Mental health refers to our emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. It affects how we think, feel and act. It also impacts how we cope, interact and form relationships with others, as well as our daily functioning. Most but not all mental health problems around the inability to cope are trauma-related, whether it be from childhood, watching bad things happen on the news, broken relationships or having a poor lifestyle. We have to deal with traumas every day but when the emotional impact outweighs the logic of the situation and we can no longer cope then anxiety and depression begin to take over.

The UK Office of National Statistics states that for the year, up to July 2023, the leading cause of death is heart disease followed by dementia & Alzheimer’s, cancer, strokes and lung diseases.

Leading factors for heart disease and strokes are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking & smoke exposure, obesity, unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity. Obesity rates for adults aged over 18 years have increased year on year and now stand at 26% of the population, with 64% estimated to be overweight.

Depression is caused by a combination of genetic, biological, environmental and psychological factors. Emotional distress and depression have been identified as new risk factors for coronary heart disease and those people with a known heart disease are at risk of suffering from depression. The two conditions often coexist. The risk factors for both conditions are similar, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, smoking, poor diet, overeating and excessive alcohol consumption.

Statistics show that anxiety disorders are the most common and can affect your body as well as your mind and can be different in each case.  The trend in the number of cases with mental health disorders reported has risen with self-harm and people having suicidal thoughts increasing the most.

  • Heart issues and other health conditions can lead to feelings of anxiety, depression and fear.
  • More than 15 million people (30%) of the UK population live with one or more long-term mental health conditions.
  • 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England. 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem in any given week in England.
  • Antidepressant prescriptions have almost doubled in the last 10 years, with 85.6 million being issued in 2022.
  • 1.75 million people were in contact with NHS mental health services at the end of June 2023, the majority of these were with adult services.

The groups of people more at risk from mental health disorders are those facing social inequality and disadvantage, discrimination and social exclusion, and those going through traumatic experiences and differences in physical health. These include LGBTQIA+, black people, young women 16-24 years, the homeless, those taking illegal substances and those in contact with the criminal justice system. These groups face more traumas than most and it is their traumas that need to be addressed and understood to alleviate the situation.

It was estimated that in 2023 half of UK workers have ‘burnout’, mental ill health or work-related stress, costing the economy £28 billion annually. Signs of burnout are: feeling tired or drained most of the time. Feeling helpless, trapped or defeated. Feeling detached and alone in the world. Being cynical with a negative outlook. Having self-doubt and taking longer to complete tasks. Feeling overwhelmed.

Perimenopause and menopause in women affect performance. A survey of 2 thousand women instigated by the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee found that 75% reported problems with memory and concentration with 69% reported feeling anxious or depressed.

The Covid pandemic caused many people to suffer from stress and the current cost of living crisis is having a large impact on coping with basic needs. The increase in people working from home has mixed results. For those not having the stress of travelling and being with family all day, it can be positive. For those working at home on their own, the lack of contact with other people can have a detrimental effect.

Much research has been done on the causes of anxiety and the current consensus is to have a healthy lifestyle. Of course, this has benefits for the whole of the body’s functions, especially those suffering from heart disease, the number one killer of people in the UK. The chemicals that are required for cognitive brain function come from the food we eat so, logically, we should consume food that will make our gut biome thrive.

The statistics point to a situation that is worsening and there are probably many contributing factors for this. Whether we like it or not the NHS provides a GP service that is governed by throughput of patients with 10 to 20 minutes allocated for a possible mental condition that requires more investigation. The prescription of drugs may be appropriate but in many cases just provides a short term fix which masks the underlying real problem. However, we should take the initiative to do as much we can to look after ourselves in order to try and prevent such conditions overtaking our lives, be curious of our self, take responsibility of interacting with others and being compassionate. Physical and mental health should be looked at as one because it is our biology that determines who we are and how we feel. A daily practice of looking towards the sun, breathing techniques, exercise, quality time with people, proper sleeping patterns in full darkness, proper nutrition, challenging your thoughts, keeping a diary of when you feel down, and connecting with nature will improve your mental well-being.