Why is mental health important to overall health? Mental and physical health are equally important components of overall health. For example, depression increases the risk of many types of physical health problems, in particular long-lasting conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Your mental health plays a critical role in your overall well-being. Being in a good mental state can keep you healthy and help prevent serious health problems. A study found that positive psychological well-being can reduce the risks of heart attacks and strokes.
On the other hand, poor mental health can lead to poor physical health or harmful behavior. Research shows that people with a mental health problem are more likely to have a preventable physical health condition, such as heart disease. Individual psychological and biological factors, such as emotional abilities, substance use and genetics, can make people more vulnerable to mental health problems. Poor mental health affects people's relationships with their children, spouses, relatives, friends and co-workers. Often, poor mental health causes problems such as social isolation, which interrupts a person's communication and interactions with others.
This can have particularly harmful effects on children and adolescents, whose development depends on the formation of bonds with their families and peers. In adulthood, this social isolation can lead to family breakup, divorce, or even child abandonment. Long-term activation of the stress response system and overexposure to cortisol and other accompanying stress hormones can disrupt nearly every process in the body. This can increase the risk of various physical and mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, digestive problems, headaches, muscle tension and pain, heart disease, heart attack, heart attack, high blood pressure, stroke, sleep problems, weight gain, and problems with memory and concentration.
