Why Take Mental Health Seriously? Because Success Requires It

By: Dwight Bain, LMHC, NCC

Your total health matters, which includes physical/mental/social/spiritual spheres of life. Success requires strength in each of these areas, yet one of the most ignored and overlooked is mental health. Just as you would not ignore a broken bone, wisdom says one should not ignore a wounded soul. The body is interconnected which is why many practitioners now follow a holistic model of care connecting the body and soul and spirit.

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”- World Health Organization, 2006. The goal is to achieve total health in all categories. Patients with chronic physical health problems are more likely to develop mental health problems.

One study done in England revealed a long-term physical condition increased the likelihood of developing a mental health problem seven times. This sadly leads to early death because two-thirds of people with serious mental health problems will die prematurely from a treatable physical health condition. It’s a vicious cycle. Untreated mental health leads shorten life for many and the quality of life for more. That’s why more and more people are talking about the need for mental health instead of mental illness, which is the most important first step toward total wellness.

Consider top sports celebrities like Olympic champion Michael Phelps or NBA legend Metta World Peace (the former Ron Artest) who are now speaking openly about the benefits of counseling. Add that to a growing number of respected film, television, radio and media professionals talking about how they value their own mental health, and why they go to counseling to keep their life, relationships and career healthy. Listen to the motivation of actor Kerry Washington in an interview with Glamour magazine,

“I think it's really important to take the stigma away from mental health. My brain and my heart are really important to me. I don't know why I wouldn't seek help to have those things be as healthy as my teeth. I go to the dentist. So why wouldn't I go to a shrink?"

Some of the most successful point to the benefits of therapy

There are hundreds of celebrities who openly share about the benefits of counseling and therapy. Learning to find and then manage the inner pressure that blocks mental wellness through counseling has helped these professionals have better careers and more meaningful lives. Celebrities like Howard Stern, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, Michelle Obama, Prince Harry, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Jay Z, J.K. Rowling, Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson, Adele, Kristen Bell, Dax Shepard, Halle Berry, Gwyneth Paltrow, Emma Stone, Bryan Cranston, Robin Dearden, James Franco, Ellen DeGeneres, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Selena Gomez, Ryan Reynolds, Mariah Carey, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato, Jon Hamm, Brooke Shields, Pink, Emma Thompson, Kourtney Kardashian, Jennifer Garner, Tom Fletcher, Miley Cyrus, Glenn Close, Lena Dunham, Jared Padalecki, Kendall Jenner, Chrissy Teigen, Gina Rodriguez, Whitney Cummings, Lili Reinhart, Sarah Silverman, Sadie Robertson, Ellie Goulding, Nicki Minaj, Amanda Seyfried, Ryan Phillippe, Winona Ryder, Zayn Malik, Zendaya, Kristen Stewart, Cara Delevingne, Camila Mendes, Neil Patrick Harris, David Burtka, Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade, Tori Spelling, Fergie, Josh Duhamel, Ali Wong, Justin Hakuta, Clark Gregg, Patrick Dempsey, Jillian Fink, Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler, Cameron Diaz, Benji Madden, Robin Dearden and Bryan Cranston, Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and many more are talking about how counseling opened up new strategies over their depression, anxiety, anger, panic, attention deficit disorder and relationship conflict.

Kerry Washington further explained in an interview with Essence magazine how she sought therapy to combat her binge-eating and exercise addiction, "Learning how to love myself and my body is a lifelong process. I don’t struggle the way I used to. Therapy helped me realize it's okay for me to communicate my feelings. Instead of literally stuffing them down with food, maybe it's okay for me to express myself."

These successful athletes, actors, musicians, leaders and media personalities go to counseling to build mental and emotional wellness for greater success in their professional careers and personal relationships. Their confidence flows out of greater mental strength and resilience over mental stress. Actively working on issues is how you can solve them, ignoring the building pressure inside can lead to mental disorders, mental illness and mental diseases. Consider how common it is for Americans to struggle with mental pressures -

• One in every 5 adults experiences a mental health condition every year (20%)
• One in 17 lives with a serious mental illness like bipolar disorder
• For every person experiencing a mental illness, family, friends, employers and communities are significantly affected (multiplier effect)
• 75% of mental health conditions develop by age 24

These sobering statistics led the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Legislature to implement mental and emotional health curriculum for all students, grades 6-12. The state educational leadership understood the benefits of identifying mental and emotional health factors early, it prevents a host of other health and behavioral problems in the teens and twenties. Just as early prevention and screening of physical conditions like blood pressure, cancer, diabetes and heart disease can protect physical health; the early screening of depression, anxiety, ADD, OCD, complex grief or trauma can lead to a better quality of life mentally for these students.

“Mental health is a state of wellbeing in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” - World Health Organization, 2018

Mental Health Hurts more than people – it affects the Economy

It has been said people don’t quit jobs, they quit bosses. Research by Thriving at Work, (Stevenson & Farmer, 2017) support that thought, since staff turnover, reduced productivity and serious stress related sickness leading to multiple absences were related to mental/emotional working conditions.

They gave recommendations for all employers to strengthen their company’s productivity and profitability by simply building mental wellness programs into the work experience including:

1. Produce, implement and communicate a mental health at work plan
2. Develop mental health awareness among employees
3. Encourage open conversations about mental health and the support available when employees are struggling (like EAP or counseling)
4. Provide employees with good working conditions
5.  Promote effective people management and communication skills
6. Routinely monitor employee mental health and wellness as a major goal of a successful workplace

This approach at work is an important step to remove the stigma of mental health, since it’s common to call in sick for a physical illness like a cold or the flu. However, calling in sick for an anxiety attack, post-partum depression or PTSD flashback is another story. Employers are paying more attention to the need to have open conversations about mental and physical wellness for all employees since untreated emotional conditions can lead to chronic physical illnesses such as heart disease or diabetes and early death.

Sadly, untreated mental illness can lead to the increase of physical injury from self-destructive behaviors like substance abuse or suicide. Suicide is the tenth most common cause of death in the United States, ninth leading cause of death in Florida, and second most common of death for teens. Adolescents die more frequently from self-harm than cancer, heart-disease, respiratory illness, influenza, pneumonia, stroke, meningitis, diabetes, HIV, kidney, liver and all other childhood diseases combined.

Celebrities, athletes, public schools and other leaders are addressing mental health issues to confront these growing health concerns and it’s time for others to follow their lead. So what else can we do to create a path toward mental wellness and away from mental illness?

1. Start the conversation to remove any stigma of seeking mental health care
2. Educate about stress related illness and the risks of ignoring symptoms
3. Support people openly talking about mental health instead of shaming
4. Make mental/emotional issues a normal part of life and a normal topic of creating a healthy lifestyle from childhood all the way to senior adulthood
5. Encourage supportive conversations and shared experiences of building resiliency over stressful life experiences like being fired, bankruptcy, being abused, being divorced or losing a family member to death or disease. If you talk through it you can get through it.
6. Practice wellness – both physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually every day

Mental / Emotional Wellness plan for greater peace and personal power –

Exactly what does mental wellness, (the opposite of mental illness) look like? Here are strategies to create emotional and mental wellness; which when practiced will lead to renewed personal power and inner peace.

1. Protect your mental health with sleep, hydration, exercise and meditation
2. Know what you are feeling and have the vocabulary to express that to others
3. Become curious instead of furious with people (unoffendable)
4. Become committed to change and personal growth, instead of blame or attack
5. Know your strengths along with your weaknesses and then build on strengths
6. Know how to say no (to yourself and others) and learn to speak your needs
7. Let go of mistakes, but hold onto the lesson (release regrets)
8. Practice generosity instead of greed through the principle of Give/Save/Live
9. Practice gratitude instead of holding onto grudges or resentment
10. Know how to unplug to recharge or restore your mental health in nature or with prayer and reflection on the truths of scripture like verses praising the majesty of God’s creation. An example would be "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." (Psalm 19:1), and then reflect on this ancient wisdom while reflecting on the beauty of creation.

You are the one most responsible for your health which is why you are the best one to protect and improve your health in all categories. Just as you wouldn’t ignore a broken bone, you cannot ignore emotional pressure. Mental and emotional problems do not go away with silence, because ignoring inner pressure only makes it worse. 

Take your total health seriously, talk to your friends and share your wellness journey because when you get better, everyone around you will follow your lead and the results will change your relationships, your company or your community for good. Everyone wins when you are at peak wellness, especially you, so get started today!

About the Author:  C. Dwight Bain is an author who guides people in rewriting their story through the power of positive change. Follow him across all social media @DwightBain for daily postings of trends and techniques to build a stronger quality of life

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