im mental Flashcards
What is mental health?
a state of well-being
-more than absence of mental illness
An individual:
-realizes personal potential
-can cope with normal stresses of life
-can work productively and fruitfully
-is able to make a contribution to the community
What is mental illness?
-seen in mental disorders
Characterized by:
-alterations in thinking, mood and/or behaviour, associated with distress and/or impaired functioning
ex. depression, anxiety, substance abuse, disordered eating
What is the spectrum of mental health and mental illness?
Why do we care?
1 in 5 Canadians experience a mental health problem or illness
Costs the Canadian economy over $50 billion per year
Is impactful on individual and societal levels
Anxiety and depression
-two of the most common illnesses
-50% rate of comorbidity
-People with substance use problems are 3x more likely to experience a mental illness
What is depression and what are the requirements for diagnosis?
Major depressive episode:
-depressed mood or loss interest in activities for > 2 wks
-WHO projects that depression will be 2nd to Card. Vasc. disease as world’s leading cause of death/disability by 2020
What are anxiety disorders?
What do you need to be diagnosed?
-overreaction to normal stimuli
-umbrella term for a range of disorders
-characterized by feelings of fear and anxiety
ex. panic disorder, social phobia, GAD, OCD
Symptoms need to:
-decrease functioning
-be present for >6months
-be more than would be expected for the situation
What are the options for treating mental health problems?
-psychotherapy/cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)
-group support/therapy
-medication
-exercise
-particularly for depression
-similar effect sizes as other treatment options
Physical activity for mental health
-any levels can help prevent mental illness
-more PA may result in lower risk for mental illness
-can be used as a population-based promotion strategy
-“win-win”: enhances both physical/mental health
What are the 4 functions of mental health and physical activity?
- Preventative
- Treatment
- Quality of life
- Feel good
Preventative function
**Exercise has been seen to prevent poor mental health **
-seen mostly in depression
-occasionally anxiety and dementia
-improves self esteem
-lowers psychological distress
The treatment function
Exercise can be used as a treatment approach for mental health problems
-exercise has similar effects to other treatments
-aerobic and anaerobic exercise is impactful
-exercise is not a replacement but can be used in conjunction with other treatments
-need to know method and dosage
The quality of life function
Exercise can help improve quality of life in serious illness and regular life
-helps with cardiovascular and metabolic disease
-helps reduce mortality and morbidity
The feel good function
Affect - exercise can help people “feel good”
Self esteem - physical activity impactful on self-esteem domains
Exercise + wellbeing
For those with serious mental illness (bipolar/schiz):
-evidence supports exercise as preferred and effective treatment in reducing symptoms
-exercise wont ‘cure’ but may help with coping
For those with chronic physical disabilities (spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis)
-exercise is preferred and effective treatment in reducing depressive symptoms and enhancing quality of life
What are the exercise and wellbeing theories?
Physiological mechanisms: Endorphin Hypothesis
endorphins: peptides that mimic chemical structure of morphine
-regulates emotion and pain perception
-endorphins ease pain/produce euphoria
-mixed evidence
Physiological mechanisms: Neurotrophin Hypothesis
Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF): proteins involved in the development of neurons and adult brain plasticity
Poor BDNF levels related to a range of illnesses/disorders (Ex. depression, schizophrenia, anorexia, dementia)
Exercise can stimulate BDNF synthesis healthy neurogenesis, improved cognitive functioning (Act as ‘natural’ antidepressant)
physiological mechanisms: monoamine hypothesis
-improved affect associated with exercise is explained by changes in one or more of the brain monoamines
-dopamine, (nor)epinephrine, and serotonin
-some evidence from animal (rat) studies
-newer (fMRI) techniques might allow us to look at this in humans going forward
psychological mechanisms: thermogenic hypothesis
-speculates elevated body temp is related to improved mental health
-increase in body temperature -> increases white blood cells -> kills bacteria/viruses associated with nagging illnesses = improves mental health
-may also be associated with anti-inflammatory response
-pyrogenic response may explain why regular exercisers report fewer/less severe colds/flus
-mixed evidence
psychological mechanisms: distraction hypothesis
-exercise provides a “time out” from daily routine, stressors
-we can forget about our troubles (even just temporarily)
-some support for hypothesis, though there are other ways to distract oneself
Self-efficacy with PA and mental health
Sedentary behaviour, what is it and what are the 3 main domains?
-any waking behaviour characterized by an energy expenditure of greater than 1.5 METs while in a sitting or reclining posture
-differs from physical inactivity
-worsened by modern life
1. Occupation
- Leisure time
- Transportation
Sedentary Behaviour and mental health
-higher risk of depressive symptoms
-the mechanisms are not currently known, however a few mechanisms are suspected:
1. Social isolation
2. Could be related to cardiometabolic health
