When will we embrace the notion that the brain and the body are intrinsically linked – that there’s little delineation between mental and physical health? Isn’t it all just health? Not yet, it seems.
We talk about mental illness as if it is this strange invasion of the brain that we either have or have not got. But sicknesses in the mind can be akin to those in the body. There are degrees of it. Some afflictions temporarily knock us about; others render us useless for prolonged periods or for good. There should be no shame. For illnesses and injuries of the mind, just like the body, we sometimes need help to heal.
US author John Steinbeck wrote: “A sad soul can kill you quicker, far quicker, than a germ.” Truer words were never written.
I am surprised that we still often speak in blushed, hushed tones when our minds are under the weather. I am also perplexed that we still hesitate to share if we are feeling mental effects from physical illness, injury or trauma, but are happy to say we have a cold, a cut or a broken bone.
If you get hurt and the brakes are applied on your active life, of course you are going to feel blue. If you give birth to a child – one of the most physically traumatic things a woman can go through – the adjustments for the mind are as real as for the body.
The heartbreak of losing a loved one has physical effects, just as a heart attack or stroke have mental effects. But medically and socially, they are not approached like that – and it is time they were.
A person diagnosed with a major physical disease should be offered help for the inherent burden this puts on their mind.
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Taking care of physical health helps your mind. Taking care of mental health helps with your physical self, including sleep, motivation and food choices.
Since 2023, patients considering a cosmetic procedure such as a facelift, nose job or liposuction must undergo mandatory psychological screening. If they show signs of a potential underlying psychological condition – such as body dysmorphia – they are referred to a psychologist, psychiatrist or GP for further evaluation. Weirdly, weight-loss surgery does not require screening yet.
Health is not simply the absence of illness, just as wellbeing incorporates the mind as well as the body. They are one.
Dr Jane Stephens is a UniSC journalism lecturer, media commentator and writer.
