Mental Health: 5 reasons why the psyche deserves our attention

Imagine you have a bad cold and fever. What do you typically do? Normally you would go to the doctor and ask to be granted sick leave. If anyone asks how you are, you’ll say “Not very well, I have a cold.” Normal, right? But what would you do if you were suffering from depression? Seek help, like that was perfectly normal? You psyche needs your attention, just like your body. You’re a team: the magic term is mental health.

Five reasons why our psyche is important

Body and mind are an entity

Whilst classical medicine used to treat the psyche separately from the body, the number of holistic approaches is rising steadily. This means ever increasing awareness that a healthy mind correlates with a healthy body and vice versa. From this we can infer that it’s enormously important to see mental diseases as just as important as physical ones.

Mental Health and today’s world

The German psychologist, Hans Ulrich Wittchen, sees mental health as the “greatest challenge for Europe in the 21st century.” On the one hand, because mental diseases are on the increase and psychological burdens are rising noticeably. On the other hand, acceptance thereof is lagging behind. We are still far from readily granting people “permission” not to feel psychologically well. Those affected still have to deal with prejudice and often encounter a lack of understanding.

Mental problems are on the increase

Whilst society’s physical health is improving, the number of people with mental problems is rising. According to the WHO’s latest figures, there are currently 117 million people affected in the EU. Numerous factors lead to this phenomenon: workplace stress, excessive demands, tensions between job and family, all those potential options you might have, mobbing, etc.. According to the latest figures from the chamber of labour, one in three people knows of a case of burnout in their own company. Cases of sick leave related to this continue to increase.

The focus is on the body

It’s altogether “cool” to go to a gym and strike a proud pose. Here we’re showered with offers and don’t think for a moment that this might be embarrassing. But just think for a moment: how many professional service offerings occur to you on which you could draw to do something for your mental health? Many people would rather go to an astrologist than to a psychologist. Because, as yet, there’s no “cool” aspect to seeking professional help for a psychological “hurtie”.

Trends in the direction of mental health

The theme of mental health is being taken up ever more frequently, albeit, more as a lifestyle product and less as the essential basis for a healthy life. Nevertheless, it’s better to sell mental health as a lifestyle than to leave it out of the picture completely. In the USA in this regard, consultations for managers are being sold as a service for example.

The rising number of cases of mental illness shows altogether clearly that our society must think differently. It’s okay to have psychological problems. A person consists of a body and a mind, so it’s clear that both can get ill and also deserve treatment. So, look after yourself, accept help and become an ambassador for the message that the psyche is worth just as much as its vessel, the body.

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