Mental Health, Physical Activity and Physical Therapy

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Introduction

Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community. More concrete mental health includes different components of life; for example, in terms of relationships, having a good relationship with family and having supportive friends, with the ability to talk about feelings. For leisure time it is about having hobbies, doing exercises on regular basis and having regular holidays. Furthermore, it is important to follow a healthy lifestyle that includes, having healthy eating habits, not smoking or drinking and not taking no‐prescribed drugs and at least being able to achieve some goals in life. Mental health is not merely the absence of a mental disorder. It exists on a continuum to include flourishing mental health, very good mental health, mean mental health, decreased mental health, mental health problems and mental health disorders. Exercise is an evidence-based treatment for people with mental health issues, and physical therapists work with people who may have mental health issues alongside other long-term health issues.

Epidemiology

About half of mental disorders begin before the age of 14. Similar types of disorders are being reported across cultures. Neuropsychiatric disorders are among the leading causes of worldwide disability in young people. About 23% of all years lost because of disability is caused by mental and substance use disorders. War and disasters have a large impact on mental health and psychosocial well-being. Rates of mental disorder tend to double after emergencies. Mental disorders increase the risk of getting ill from other diseases such as HIV, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and vice-versa.

• 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health issue of some sort during their lifetime
• 1 in 6 people are likely to have had mental health issues in the past seven days
• people with mental health issues are more at risk of having poor physical health
• 70% of premature deaths in people with mental health issues are due to poor physical health
• mental health issues are one of the main causes of the overall disease burden worldwide.

Barriers to Mental Health services

Human rights violations of people with mental and psychosocial disability are routinely reported in most countries. These include physical restraint, seclusion and denial of basic needs and privacy. Few countries have a legal framework that adequately protects the rights of people with mental disorders. Globally, there is huge inequity in the distribution of skilled human resources for mental health. Shortages of psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, psychologists and social workers are among the main barriers to providing treatment and care in low- and middle-income countries.

In order to increase the availability of mental health services, there are 5 key barriers that need to be overcome:

• the absence of mental health from the public health agenda and the implications for funding;
• the current organization of mental health services;
• lack of integration within primary care;
• inadequate human resources for mental health;
• and lack of public mental health leadership.

Governments, donors and groups representing mental health service users and their families need to work together to increase mental health services, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

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