Integrative mental health is a relatively young area that offers a comprehensive approach to mental wellbeing and the treatments of depression and anxiety.
Integrative mental health includes the following and considers the individual’s physical, psychological, social, and spiritual wellness:
- Healthy lifestyle adjustments
- Integrative therapy and healing techniques supported by research
- Regular medical care, such as psychosocial therapy and prudent prescription drug use
Depression and pain frequently coexist, with pain serving as both a symptom and a root cause of the latter. This does not imply that the suffering you experience is unreal or that it is “all in your imagination.”
In actuality, back pain, muscle aches, and headaches are all indications that melancholy may be present. So don’t let anyone downplay the suffering you’re going through. It doesn’t matter if the pain is physical or mental; the cross-link is real and it causes a real impairment. Pain has a significant emotional component that the medical profession may separate out as depression or anxiety. In actuality, treating both the mental and physical signs of depression is the only way to achieve real remission.
An estimated 60%–70% of depressed individuals can be successfully treated with a combination of pharmacological and behavioral therapies, much of which is attributable to receiving care (i.e., the placebo effect). Additionally, some patients cannot take pharmaceutical therapies since they can have negative side effects (such as pregnant women). Integrating the application of evidence-based complementary treatments gives patients looking for non-drug solutions or for whom conventional treatment methods are ineffective or unwelcome new options .
Light Therapy
In light therapy, you sit in front of a lamp that emits light that resembles sunlight (often referred to as a light box). Light treatment is frequently utilized with patients who have SAD, but it may also be helpful for those with clinical depression. The lamp’s light has an impact on brain chemicals involved in mood and sleep.
Exercise
Exercise has been demonstrated to enhance mental acuity, mood, emotional control, and physical performance. Exercise can improve self-efficacy and social connection when done with others. Exercise is recommended by the Mayo Clinic and other organizations for managing symptoms in depressed individuals.
Yoga
Numerous studies support the advantages of yoga, a practice that has been around for millennia that unites the mind and body, for a variety of health issues, notably stress, mental health (including depression), and pain management.
Mindfulness Meditation
In order to practice meditation, one must be aware of their breathing and pay attention to the current moment without passing judgment. It has numerous physiological and pharmacological effects, including as lowering blood pressure, cortisol (the stress hormone), and heart rate.
Acupuncture
A trained professional known as an acupuncturist uses a needle to stimulate certain places on the skin known as acupoints during the practice of acupuncture. Endorphins are naturally produced painkillers, and stimulation of acupoints causes a greater release of these chemicals in the body and brain. These substances might have an immediate effect on how someone feels pain.
Music Therapy
A well-known clinical technique called music therapy makes use of music as part of the therapeutic process to help patients discover and address social, cognitive, emotional, or physical issues.
Art Therapy
A type of clinical intervention known as art therapy makes use of art as the main means of expression and communication. To help clients reach their personal and treatment-related objectives, the art therapist employs creativity. The patient expresses their emotions through art, whether they are related to current events, past events, or experiences. The use of art in a therapeutic setting can aid individuals in learning about, managing, and communicating their emotions when they are going through powerful, complicated, or perplexing emotions in ways that language cannot constantly. Art therapy has many advantages, and you don’t need to be a skilled or seasoned artist to take use of them.
Depression can be treated using conventional therapy, which is why your doctor or primary care provider would probably suggest or supply you with them initially. Typically, drugs would be suggested to you, but recent research indicates that non-drug strategies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), can be just as effective while having fewer side effects. However, CBT might not be covered by your insurance. Nothing further may be required if the traditional methods are successful and meet your needs. Consider integrative treatments if conventional ones are inadequate, have unfavorable side effects, or if you want a deeper, all-encompassing approach to self-care. Numerous safe and efficient supplementary and integrative methods exist.
Always disclose to your healthcare providers any medications or procedures you use. Never switch drugs without consulting your healthcare professionals. Give your doctor a copy of this pocket guide and ask if you may work with him or her to integrate some of the complementary and integrative practices outlined in it if he or she is unaware of them or does not provide them. By doing this, you are both constructing a more all-encompassing healthcare system for treating a chronic illness.
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