Mental health
A few people have been wondering whether you have to be in an institution to be categorised as a mental health patient .my answer is No because this prevails among us and we just have to understand the symptoms and then seek necessary help. The good news is that the medication and counselling help is readily available for any one through their doctors. I as an exercise specialist I give you exercise guidelines and considerations during these processes and help you pull through these tough times depending on the severity of the progress and mainly if it is a low to moderate risk then this article is highly recommended.
The most highly common health condition is a mental health condition as it is reported that 1 in every 4 people (really one quarter of a population in any one year will suffer from these condition.(Mental health foundation ,2009:7) So you can do the maths of how severe and wide spread it is. Mental health conditions from eating disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar to substances misuse and personality disorders.
The conditions discussed here and the exercise solutions are limited to:
- Depression
- Stress
- Anxiety
Just to let you know that there is no single boundary that creates a defining point between what is considered mental health and what is considered mental ill health or illness. A psychiatrist generally diagnoses a mental illness when there are clear symptoms present (referred to as a syndrome) and where there is a distinct deterioration in the person’s functioning (Daines et al,1997).I am going to make these article as brief as I can although the subject of mental health is so wide and limitless.
But an individual’s wellbeing may be at risk without diagnosis of a mental health condition (e.g.)stress).Mental wellbeing refers to the extent to which an individual’s thinking ,perception ,responding ,behaving,personality,intellect and emotions (aspects of functioning that are not related to a bodily system e.g. gastrointestinal )are healthy and (functional) or unhealthy (Daines et al, 1997),For example an individual may have diagnosed mental health condition but may be copying and managing effectively ,alternatively another individual may not have a diagnosed mental health condition and yet may not be copying or managing their life well.
A person’s behaviour and response to specific life events and circumstances is highly impacted by the cultural and social group to which one belongs but what is considered normal in another culture is can often be seen as abnormal by another culture and social group .
That why people should be mindful making unsupported conclusions about others it is often good to explore and embrace other cultures before making any classification of what is considered normal but if you need to read more about these topic please read the extract of Fernando (1988),Gross and Mellveen(1998:562-613)lagos and Thompson(2003),Mindell(1995).
But mental health problems result from a complex interaction of biological, social and personal factors, with these in mind, while diagnoses of a specific condition can guide the planning of the medical treatment, other contributory factors, such as social support systems, impact of stressful life events etc.
I mentioned early in my context that I am looking at three main areas and I will put together an exercise program for these mild to moderate conditions which is very useful and keeping one fit for these purpose.
If you need an in-depth explanation of the three conditions please email your questions to me and I will respond with my answers.
I will drop down the exercise guideline for depression and if you need the exercise guideline for Depression please do no hesitate to contact me via my email support.
Exercise guideline for stress and anxiety
| Exercise Modality | Exercise aim | Frequency, Intensity and Time |
| Cardio Involve large muscle groups e.g. Walking, cycling and jogging | Improve aerobic and build cardiovascular capacity Ensure you progress intensity and duration as appropriate | 3-5 days a week 20-300minutes 55-85% of age predicated heart rate |
| Muscle strength Fixed resistance machines Dumbbells Body weight exercises | Improve posture and strength of postural muscles. Whole body approach Progress resistance ,frequency and repetitions | 8-12 repetitions 1 set @60-85% of IRM 2 days a week 8-10 separate exercises |
| Flexibility Stretching for all major muscle groups | Increase and maintain ROM Stretch to point of mild discomfort | At least 3-5 days a week and ideally every day stretch for 15-30 seconds |
Adopted from hand jaggers & Dudgeon in Durstine & Moore(eds)(2009:384)
Please feel free to contact me if you need an explanation on these intensities and they may vary from person to person and age.
Happy reading
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