Mental health conditions are often misunderstood and are sometimes treated as a ‘taboo’ subject in society. Although a certain level of stress, anxiety, and depression or feeling blue is common for most people, experiencing these states for prolonged periods may indicate a more serious mental health condition, requiring support from a mental health professional.
Prolonged negative states of mind (stressed/anxious/depressed) are bad for your health and may increase your risk of developing a number of physical and psychological symptoms including:
- Reduced quality of sleep,
- Headaches and back aches,
- Inability to concentrate,
- Bad eating/drinking/smoking habits,
- Paying less attention to appearance,
- Paying less attention to family,
- Stomach ache and indigestion,
- Decreased motivation to continue on with life (4).
As depression, anxiety and high stress levels become more prominent in your life, it is more likely they will be accompanied by a number of serious, debilitating and sometimes life threatening health conditions:
Heart disease
Hypertension
Stroke
Irritable bowel syndromes
Asthma
Insomnia
Obesity
Arthritis
Chronic spinal pain
Diabetes (4-7)
All physical and psychological health conditions develop over time, so you should seek help sooner rather than later if you notice changes to your mood and/or experience signs and symptoms. Depression is more common than you think, with around one in six men experiencing it at some stage in their life (3). Unfortunately, less than half of those experiencing symptoms seek help (3). Men are less likely to seek help for depression than women. This may be because men are more likely to confuse the physical symptoms of depression (i.e., loss of appetite, insomnia, fatigue, stomach problems) with their physical health rather than their mental health (3). This places men at a higher risk of experiencing undiagnosed and untreated depression and also increases their risk of other health conditions and suicide.
Although there are campaigns to try and convince more men to seek help (i.e. men’s sheds or mensline), men are still less likely to seek support from friends, family, or allied health professionals. Some of the barriers that may prevent men from addressing their psychological conditions include:
- Short consultations with GPs.
- Support and professional help is sought at later stages of the condition’s development rather than early intervention.
- Tendency not to address significant health issues (3).
As a result, men tend to be slower to acknowledge health conditions. You, or someone you know, might be experiencing negative mood states right now (e.g., depression, anxiety, stress) and may be using alcohol, cigarettes, prescription medications, or illegal drugs in an attempt to manage their mood state. There are a number of inappropriate ways people deal with their negative moods, and also a number of more effective strategies. Your general practitioner should be your first point of contact to help you control these emotions. The following coping strategies can be used to help reduce negative mood states, however, these are not replacements for the therapy/medications you may already be receiving (9).
Think "E.S.C.A.P.E"
Exercise
Take care of your mental health, as well as your physical health by exercising regularly! By exercising 30 minutes a day, either aerobic/cardiovascular and/or resistance training, you may be able to promote better mental health and assist in reducing the impact of mental health conditions (i.e. depression & anxiety)(9-10). It’s not exactly clear why this happens but some theories include:
- You become happier with your appearance, which helps to improve self esteem;
- Exercise can lead to more social activity, and can improve your social support networks;
- Improves brain chemistry (10).
If you speak to your GP, you may be eligible for limited Medicare rebates under the enhanced primary care (EPC) system for consultations with exercise physiologists.
Support
Find a support network! You could even go out for coffee and a chat with a good friend to get your mind off things that are bothering you. There are numerous support networks available to help you through issues that may be contributing to your stressed/anxious/depressed states of mind. Use our online forum to increase your social network! Associations are also a great medium for talking about issues. “Men’s Sheds” is an organisation that establishes network groups in the community, all men are welcome.
Alternatively, for more immediate support:
If you have a hearing or speech impairment, contact the National Relay Service TTY/Voice: Ph 133 677
Speak and Listen (SSR): Ph 1300 555 727
Inform the National Relay Service of the help line you would like to call (i.e. Mensline 1300 78 9978) so they can assist you in communicating your queries.
Psychologists aim to help mentally healthy people function better (1). They equip their clients with coping strategies to deal with negative mood states and mental health conditions. If you feel you may benefit from this type of support, see your doctor about getting a referral. The Medicare system allows a maximum of 12 individual sessions per calendar year. You may also be eligible for 12 group session services as well (2).
Chill Out
Take time to relax. It doesn’t have to be meditating, you could listen to calming music or waves down at the beach. You can’t go ‘hammer and tong’ all day, every day. If you learn to wind down at least once a day, even if just for 10 minutes to clear the mind, you will be more vibrant and enjoy life a lot more (4). Take 10 minutes to add 10 years is a way you could look at it.
Avoid
Avoid situations that trigger or result in you:
- Having aggressive outbursts (verbally or physically)
- Drinking alcohol excessively
- Abusing prescription drugs
- Driving your car recklessly
You could try new activities, or join an association which doesn’t have a strong culture of unhealthy behaviour (i.e. regular drinking, cigarette smoking, lack of physical activity, promoting the idea that men don’t need help when feeling down or unwell). Try to associate with people that want to achieve similar goals. This way you will be less tempted to give in to external pressures, you will have more support and be more likely to reach those
goals (and help others achieve theirs!).
Prioritise
Prioritise your tasks for the day. Get the most important activities out of the way first (such as looking after your own health) and leave the least important to last. You aren’t Superman, and it is OK if you don’t complete everything in one day. Avoid committing to more than you are capable of, know your limits. Look at a task and think if you were to stop doing it right there and then what would be the consequence? Sometimes it’s not as devastating as you build it up to be. Allocate time in a diary (as if it was a business meeting or doctor’s appointment) to:
- Spend time with loved ones
If you can’t find time for these essential activities then maybe you have taken on too much! There is no point working all day every day to set yourself up for retirement, if you can’t enjoy it because of ill health!
Essentials
Get plenty of sleep, aim for eight hours a night. Sometimes a quick power nap can help if you’re feeling really fatigued during the day. But keep it short (20-30 minutes), any longer and it can make you feel lethargic rather than freshed (4). Try to keep to the natural circadian rhythm, avoiding night shift work or exceptionally early starts. We say this because your body finds it hard to adjust to environmental factors (i.e light & noise), so you build up a sleep debt, which has been linked with chronic disease and even cancer (8).
Being stressed/anxious/depressed can interrupt your digestion and eating habits, which may affect your nutrition absorption levels (6). So eat well to prevent further fatigue, otherwise you will continue to feel worse as fatigue from lack of nutrition escalates (4). Nutrition is very important and if you feel your diet is lacking, or you are suffering with digestive issues or loss/gain of weight then maybe you should see a dietitian. If you speak to your GP, you may be eligible for limited Medicare rebates under the enhanced primary care (EPC) system for consultations with dietitians.
Symptoms Checklist
e-couch provides information about emotional problems what causes them, how to prevent them and how to treat them. It includes exercises to help you understand yourself and others better. Additionally, it provides you with a set of strategies that might help you to improve your life. Perhaps you are feeling anxious or depressed. You may be upset by a divorce or separation or a recent loss of someone close. If so, e-couch may help you work through your feelings. One in five people have an emotional problem in any twelve month period.
The e-couch program provides information, exercises and a workbook to help track progress and record experiences, and toolkits to help you improve mood and emotional states, and tackle challenges that may be faced. Adapted from e-Couch (8).
References
(1) APS. (2009). About psychologists. The Australian Psychologist Society. Retrieved August 5th, 2009, from http://www.psychology.org.au/community/about/
(2) APS (2009). Medicare – services provided by psychologists. Retrieved August 28th, 2009, from http://www.psychology.org.au/medicare/
(3) Beyondblue. (2009). Get information. Retrieved August 24th, 2009, from http://www.beyondblue.org.au/index.aspx?link_id=7
(4) Brott, A. (n.d.). Blueprint for men’s health: A guide to a healthy lifestyle (2nd ed.) Washington, DC: Men’s Health Network.
(5) e-couch. (n.d.). e-couch. Retrieved August 21st, 2009, from http://ecouch.anu.edu.au/welcome
(6) Gulli, C. (2008). The brain-gut connection. Maclean’s, 121(45), 64-66.
(7) Gureje, O., Ademola, A. & Olley, B. (2008). Depressiona and disability: Comparisons with common physical conditions in the Ibadan study of aging. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 56(11), 2033-2038.
(8) Phillips, H. (2005). Mess with the body clock at your peril. New Scientist, 186(2496), 16.
(9) Sidhu, K. S., Vandana, P. & Balon, R. (2009). Exercise prescription a practical, effective therapy for depression. Current Psychiatry, 8(9), 39-51.
(10) Strohle, A. (2008). Physical activity, exercise, depression and anxiety disorders. Journal of Neural Transmission, DOI 10.1007/s00702-008-0092-x
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