Mental Health: MOST Neglected Part of Fitness (IMHO)

[wingchun100]

Looks like the last one...

 

[Tez3]

There is a difference between being eccentric and having something going on that does not allow you to function

I am very aware of this. However I believe people with mental health issues would be treated better and with more compassion if certain societies stopped treating everything that happens in life as cause for counselling, therapy etc. Absolutely mental illness must be treated in the same way as a physical illness, but there needs a big rein back on the therapy/counselling industry which feeds on people's worries about mental health. When people are told they need counselling because they are upset their favourite actor/pop star has married ( heaven help us when they die) then something is very wrong, it actually trivialise real mental health issues and cause people to treat genuinely mentally ill people with less gravity than they deserve.

 

[Steve]

People are encouraged to see a doctor regularly. I think we would all agree that regular maintenance is a good thing for the body. Chiropractors, massage, yoga. Whatever it is. Xue gets needles.

Point is, how is having someone to talk to from time to time any different? Not everyone gets a regular massage but those who do swear by it for their health.

 

[jks9199]

I'm a Crisis Intervention Team certified officer. And I've had enough psych classes, as I generally put it, to seem almost like I know what I'm doing... but not enough to actually be useful. In other words, enough that I can talk to the clinicians we work with just intelligibly enough to get me in trouble...

One of the points made in out training is that mental illness and mental disorders are ILLNESSES. If we treated other illnesses like we treat mental illness, we'd be shaming anyone who got a broken leg splinted, or took chemo for cancer. We'd shun someone unfortunate enough to have a stomach ache... and who knows what we'd do to someone with WARTS! Seriously -- we don't see it as a sign of weakness to see a doc and get treated for physical maladies. We seldom (HIV-AIDS, STDs, a couple other diseases come to mind being or having been exceptions) stigmatize someone for a physical disorder. But mental illness? We attach a lot of shame and stigma to it... generally unfairly.

So, yes, I certainly consider mental health a part of self defense and general conditioning... even if I did tell one of our per support officers that I have my own unhealthy coping mechanisms that I'm perfectly satisfied with.

 

[Buka]

Great thread.

 

[Buka]

Double post, frozen computer?

 

[Steve]

I am very aware of this. However I believe people with mental health issues would be treated better and with more compassion if certain societies stopped treating everything that happens in life as cause for counselling, therapy etc. Absolutely mental illness must be treated in the same way as a physical illness, but there needs a big rein back on the therapy/counselling industry which feeds on people's worries about mental health. When people are told they need counselling because they are upset their favourite actor/pop star has married ( heaven help us when they die) then something is very wrong, it actually trivialise real mental health issues and cause people to treat genuinely mentally ill people with less gravity than they deserve.

It's really sad that the UK is so messed up. Who exactly is telling you guys that you need counseling because your favorite actor has married or when they die?

 

[Steve]

Something to point out, because it seems like things are getting confused. Counseling can be helpful to anyone, whether you have a diagnosed mental impairment or not. I see a direct correlation to this and something like massage, which is beneficial whether you have a diagnosed physical impairment or not. Counsel, by definition, is about listening to someone and giving them advise.

So, this idea that saying to someone, "Hey, sounds like you're having a rough time. Have you considered talking to someone about it?" is bad, is, in my opinion EXACTLY THE PROBLEM. I would have no problem saying, "Hey, you look pretty sore. Have you considered massage? It's AWESOME."

People see counselors all the time when they're having trouble with their marriages, at work, trying to excel in sports or for all manner of things. Counselors listen and offer advice. They help you see things from a different perspective and sometimes, they are just a kind, non-judgmental ear.

Therapy, in my mind, correlates directly to something like physical therapy. We go when we have a specific problem that needs to be addressed. It can be long term or it can be short term. But it's not the same as counseling, although counseling is often a component of therapy.

And sometimes, just as when you have a physical impairment of some kind, you might need medication to help you manage things.

But this judginess and arrogance about how "some cultures" blah, blah, blah is tiresome.

 

[Tez3]

Double post, frozen computer?

I typed my last post, clicked to post and it froze so I'd assumed it hadn't been posted, just seen that it did. Site having problems I think.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I am very aware of this. However I believe people with mental health issues would be treated better and with more compassion if certain societies stopped treating everything that happens in life as cause for counselling, therapy etc. Absolutely mental illness must be treated in the same way as a physical illness, but there needs a big rein back on the therapy/counselling industry which feeds on people's worries about mental health. When people are told they need counselling because they are upset their favourite actor/pop star has married ( heaven help us when they die) then something is very wrong, it actually trivialise real mental health issues and cause people to treat genuinely mentally ill people with less gravity than they deserve.

I don't know if this is something different in the UK compared to the US, but here you would almost definitely not hear someone say that you should go to counseling because of pop culture events. There is a huge stigma about mental health, and suggesting someone needs counseling (even if they need it), is a very dangerous thing to do socially. No counselor that I know would suggest it to their friends, and plenty of counselors have informed people during their intakes that they don't believe they need counseling or therapy, and are just going through a normal process in their life. In fact, depending on the person, they would consider it unethical to meet with the person once they evaluate they don't require therapy.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

double post

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

triple post...

 

[jks9199]

Double post, frozen computer?

I think there's a problem on the back end. Sending notice up the chain. Please be patient folks -- the owners have more on their plate than just MT.

 

[Tez3]

I don't know if this is something different in the UK compared to the US, but here you would almost definitely not hear someone say that you should go to counseling because of pop culture events. There is a huge stigma about mental health, and suggesting someone needs counseling (even if they need it), is a very dangerous thing to do socially. No counselor that I know would suggest it to their friends, and plenty of counselors have informed people during their intakes that they don't believe they need counseling or therapy, and are just going through a normal process in their life. In fact, depending on the person, they would consider it unethical to meet with the person once they evaluate they don't require therapy.

It's absolutely not a British thing, we are still 'stiff upper lip' in most cases it's what we see coming across from your side of the pond. It's constantly mentioned in US made programmes, articles, books films etc etc. it has been for a very long time.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

It's absolutely not a British thing, we are still 'stiff upper lip' in most cases it's what we see coming across from your side of the pond. It's constantly mentioned in US made programmes, articles, books films etc etc. it has been for a very long time.

It may be mentioned in articles, but it is definitely not something people say face to face, and I don't know anyone who takes those parts of the media seriously.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

It's absolutely not a British thing, we are still 'stiff upper lip' in most cases it's what we see coming across from your side of the pond. It's constantly mentioned in US made programmes, articles, books films etc etc. it has been for a very long time.

It may be mentioned in articles, but it is definitely not something people say face to face, and I don't know anyone who takes those parts of the media seriously.

 

[Tez3]

It may be mentioned in articles, but it is definitely not something people say face to face, and I don't know anyone who takes those parts of the media seriously.

It's in films, television series, books both fiction and non fiction ( has been for decades) and as my psychiatric nurse friend pointed out in the US army medical services for sure. Therapy and counselling are probably used more in the US than anywhere else in the world. I don't know whether it's a right thing to do or not but the US certainly embraced counselling and therapy much more than anywhere else.

 

[Steve]

It's in films, television series, books both fiction and non fiction ( has been for decades) and as my psychiatric nurse friend pointed out in the US army medical services for sure. Therapy and counselling are probably used more in the US than anywhere else in the world. I don't know whether it's a right thing to do or not but the US certainly embraced counselling and therapy much more than anywhere else.

Yeah, it's so weird. When you generalize the people in a country based upon snapshots from the media, a distorted picture can emerge. Particularly when you're predisposed to have a poor opinion about that country in the first place.

If I were to be inclined to believe that the UK has a problem of this kind, it's pretty easy to find evidence to support my predetermined opinion. I found the following in about 10 seconds on Google. I found many, many articles discussing the seriousness of the mental health problem in the UK.

Our public grieving over dead celebrities has reached insufferable levels

Ultimately, even though we know you think Europe is perfect and America is terrible, has anyone ever suggested to you that before you criticize others you should ensure your own house is in order?

 

[Tez3]

It may be mentioned in articles, but it is definitely not something people say face to face, and I don't know anyone who takes those parts of the media seriously.

You probably want to consider that the reason there is so much more in the US is because most of the pioneering work has been done there, a source of pride I would have thought rather than disbelief.
Counselling & Psychotherapy History

 

[wingchun100]

I'm a Crisis Intervention Team certified officer. And I've had enough psych classes, as I generally put it, to seem almost like I know what I'm doing... but not enough to actually be useful. In other words, enough that I can talk to the clinicians we work with just intelligibly enough to get me in trouble...

One of the points made in out training is that mental illness and mental disorders are ILLNESSES. If we treated other illnesses like we treat mental illness, we'd be shaming anyone who got a broken leg splinted, or took chemo for cancer. We'd shun someone unfortunate enough to have a stomach ache... and who knows what we'd do to someone with WARTS! Seriously -- we don't see it as a sign of weakness to see a doc and get treated for physical maladies. We seldom (HIV-AIDS, STDs, a couple other diseases come to mind being or having been exceptions) stigmatize someone for a physical disorder. But mental illness? We attach a lot of shame and stigma to it... generally unfairly.

So, yes, I certainly consider mental health a part of self defense and general conditioning... even if I did tell one of our per support officers that I have my own unhealthy coping mechanisms that I'm perfectly satisfied with.

I didn't mean mental health is a part of self-defense training. I meant it is a part of fitness that is often neglected. When people think of being healthy, they usually think of just working out, doing the martial arts training, or something like Yoga/Pilates ONLY. For some people though, who have issues like I do (per the first post), it would do a lot of good to take care of my MENTAL health as well.

 

[Steve]

You probably want to consider that the reason there is so much more in the US is because most of the pioneering work has been done there, a source of pride I would have thought rather than disbelief.
Counselling & Psychotherapy History

I'm glad that it appears your antiquated opinions seem to be changing in the UK.
One in five Britons has consulted a counsellor or a psychotherapist

Other articles suggest that stats in the UK may not reveal the depth of the problem because of a combination of stigma and that services are not being made available to everyone who needs them.

 

[Transk53]

I didn't mean mental health is a part of self-defense training. I meant it is a part of fitness that is often neglected. When people think of being healthy, they usually think of just working out, doing the martial arts training, or something like Yoga/Pilates ONLY. For some people though, who have issues like I do (per the first post), it would do a lot of good to take care of my MENTAL health as well.

That's cool. Glad you are able too. Mental helth in this thread seems to be coming accross as being a general thing. Well, that is just my observation rightly or wrongly, but some mental health issues are extremely profound. Mental fitness is not something that can be trained, some of us just have to pull our socks up and get on with it.