Attention to lifestyle the cornerstone to maintaining and improving mental health
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Key takeaways:
- A healthy lifestyle is comprised of six pillars.
- The COVID-19 pandemic boosted the need to be aware of the importance of mental health.
NEW YORK — Paying attention to one’s lifestyle is a cornerstone to maintaining and improving both physical and mental health, according to the new president of the American Psychiatric Association.
“Lifestyle is an important component for anybody, especially people with mental illness,” APA President Ramaswamy Viswanathan, MD, DrMedSc, told Healio in an interview at the APA’s Annual Meeting. “It’s not necessarily a ‘feel good’ kind of thing, as research shows the impact of lifestyle factors.
The new APA president weighed in on the importance of maintaining a balanced lifestyle to maintain or improve one’s mental health. Image: Adobe Stock
Viswanathan cited six pillars as a foundation for creating a healthy lifestyle:
- Exercise (including aerobic and strength training)
- Sleep
- Nutrition
- Social connections
- Avoiding harmful substances
- Reducing stress (healthy adaptation such as yoga or meditation; active reduction measures).
All of these, he noted, are not limited to patients, but are also applicable to health care professionals.
The mental, physical and emotional demands of the COVID-19 pandemic brought into sharp focus the need to be acutely aware of mental health and how to deal with pressures that accompany a downturn in mental health. Instances of depression, substance use disorders and suicide all rose sharply during that period and although those who deal with mental health issues — including clinicians — have been more open than in the past, the stigma has been reduced but not eliminated, Viswanathan said.
Telehealth increasingly became an outlet for mental and physical examination during the pandemic, something Viswanathan presaged in a 2002 action paper suggesting the APA utilize it as a means for increased access to mental health.
However, the idea did not take hold until the onset of the pandemic, when people were forced to adapt to the circumstances. Although barriers such as technology anxiety can be overcome, access to the technology remains an obstacle.
Despite the ease for those who cannot travel long distances for health care, “I do not think [telehealth] can totally replace the in-person visit,” Viswanathan said.