Sunday, June 7, 2020

The End of Mental Illness? (Part 1 of 2)

While medication and talk therapy are helpful and appropriate, there is much you can do to improve your own brain health. Let Dr. Amen show you how

Blogs Newsletters

By Quentin Steen, Representative

Get your BRAIN Right and your MIND will follow!

You may have noticed that I've been using this line at the end of each one of my mental health blogs. It's not mine; it belongs to Dr. Daniel Amen, a neuroscientist and double board-certified psychiatrist.

Doctor Amen has published numerous works on the subject of mental health, all of which have been incredibly insightful for me in my own mental health journey. Among my favourites are

• Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness;

• Healing Anxiety and Depression: Based on Cutting-Edge Brain Imaging Science; and

• Change Your Brain, Change Your Body: Use Your Brain to Get and Keep the Body You Have Always Wanted.

Any one of Dr. Amen’s works is well worth the read. But it’s his latest work that I want to draw your attention to: The End of Mental Illness: How Neuroscience Is Transforming Psychiatry and Helping Prevent or Reverse Mood and Anxiety Disorders, ADHD, Addictions, PTSD, Psychosis, Personality Disorders, and More.

Allow me to tweak your interest in Dr. Amen’s work by providing two excerpts in this must-read book:

In The End of Mental Illness, Dr. Amen explains why you no longer have to rely solely on standard treatments offered by experts trained according to an old paradigm. While medication and talk therapy are helpful and appropriate, there is much you can do to improve your own brain health. And more and more practitioners are using evidence-based neuroscience to help their patients.
The End of Mental Illness will

• Give you hope that we are on the cusp of a whole new paradigm of treating issues like depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, and even schizophrenia;

• Explain why standard treatment may not have helped you or a loved one be healed, or truly healed for the long term;

• Teach you how to contribute to your own brain healing and prevent or reverse the problems that are stealing your mind;

• Show how to keep your brain healthy or rescue it if it’s headed toward a dark place.

Dr. Amen tells the story about when he first entered medical school and how the dean of his school, in one of his first lectures, transformed his model of care in a deeply profound way. He writes,

He told us “always think of people as whole beings, never just as their symptoms.” He insisted that whenever we evaluated and treated anyone, we should take into consideration four circles of health and illness:

Biological: how your physical body and brain function (the body)

Psychological: developmental issues and how you think (the mind)

Social: social support and interactions, and your current life situation (the relational connections)

Spiritual: your connection to God, the planet, and past and future generations; and your deepest sense of meaning and purpose (the spirit)

Whether you’re just beginning your journey into mental health or have travelled the road for awhile now, I highly recommend that you give Dr. Amen’s work a read. Hopefully, you will find it as helpful and healing as I have. It’s been a game changer for me!

Quentin Steen is a certified mental health first aid instructor for the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

Get your BRAIN right and your MIND will follow!

4 Mental Health Resources to Help You During the Pandemic

Stronger Minds features videos and quick reads from mental health experts, activities to help you gain resilience, and ask-an-expert videos in response to questions.
WellCan offers free well-being resources to help Canadians develop coping strategies and build resilience to help deal with uncertainty, mental health, and substance abuse concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wellness Together Canada: Mental Health and Substance Use Support provides free online resources, tools, apps, and connections to trained volunteers and qualified mental health professionals.
CLAC is also continuing to make available to all members and their families our employment and family assistance program. If you or your loved ones are struggling, please do not hesitate to reach out for help today.

The End of Mental Illness? (Part 1 of 2)

4 Mental Health Resources to Help You During the Pandemic

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