deal with this illness every day feel too ashamed and embarrassed when compulsions take over. These compulsions aren’t just something that they can stop. They begin and it’s like they have no other choice but to perform these rituals.

Most people tend to get the wrong idea about OCD. There are too many false accusations out there and people get confused between what is OCD and what are just preferences. A lot of people like to have all of their things color-coded and like to say that they have the disorder, but they are wrong. Having things color-coded does not mean someone has OCD, it just simply means they have a preference. The phrase ‘Everyone’s a little OCD’ is another common misconception. According to the article from happiful.com, “OCD affects 12 every 1,000 people. You can’t be ‘a little OCD’, you either have it or you don’t”. Misconceptions like ‘OCD is a choice’ are completely wrong. It isn’t a choice, no one would want to live with a mental illness.

The different types are mostly unknown to nearly everyone. There are five major types that are the most common, but someone can have more than one type. The first type is contamination and washing, which is an obsessional worry of being contaminated and having germs everywhere. The obsession with germs causes fears that they will hurt themselves or a loved one. The second type is harm and checking. Checking is a compulsion and a fear that someone will be hurt or something will be damaged. Checking also results in doing rituals and other compulsions to prevent the act from happening. The third and most known type is symmetry, arranging, counting, and just right OCD. This type causes the person to make sure everything is lined up symmetrically and feels ‘right’. Picking something up and sitting there to make sure it’s put down exactly how it was or how the person wants it. Also, these are the compulsions where the ‘right number’ comes out. Turning lights on and off or closing car doors four times because ‘four is a good number’.

Many different types of medication and therapy are used to treat the illness, but there is no cure. The different types of antidepressants include clomipramine, fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), etc. Other treatments include psychotherapy, support groups, aversion therapy, and cognitive behavior therapy. These medications also tend to treat anxiety and depression that can be caused by obsessive-compulsive disorder.

In conclusion, OCD is a growing disorder and affects millions of lives every day. More people need to know the truth about OCD, not the misconceptions. There are so many people who do not know about it and might need to know later on when it comes to mental illness. This mental illness is very complex and usually misunderstood. More research and studies should be performed to look more in-depth because so many suffer from this crucial illness. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a constant struggle and something that should be researched more. Everyone should remember that nobody who has this illness wants it. It is something that they have to live with and learn to deal with. There is no cure whatsoever. Yes, there is medicine and treatment for it, but that is not a cure, it is simply putting a band-aid over a large cut; it works for a little bit, but it never stops the bleeding. There needs to be something done about this. People with this illness need to be heard.

Abstract

Many people know someone who abuses substances or someone who has gone through addiction recovery. Even though many people have had this connection with substance abuse, they don’t understand what people go through. It is important to what people who have abused substances or are abusing substances are going through. It is also important to understand what people experience when they go through addiction recovery.

Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery

In 2004 my dad decided it was time to get clean. He was arrested and had to go to drug court, that is when he knew he had to change. March 13, 2004, is the day my dad got sober from using all drugs and alcohol. To this day he will tell you that he is an addict, and it is something that he battles with every day. My mom is also sober from drugs and her sobriety date is April 22, 2015. Time and time again, I find myself asking why a person starts using drugs, what makes a person relapse, and what is the recovery process.

Body of the Essay

What are some reasons why people abuse substances and fall into addiction? One reason is genetics. Genetics account for 40% to 60% of someone’s risk of addiction (Ackerman, 2021). If someone has parents who have addictive tendencies, they are more likely to become addicted to something like their parents. For example, if a parent who was an alcoholic has a child, later in life, that child will have 1.) A smaller amygdala is a part of the brain that contributes to cravings and emotions. 2.) A person who has a predisposition to alcohol use doesn’t experience the same warning signs other people do when they drink (Ackerman, 2021). Such as a signal for when they should stop drinking. Another leading circumstance for people abusing substances is teenagers with mental health disorders, but there are many other risk factors as well (Ackerman, 2021). Such as a stressful lifestyle, easy access to drugs, a family history of drugs, peer pressure, and exposure to drugs. Something very common among teenagers and young adults is peer pressure. In some circumstances, young adults will fall into peer pressure because of people around them and do something just because they don’t want to “break” the social norm. Although these are all relatively common risk factors, everyone is different. So not one person will have the same experience as another person (Arjan, 2018).

Have you ever known somebody who had gone through the recovery process and ultimately relapsed? The odds are high that you have. Many people will go through the addiction recovery process and either after they have finished the program or during the program, they will relapse. It is interesting to see some commonalities between the reason why people start using drugs, and why they relapse. Some common reasons people will relapse are withdrawal, mental health, people, pride, relationships, boredom, and uncomfortable emotions (Sternlicht, n.d.). For anyone who doesn’t know what withdrawal is, it is when the body is trying to adjust to the dependence the body has on a specific substance. Withdrawal symptoms can be worse for some people, the symptoms include hot and cold sweats, body aches, nausea, and shaking (there are many more, these are just some of the most common.). Many people who relapse will relapse during the withdrawal stage because they don’t want to deal with the withdrawal symptoms. Mental health is also a huge reason why people will relapse, they are dealing with depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and many other mental health issues that they might not know they have. When a person has these mental health issues and does not know any other way to cope, it makes for an easy way to relapse. Not finding new coping mechanisms poses a major problem because if they are dealing with mental health issues, or uncomfortable emotions like sadness, anger, or tiredness, it makes it easier to relapse (Sternlicht, n.d.). After some people become clean, they tell themselves that they will never touch, use, or think about using drugs again. In recovering from drugs, it is good to be positive and have a positive mindset, but not so much that you become so cocky and think that you could never relapse (Sternlicht, n.d.). Because, in all reality the chances of relapsing are high, and the importance of being self-aware, and cautious are important.

What is the recovery process like? What are the most beneficial ways to stay sober short term and long term? To start, it is important to address triggers. Triggers can be anything from a smell, person, place, song, or anything else that reminds someone of when they were using drugs (Recovery From Drug Addiction, 2015). When a person experiences a trigger, they have a higher chance of relapse because the brain releases dopamine and causes an extreme craving. When a person goes through the recovery process, they learn how to learn to handle the triggers (Recovery From Drug Addiction, 2015). When a person is arrested for drug-related problems, they can receive treatment while incarcerated and upon release. When a person starts the recovery process, they will look at internal factors as to why they want to be sober or why they would want to start using drugs again. Internal factors are things such as “I want my kids back. I want to live a normal life.”, or “Not being able to handle being sick, or work, I’d be in pain from work.” (Foster, 2018). In some places, they have recovery schools that have been very beneficial to teenagers who are going through the addiction recovery process. They have been beneficial because they can become sober there, but they can also go to school like they would anywhere else but with a supportive network around them. Eventually, they will transition back to regular school but with skills and ways to prevent themselves from relapsing (Tulenko, 2017). Some ways people have maintained sobriety long term have been honest with themselves and others, joining support groups and going to NA meetings or AA meetings, and staying healthy and exercising (Fitzgerald, 2020). In general, people have found that the 12-step recovery process has also helped. The 12 steps are: 1.) Honesty 2.) Faith 3.) Surrender 4.) Soul Searching 5.) Integrity 6.) Acceptance 7.) Humility 8.) Willingness 9.) Forgiveness 10.) Maintenance 11.) Making contact 12.) Service. These are beneficial because they address every aspect of becoming clean and what needs to happen in order to do it. Some of these are more short-term steps to addiction recovery, but in a way, the short-term steps are some of the hardest. For example, willingness, this step is when you make a list of every person you hurt or harmed before you started the recovery process. This step is difficult for people because they have a hard time coming to terms with all the people they harmed (12 Step Recovery Programs Guide New, Addiction-Free Lives, 2021). In short, the recovery is not simple. There are many steps and processes to addiction recovery, and one process might work for one person but not another.

Conclusion

Substance abuse is common among many people. This means that you probably know someone who struggles with substance abuse and has gone through the recovery process. Everyone has their own reason for what they do, and they do something without thinking about the consequences. When someone abuses substances, they don’t go into it thinking, This is going to be something I am going to struggle with the rest of my life. Ultimately that is what most commonly happens. It doesn’t mean that the person is going to use drugs for the rest of their life, but the chances of them relapsing are great. This means that they must create ways and skills to cope in new ways if they face a trigger or craving. Many times, people will relapse because they can’t deal with a trigger, or they forget about the greater picture which is sobriety. When they forget about the bigger picture, they start doing things they wouldn’t normally have done when they first became sober. Or in the process of becoming sober, the withdrawal is too much for them to handle. When a person wants to become sober or is put under circumstances where they must become sober, they go through the addiction recovery process. The addiction recovery process is different for every single person even if they follow the same program. Substance abuse and addiction are so common around so many people, and I think it is important to try and understand why people do what they do and the steps people go through to become sober.

References

1. 12-Step Recovery Programs Guide New, Addiction-Free Lives. (2021). Verywell Mind. https:www.verywellmind.comthe-twelve-steps-63284

How exercising can help your mental and physical health

In today’s world exercising is a key element to a person’s health. Exercising is used to keep our bodies in shape and healthy. Exercising can also be very difficult for some because they are not used to doing it and for others exercising is very natural for them. At the end of the day everybody is different, exercising can bring one person peace of mind and good health and another can get hurt or feel worse than before. In this essay, I will go over the advantages and disadvantages of how exercising is good for a person’s mental and physical health. Exercising can relieve stress, have a person look younger, and help a person sleep better. There are also some drawbacks to exercising that can cause a person pain and make them not want to exercise anymore.

A question I have for some people is; do you ever feel stressed, exhausted, or lazy? While reading the article (“Exercise to boost your brain power.”) Author ‘Hoskins, Nichele claims “Researchers in San Francisco have determined that exercising may keep you mentally sharp for years to come”. In an interview with Professor Lisa Rosa, she also claims that when she feels stressed or just wants to stay in shape she would go for a long walk and hike to relieve her stress and put her mind and body at ease. In my opinion, Exercise is much more than just burning calories It can relieve stress and help with weight loss, but if you’re not careful, it can also have some serious drawbacks.

A lot of people have fears of exercising from past experiences; either from injuries or not getting any results. According to the article (“10 tips to prevent injuries when you exercise.”) injuries that can occur from exercising are Muscle pull and strain, Knee injuries, Tendonitis and etc. With everything that has advantages, there will also be disadvantages. Shane Williams claims without proper stretching and warming up you will be prone to hurting yourself. Shane also states that you have to do exercises depending on your body and get educated on those exercises before completing them. Also, in the article (“10 tips to prevent injuries when you exercise.”) Some ways to prevent injuries while exercising is to ease into the exercises and not just go hard on them at first, also do a proper warm-up and cool down like Shane stated, and cross train don’t overuse muscles and take days off to recover. Exercising is very helpful to the human body, but if you’re not patient and take precautionary measures, you’re not going to see the benefits and end up lazy and unmotivated.

With anything in life, you have to be patient and have to put in the time to see the results that you are looking for. According to the article (“Exercising the Body and Mind to Improve Age-Related Mental Function”) Exercising can prevent ALZHEIMER’S disease, BRAIN diseases, and also DEMENTIA. Exercising is a way to stay healthy mentally and physically even though there are many drawbacks the positives of exercising outweigh it all.

Exercising can be a daily challenge but as long as you keep at it results will come and you will reap the benefits. You have to devote the needed time and use the proper techniques to really see the benefits of exercising. Not taking the proper measures will cause injury which leads to pain and fear of exercising. In anything we do, there will be problems but as long as we overcome them, we will see the results.

Works Cited

1. 10 tips to prevent injuries when you exercise.
2. Harvard Women’s Health Watch. Accessed November 29, 2019 search.ebscohost.com.db22.linccweb.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hxh&AN=95373730&site=ehost-live
3. Horowitz, Sala. “Exercising the Body and Mind to Improve Age-Related Mental Function.” Alternative & Complementary Therapies, vol. 12, no. 5, Oct. 2006, pp. 222–227. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1089/act.2006.12.222. db22.linccweb.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=22657917&site=ehost-live
4. Hoskins, Nichele. “Exercise to Boost Your Brain Power.” Health (Time Inc. Health), vol. 17, no. 7, Sept. 2003, p. 94. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=10712982&site=ehost-live.