{"id":2414,"date":"2022-03-12T01:30:54","date_gmt":"2022-03-12T01:30:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/healing-health-wellness\/?p=2414"},"modified":"2022-03-12T06:41:07","modified_gmt":"2022-03-12T06:41:07","slug":"americas-mental-health-crisis-why-we-need-holistic-help-and-overcoming-the-barriers-to-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/healing-health-wellness\/2022\/03\/americas-mental-health-crisis-why-we-need-holistic-help-and-overcoming-the-barriers-to-care\/","title":{"rendered":"America\u2019s Mental Health Crisis- Why We Need Holistic Help and Overcoming the Barriers to Care"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

It is becoming crystal clear that mental health is something that needs attention and is just as critical as any medical diagnosis. The impact on the individual and society as a whole is tremendous.<\/p>\n

Recently, the White House brought attention to the dire state of our struggling nation. According to the government website<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Our country faces an unprecedented mental health crisis among people of all ages. Two out of five adults <\/em>report <\/em><\/a>symptoms of anxiety or depression. And, Black and Brown communities are <\/em>disproportionately<\/em><\/a> undertreated \u2013 even as their burden of mental illness has continued to rise. Even before the pandemic, rates of depression and anxiety were inching <\/em>higher<\/em><\/a>. But the grief, trauma, and physical isolation of the last two years have driven Americans to a <\/em>breaking point<\/em><\/a>. Our youth have been particularly impacted as losses\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

What has been predicted and feared by many health experts over the previous two years<\/a> has now come to fruition.<\/p>\n

The United States is officially in a mental health crisis.<\/p>\n

This has led the federal government to outline a strategic plan in an attempt to confront the problem. Although increasing access to mental health services, providing more education to health professionals, funding more mental health research, and decreasing stigma are imperative, I have a large concern we may be missing a vital component to the solution.<\/p>\n

Conventional care, therapy, and medication (when needed) are imperative for addressing mental health, but do they go far enough?<\/p>\n

They will likely move the needle, but we need to do more. Furthermore, all discussion on proper treatment is void if people don\u2019t seek it out.<\/p>\n

Recently, I have been focusing on a holistic approach<\/a> to wellness. Integrating the body, mind, spirit, lifestyle, genetics, environment, and socioeconomics and offering holistic resources to support these areas has been the recent theme within my naturopathic blogs<\/a>. Just as in in modern medicine<\/a>, this holistic approach of treating the individual is lacking in psychiatric care<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We need to address all aspects of health that are important to a person by incorporating all the wellness factors mentioned above. Otherwise, we could be just band aiding the situation with incomplete treatment.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, we also need to continue to educate the population that mental health is not a willpower issue or a weakness, but a brain health imbalance. We could have the best treatments available, but with no one to use them it is a moot attempt.<\/p>\n

In my latest post<\/a>, I cover these topics in more detail:<\/p>\n

-I discuss the current mental health crisis and the latest national strategies to alleviate it.<\/p>\n

-I highlight how a more holistic approach to mental health is needed.<\/p>\n

-Finally, I review the barriers to mental health care treatment and the importance of getting proper support.<\/p>\n

I strongly believe you cannot treat the physical without looking at the emotional. Furthermore, you cannot treat the emotional without peering into what physiologically and biochemically impacts brain health.<\/p>\n

Please click here<\/a> to read this article and share it with others.<\/p>\n

When the brain itself is misfiring and unbalanced, without proper treatment, it can be glossed over as a painful, invisible wound by the sufferer. It\u2019s time to end the hurt.<\/p>\n

We need to stop the stigma of mental health and ensure people are not suffering in silence.<\/p>\n

If you struggle with mental health, please reach out for support.<\/p>\n

You may also wish to consider implementing holistic resources and partnering with a naturopathic doctor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For example, I offer mind-body support for general mood issues<\/a> using a functional medicine and wellness-oriented approach.<\/p>\n

Please see below for more information and resources.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Resources for Learning More about Essential Oils & Naturopathic Medicine<\/h3>\n