Here, at Naturopath Solutions, we believe that chronic inflammatory conditions and gut conditions cannot be addressed adequately, if mental health is not addressed alongside the treatment for the above conditions. Often the mental issues have largely contributed to the physical health issues. However, sometimes they are the result of having these chronic conditions – the pain and the loss of quality of life.
WHAT ARE DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY?
Depression and anxiety are common mental health conditions that can significantly impact a person’s life. Mental health is an integral part of health and wellbeing. Mental illness, the most common of which are depression, anxiety and substance use disorders, can be defined as “a clinically diagnosable disorder that significantly interferes with a person’s cognitive, emotional, or social abilities.
However, we do not have to suffer from a diagnosed mental illness to be negatively affected, at some stage in our lives, by our mental health. We often experience mood fluctuations and short-lived emotional responses to everyday challenges where we can suffer from a lack of energy and episodes of sadness. Furthermore, when we are sick, a concomitant symptom can be poor mental health. And when we have poor mental health, it can affect us physically and we can become sick.
But when an individual has been diagnosed with depression, the feelings that they may experience are much more intense and exist for longer. They will find it difficult to perform regular daily tasks, and function poorly at home, school or work. At its worst, sufferers can even resort to suicide. Indeed, in Australia the leading cause of death of individuals between the ages of 15 and 44 is suicide. Depression has been shown to affect approximately 1.16 million Australians which is equivalent to 1 in 16. The rate of depression and anxiety rose during the Covid epidemic and has never really recovered. Consequently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) have estimated that this condition will rank as the primary cause of the disease burden worldwide by 2030, making it a medical priority.
