How many people with mental health challenges do you know? A few years ago, we might have asked, “How many of you know someone with mental health challenges?” The reality is that mental health issues are more prevalent now than ever. With May being Mental Health Awareness Month in the US, it’s time to let go of outdated stigmas and recognize that mental health challenges are legitimate concerns for human health and well-being.
My Personal Journey: From Struggle to Healing
As someone who has navigated clinical depression, anxiety, and eating disorders, I’m grateful to call these challenges my “history” rather than my “life story.” Mental health challenges are real, but they don’t have to be permanent. Like any other condition or injury, they can be managed or healed.
The Difference Between Managing and Healing
Managing a concern assumes that it’s a permanent part of you, and you must ease the suffering without hope for resolution. On the other hand, healing assumes that any symptom, disease, or concern is like a “check engine” light in your car – a warning sign that something must be addressed. Addressing the underlying concerns with the expectation of reducing, reversing, and resolving the challenges is the key to healing.
Shifting Our Perspective on Mental Health
As a society, we’ve made progress in building awareness of mental health challenges but have settled for managing them. There are plenty of diagnoses and medications to treat symptoms, but as one psychiatrist once told me, “That’s just who you are – you have to learn to live with it.” This approach only adds to the burden of mental health challenges. It’s time to find another way.
Chiropractic Care and Mental Health: A Surprising Connection
Why am I, a chiropractor, stepping into this domain? I recently discovered the difference between asylums and sanitariums. Asylums were hospitals established by medical doctors for treating the mentally ill, while sanitariums were hospitals established by chiropractors. This connection highlights the potential role of chiropractic care in addressing mental health challenges. Curious about learning more? Keep reading here >>