The body works like a machine. When each part is running smoothly, we feel on top of the world. But if just one part of us isn’t working as it should be, our entire being can be affected. This is why the relationship between mental and physical health is so important. It impacts us far more than we realise. To protect our physical health, we must regard our mental health as being of equal value. If we fail to do this, there are a number of consequences that we may face.
Heart Problems
Mental health conditions can greatly impact the heart. For instance, depression has been found to be a risk factor for heart disease. Researchers have also found links between heart disease and other mental health conditions, such as anxiety and PTSD. This is not surprising, as stress is a symptom of these conditions, which can significantly affect the health of the heart. Stress leads to an increased production of white blood cells. This inflames the arteries and leads to a number of serious heart conditions, including strokes and heart attacks.
But we must look beyond the direct link between our mental health and our heart health — we need to understand how lifestyle changes can affect us too. When suffering from poor mental health, it is easy to forget to look after your body. This is nothing to be ashamed of — most of us have been there. But if you often find yourself eating too much or too little, smoking, drinking and leading a sedentary lifestyle, you’re far more likely to suffer from heart problems.
Of course, a relationship goes both ways. People who suffer from heart disease are at greater risk of developing a mental health condition than the general public. One study found that between 20% and 30% of cardiac patients suffered from depression. And for heart disease sufferers who already have depression, symptoms of their mental health condition may be worsened after their diagnosis.
This is understandable: being diagnosed with heart disease is scary. Living with fear and uncertainty can have a serious impact on your emotional wellbeing. If you’ve been diagnosed with heart disease and you find yourself struggling with your mental health, remember that there is always help available. Share your feelings with someone, find support services and remember to look after your body.
The Gut
Have you ever felt so nervous that you felt sick to your stomach? If you have, you probably already understand the impact that the mind can have on your gut. If you ask someone how their mental health affects their physical health, the impact on their stomach will usually be the first thing that comes to mind. This is because the gut is partly controlled by the central nervous system. There are a number of ways that your gut can respond to your poor mental health, including cramps, bloating and acid reflux.
The mental health disorder most strongly associated with poor gut health is anxiety. In fact, this condition is the most common cause for stomach discomfort. Those with anxiety disorders are even more likely to develop IBS. People with anxiety are consistently stressed far more than the average person. This means that after going through a period of stress, their hormones do not return to normal and their bodies’ intestinal bacteria can become imbalanced, leading to IBS being triggered.
The gut can affect the mind too. Those who suffer from IBS have been found to be more at risk of developing depression. Even those who don’t have IBS can have their stomachs affected by their mental health. Researchers found that people with depression were lacking in two types of important gut bacteria: Coprococcus and Dialister. So eating foods high in probiotics and taking probiotic supplements could be key to improving our mental health.
Sex Drive
This is a topic that we tend to sweep under the rug when discussing mental health. People find it awkward and embarrassing to talk about, so they just don’t. And if it’s not something we need to survive, then why should it matter? To answer frankly, because sex is good. It’s a healthy part of adult life, and we should all have the option of leading an active sex life. But if you suffer from a mental health disorder, you might find yourself far less inclined to have sex.
In fact, you might lose your sex drive altogether. Loss of libido is considered to be a primary symptom of depression. There are a number of reasons you might lose your sex drive when suffering from mental health disorders, including fatigue, body insecurity, or being in too much pain from other symptoms such as stomach and chest pain. But it’s also in part to do with your brain chemistry. As mental health disorders change the way your brain works, the communication between your brain cells and blood flow is disrupted, which makes it almost impossible to get in the mood.
And once your sex drive has gone, it can be difficult to get it back. The road to recovery for any mental health disorder is a long one, and your treatment may lower your libido even further. Antidepressants stabilise your serotonin levels, and whilst this is great for your mental health, it can impact your sex drive. Much like when you have depression, your brain can struggle to communicate with the rest of your body. This means that your bodily hormones cannot connect with your brain, which consequently depletes your sex drive. This can be really frustrating, for both you and your partner. But remember that things will get better, as long as you remain open and honest with both your partner and your doctor.
The Head
Mental health disorders aren’t just developed in the brain, but they can have a significant impact on it too. Aside from the obvious effect that they have on our psychological well being, they also affect our brain health in a number of other ways too. For example, mental health disorders can cause headaches and migraines. They may in part be caused by the lifestyle changes that often come with poor mental health, such as lack of sleep, nutrition deficient diets and stress.
People diagnosed with borderline personality disorder are particularly vulnerable to suffering from headaches, and the headaches they get are often severe. On top of this, those with BPD who experience headaches are more likely to have severe depression symptoms too. This is not surprising, as people who suffer from severe headaches, such as migraines, are more likely to develop mental health disorders. Since severe headaches can be so debilitating, they can impact our quality of life to a great extent. It’s no wonder that migraine sufferers often have poor mental health, as it can be so much more difficult to fully embrace life.
Our mental health can also impact the quality of our memory. Memory loss is often associated with dementia, and is not considered to be a problem for young people. But this is definitely not the case. People diagnosed with depression can have trouble with short-term memory loss and confusion. But even long term memories can be affected, as many sufferers struggle to remember small details of major events, which they could previously do easily. Memory loss is more common in those with depression, as their hippocampus — the part of the brain where memories are stored — is often smaller. Unfortunately, several studies have found that some antidepressants can have this effect too. If your depression or medication has left you struggling to recollect either short or long-term memories, make sure you visit your doctor to get the support that you need.
How to Keep This Relationship Healthy
This is the difficult bit. To keep your body and mind working in tandem, you need to make sure that you look after them both. This can feel like an impossible task. You might not know which part to prioritise when. You don’t want to spend all your time on your physical health and ignore your mental health, and vice versa. But fortunately, you don’t have to spend a completely equal amount of time on each — just do what’s best for you.
The balancing act can be tough, and you might struggle to juggle all the different forms of self-care you need. But if you fall, you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get ready to go again. Just look after yourself in the best way that you can, and the rest will fall into place.
Written by Siobhan Kelly
Siobhan is a recent Sociology graduate, with a passion for writing. Her degree has given her experience researching a range of topics relating to the Sociology of both physical and mental health. She has a particular interest in understanding the effect that body image has on mental health.
