How many doctor appointments with your general practitioner have you been to specifically for physical health? And how many doctors appointments with your general practitioner have you been to specifically for your mental health? When I first started looking into mental health, learning about it, and focusing on my own, I would get asked this question all the time.
It is a known rule that one should schedule an annual doctor appointment for a physical to examine their body and physical health. I've never been told that I need to go in for an annual check in on my mental health and I know a lot of you probably haven't either. There is an ongoing argument about whether mental health is as important as physical health. A lot of people believe that physical health is more important because of the negative stigma surrounding mental health.
In my opinion, mental health is just as important as physical health because even though mental health cannot physically harm you by itself, it can emotionally, which means problems with mental health can lead to physical issues, such as, physical pain, hygiene issues, blood pressure issues, etc, and it can also impact one’s life greatly, whether it is relationships, employment, or something else.
Even though mental health issues can't physically harm you themselves, they can lead to physical health issues. Hygiene is something that is very important in society and mental health can affect that. According to Sian Ferguson, she says, "A lot of people struggle to do basic hygiene tasks when depressed. This can include showering, washing their hands, brushing their teeth, doing laundry, or brushing their hair. They report not having enough energy to do simple self-care tasks" (healthline.com). Certain mental health disorders, such as depression, can lead to a lack of motivation to do a lot of things, including personal hygiene. When one fails to keep up with their personal hygiene, they are looked down upon by others, which can lead to even more personal negative thoughts. This can lead to self-isolation and can harm relationships.
Mental health can also lead to physical pain and symptoms, meaning people with mental health issues have to deal with the same physical issues that one, who does not struggle with mental health, normally could have to, making it just as important as physical health. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the writer says, "Psychosomatic disorder can affect almost any part of the body. Common examples include: fatigue, Insomnia, aches and pains, such as muscle pain or back pain, high blood pressure (hypertension), trouble breathing (dyspnea, or shortness of breath), indigestion (upset stomach), headaches and migraines, erectile dysfunction (impotence), skin rash (dermatitis), and stomach ulcers (peptic ulcer disease)" (my.clevelandclinic.org).
Problems with one's mental health can lead to a variety of somatic symptoms. Certain mental disorders can also lead to serious illnesses, such as "particularly long-lasting conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke" (CDC.gov). People with mental health issues deal with physical issues like heart disease, fatigue, insomnia, muscle/back pain, etc. These are all physical health issues that people who do not struggle with their mental health have to face, so if mental health can lead to these same physical issues, mental health is just as important as physical health. Physical health can be impacted by mental health which demonstrates that in order to stay physically healthy, one must be healthy mentally as well.
Mental health is just as important as physical health because mental health can impact your life just as much as physical health can. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the writer says, "Untreated mental health conditions can result in unnecessary disability, unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, inappropriate incarceration, suicide, and poor quality of life" (namica.org). A lot of the effects listed above could occur as a result of a physical illness as well, for example, poor quality of life and unemployment. Mental health can impact one's life in many different ways, as illustrated above.
Major life changes occur when mental health is left untreated, ignored, or not taken seriously enough. These negative life changes could lead to even more problems. For example, with homelessness, one does not have food, water, shelter, and basic necessities. For unemployment, one cannot support themselves financially which will lead to hardship. When these major life changes occur due to mental health not being treated, one's mental health can get even worse because the new hardships are going to impact mental health even more negatively.
The debate over physical health versus mental health has gone on for a long time. There is so much negative stigma surrounding mental health and illness such that people who struggle with their mental health do not want others to know so they won't get help, which can lead to as you know, a variety of other issues in life. People feel shame when it comes to issues with mental health, but issues with physical health have not been shamed in the same way and do not have the same negative stigma surrounding them. Something needs to change and that starts with us.