Psychological Checkups Just as Vital as Physical Annuals

By Line Szegedi Jess // University of Southern California

Half of Americans with severe mental illness do not seek treatment. For a number of reasons, such as stigma, lack of knowledge or resources, Americans are extremely apprehensive about giving their mind the treatment and care it needs (SoRelle, 2000). On the other hand, as soon as we discover a rash on our skin, an abnormal headache or any physical concern, we are the first one in the clinic’s waiting room. Why do we not pay our brains the same attention? If counselling was more commonplace in our society, the population would be more aware of their illness, being able to treat it more efficiently while simultaneously fighting the stigma mental illness holds . Psychological checkups are just as important as annual physical exams, they should be implemented as a routine in forms of counselling sessions.

Mental illnesses, both severe or moderate, have the highest prevalence in adolescents reported by the National Institute of Mental Health (2019). Introducing counselling sessions into an individual's annual medical exams might prevent adolescents from developing severe mental disorders. Not only could it prevent initial development, but it could also detect illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder that usually unveil in early adulthood. Tackling the problem sooner rather than later could prevent youths from further suffering into their adult life.

“It is important to acknowledge that mental and physical health are not mutually exclusive”, says Dr Rick Nauert, editor for PsychCentral (2018). If we are putting such big weight on our physical health, we should also consider how our mental health affects our bodies. Disorders such as depression, anxiety and eating disorders are not only mental illnesses, but their symptoms involve high levels of stress which in turn can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death (Cohen et al., 2015). Similarly, Samele (2004) found that people living psychosis have poorer detection of physical illness than healthy patients. Many people do not recognize that the symptoms they experience are stemming from their mental instability, or vice versa, but the relationship is bidirectional and if we treat our brains, we simultaneously treat our bodies.

Criticism about implementing these mandatory counselling sessions will, expectedly, erupt. Although it could potentially sound involuntary, the fundamental purpose of these counselling sessions is not solelyto unveil mental illness. The individual will never be coerced or forced to disclose any sensitive information, but more so given the attention and setting where they would be willing to. Mental illness is still connected with significant stigma, but if these counselling sessions become more accepted, so will mental illness. With psychological checkups implemented, the conversation around mental health could become less uncomfortable, encouraging people more to seek help and treatment.

In order to combat mental illness and the destruction it continues to have on American lives, we need to start making it more of a daily topic. Annual counselling sessions could initiate a support system for individuals that have not previously dared to seek any help, and bring awareness to the normality of mental illnesses. Hopefully, this will relieve the people who are living with a disorder but are too ashamed to voice it. According to Hedegaard (2018) the suicide rate in the US has only been increasing the past decade. It is a situation we need to halt and these statistics should be convincing enough for us to realize that mental health is not only as vital as our physical health, but it could ultimately determine it.

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References

Beth E. Cohen, Donald Edmondson, Ian M. Kronish, State of the Art Review:

Depression, Stress, Anxiety, and Cardiovascular Disease, American Journal of Hypertension, Volume 28, Issue 11, November 2015, Pages 1295–1302, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajh/hpv047

Hedegaard H, Curtin SC, Warner M. Suicide mortality in the United States,

1999–2017. NCHS Data Brief, no 330. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2018.

Nauert, R. (2018, August 08). Mental Health Checkups as Important as

Annual Physicals. Retrieved April 20, 2019, from https://psychcentral.com/news/2013/02/18/mental-health-checkups-as-important-as-annual-physicals/51727.html

Samele, C. (2004). Factors leading to poor physical health in people

with psychosis. Epidemiologia e Psichiatria Sociale, 13(3), 141-145. doi:http://dx.doi.org.libproxy2.usc.edu/10.1017/S1121189X00003407

Sorelle, R. (2000). Nearly Half of Americans With Severe Mental Illness

Do Not Seek Treatment. Circulation, 101(5). doi:10.1161/01.cir.101.5.e66