Mental Health
There's not a coach out there who hasn't told his team to get their heads in the game. Because sometimes you have to outwit your opponent, not just outrun him. That's why a sound mind is as important as a sound body. But mental health conditions are wide-ranging - basically, any disease or condition that affects your thought, feeling, or behavior. And they're more comon than you mght imagine. Let's take a look.
KNOW YOURSELF, KNOW YOUR OPPONENT:
- Mental health conditions are more common than cancer, diabetes, or heart disease.
- Some known causes of mental health conditions include: psychological or physical trauma, environmental stressors, and heredity.
- 22% of adults 18 and older in the U.S. suffer from a mental disorder each year - that's about 44 million people.
- Some symptoms of depression, the most common mental health condition, include: sad, empty feelings; fatigue; and loss of interest in once-enjoyable activities, like sex.
- Stress can play a major role in mental health, specifically depression.
- Mental health can affect all aspects of your life - work, family, and even sexual performance.
HOW TO PLAY IT:
- Manage and/or avoid harmful stress. (See Stress page for details.)
- Don't hesitate to discuss any marked change in personality or temperament with your doctor. When diagnosed early, most mental health conditions can be treated.
- Once diagnosed, your doctor will work with you to determine which treatment is right for you - medication, individual or group therapy, or any combination.
- There's much more to mental health than can fit into this playbook. But the key thing to remember is to talk to your doctor if, for any reason, you feel out of sorts, or not like yourself. Take the Depression Self-Test available at TacklingMensHealth.com.