All About Mental Health Awareness | Canada Drug Rehab

Mental health awareness month is observed every May in Canada. Around one in every seven people (roughly 18%) worldwide live with a mental illness or substance abuse disorder. Due to the lack of accurate representation of mental health issues, however, most people don’t understand them well. 

Because of this, there is plenty of misinformation, misdiagnosis, and dismissal of mental health problems. Poor mental health awareness can lead to a host of other issues, such as substance abuse, mood swings, antisocial behaviour, and in the worst cases, suicidal ideation.

Understanding the importance of maintaining your emotional wellbeing is the first step to spreading the mission of mental health awareness. In this article, you will learn how to support your mental health, different types of mental health problems, how mental health relates to substance abuse, how to access drug rehab, alcohol treatment, and addiction services, and more.

Tips on How to Maintain Good Mental Health

Maintaining your mental health isn’t as simple as just staying in a good mood. Just like physical hygiene, mental health requires constant maintenance. So how can you make sure you keep up your mental health through daily routine and actions?

1. Eat well
2. Take breaks
3. Stay active
4. Do enjoyable things
5. Ask for help
6. Set boundaries

Eat Well

Keeping your body nourished is the first step to keeping your mind healthy. Eating a balanced diet can go a long way toward improving your emotional state.

So what does it mean to eat well?

• Eat less refined sugar and red meat. There is a link between these types of diets and depression. Try to cut down on both substances if possible.

• Drink more water. Hydration is key to making sure you feel energetic throughout the day. Doctors recommend men drink at least 3.7 liters of fluids a day and women drink at least 2.7 liters of fluid a day. Water also helps flush out waste, lubricate joints, and protect your tissue.

• Reduce caffeine intake. Too much caffeine will induce jitteriness and anxiety. Cut down on your caffeine intake for better sleep and nourishment as well.

• Eat consistently. Skipping meals or cutting out food groups you’re more likely to experience low energy points throughout the day. When your energy levels are low, your mood will suffer too.

Maintaining a healthy diet will help keep your body nourished, which can go a long way toward keeping a consistent mood.

Take Breaks

Stress is a huge factor in causing mental health problems in addition to generalized anxiety. Setting boundaries between work and rest is necessary for you to maintain a healthy mindset.

Even during a busy workday, standing up to take a quick break from the screen can make a huge difference in your stress levels. It’s a great way to break up the potential monotony of a daily routine

Taking breaks doesn’t just apply to work. Stepping away from any project or situation for a while can help you breathe more freely and gain a fresh perspective on the problems in life.

Stay Active

Staying active is an important part of taking care of your body. While the most obvious form of activity is exercising, just standing up from your desk and taking a stroll is extremely beneficial for your mental health.

Higher levels of activity correlate with:

• Reduced depression and anxiety
• Improved neurochemical balance
• Stress reduction
• Better motivation

If you have a hard time motivating yourself to get up and work out, starting with small steps is the best course of action. Moving your body will help you get into a better mood overall and stop you from dwelling in dark thoughts.

Do Enjoyable Things

Activities you enjoy can serve to distract you from self-criticism or depressive moods. Don’t have anything fun in mind yet? Try the following:

• Pick up a new hobby. Skill level doesn’t matter! Just pick up a new hobby and try to learn it. The act of trying out something new will give you an interesting stimulus to focus on.

• Figure out what you like doing. Whether it’s running, sewing, or just watching Netflix after a long day, making a list of your favourite activities gives you something to default to if you’re feeling down, a safe haven for you to process your feelings.

• Quiet your mind. Overthinking is often the root of stress. A good hobby can help you redirect your thoughts toward something productive or relaxing so you no longer have to fixate on negative thoughts.

• Get social! Craving social contact? See if you can integrate socialization into your “enjoyable activities” for the week. For example, catching up with an old friend over dinner can be a therapeutic experience for both of you and provide you with perspective on your emotions.

If you can’t think of any activities you genuinely enjoy, now is a great time to start discovering new favourite hobbies. It’s never too late to figure out what brings you joy.

Ask for Help

Support systems are one of the most crucial resources for people struggling with mental health. If you’re going through tough times, don’t suffer in silence. Reaching out to your loved ones for help can make a huge difference in dealing with emotional turmoil.

For a lot of people, asking for help feels like a last resort. As a matter of fact, inviting your loved ones to support you during hard times provides you with a valuable outside perspective, emotional support, and validation. 

Normalizing mental health struggles will give your friends the encouragement they might need to reach out for support down the line as well.

Set Boundaries

Setting boundaries is key to establishing a healthy mental health space for yourself. But what does it mean to establish boundaries?

Defining your boundaries is the practice of setting emotional and physical limits between you and the lives of others. This can look like this:

• Keeping your personal and professional lives separate. Not letting your professional life spill into your personal life makes sure you aren’t pouring too much of yourself into work to an unhealthy extent.

• Ending conversations with friends. There might be many reasons for ending conversations with friends at the moment. You could be tired, unable to support them emotionally, or just need space for yourself from your relationship. Either way, you retain the right to end any conversation with a friend for your own emotional wellbeing.

• Asking for time from romantic partners. It can be easy to lose your sense of identity in a long-term romantic partnership. No matter how intimate you are with your partner, spending time alone may help redefine your identity and find time for your own passions.

These are just a few examples of boundary setting. You can set boundaries in any area of your life, depending on what you’re comfortable with. The first step is recognizing your boundaries, and the next is setting limits with the people around you whether it’s for work or your personal life. 

Now that you’ve learned a few key tips for improving your mental health, let’s take a look at the different types of mental health issues that could arise, and how addiction is linked with mental disorders.

Different Types of Mental Health Problems

There are too many types of mental health issues to outline all at once. What we can do is outline the most common types of mental health issues people struggle with, what they are, and how they might affect your life.

1. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
2. Anxiety Disorder (Social Anxiety, Panic Disorders, Phobias)
3. Bipolar Disorder
4. Depression
5. Schizophrenia
6. Personality Disorder (Borderline Personality Disorder, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Antisocial Personality Disorder)
7. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (or OCD) is characterized by obsessions and compulsions.

1. Obsessions manifest through repetitive thoughts and images, often of a violent or disturbing nature. For example, graphic scenes urge to hurt others. 

2. Compulsions are a set of physical behaviour or mental acts that the affected person feels compelled to perform for a sense of completion. For example, hand-washing, counting, repeating words.

OCD can be treated through cognitive behavioural therapy and/or medication.

Anxiety Disorder

How do you know if you have an anxiety disorder? If you experience any of the following in abundance:

• Fear
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Blushing
• Chest pain/tightness
• Dizziness
• Rapid heart beating
• Sweating
• Muscle tension
• Restlessness
• Difficulty focusing

Specific types of anxiety disorders may be focused on a specific thing. For example, social anxiety surrounds interacting with other people while a phobia is fixated on a single object or situation.

You can treat an anxiety disorder through medication and/or counselling.

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is characterized by extreme mood swings, from one end to another:

• Depressive lows. Low energy, loss of interest in daily activities, and lack of motivation.
• Manic highs. High energy, needing less sleep and losing touch with reality.

Treatment for bipolar disorder is a combination of medication and psychotherapy. During particularly harsh breaks from reality, patients may be hospitalized to prevent self-harm.

Depression 

Depression is about much more than sadness. It’s characterized by a consistently low mood and lack of interest in activities which affects daily life significantly.

Main symptoms include:

• Feeling hopeless
• Losing interest in things you used to care about
• Sleeping too much or little
• Restlessness
• Lack of motivation
• Fatigue
• Weight gain/loss
• Feeling guilty or worthless 
• Forgetfulness
• Confusion
• Considering suicide

At worst, depression can lead to negative emotional spirals and contribute to the likelihood of suicide. In fact, 60% of patients who commit suicide are estimated to have been suffering from clinical depression. It’s essential to receive treatment for depression, which usually constitutes antidepressants and/or therapy.

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder that affects the ability to think clearly and logically. Patients often report hallucinations, disorganized speech and thinking, and lack of motivation.

Other symptoms include:

• Delusions
• Poor hygiene
• Lack of emotional expression
• Forgetfulness
• Difficulty understanding or learning new information
• Depression
• Anxiety

Treatment for schizophrenia generally involves therapy and medication.

Personality Disorder

A mental illness where a consistent, unhealthy pattern of thoughts and behaviours negatively impacts one’s life. There are several different types of personality disorders, including:

• Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD): Unstable mood and behaviour. Characterized by feelings of worthlessness, impulsiveness, insecurity, and more.

• Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD): Exaggerated self-importance. Characterized by an excessive need for praise and admiration, fragility in the face of criticism, entitlement, and disregarding of other people’s feelings. More common among men.

• Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD): Disregard for other people. Characterized by consistent manipulation, urges to break rules, aggression, impulsivity, compulsive lying, and more. 

These are just a few examples of personality disorders and how they might affect the way that you live. Depending on the type of disorder, you might be able to recover through therapy and/or medication.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disorder arising from the experience of a traumatic event such as accidents, sexual assault, abuse, serious health problems, and more. It is characterized by intense flashbacks, avoidance of situations similar to the inciting traumatic incident, depression, and anxiety.

Treatment for PTSD can be done via trauma-focused therapy and/or medication.

Need help keeping track of the different types of mental disorders? Here’s a chart to review:

	Symptoms	Treatment
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder	ObsessionsCompulsions	Self-careTalk therapyMedicationRational emotive behaviour therapy
Anxiety Disorder	FearFatigueHeadachesBlushingChest pain/tightnessDizzinessRapid heart beatingSweatingMuscle tensionRestlessnessDifficulty focusing	CounsellingMedicationStress managementDiet management
Bipolar Disorder	Depressive lowsManic highs	MedicationPsychotherapyHospitalization if needed
Depression	Feeling hopelessLosing interest in things you used to care aboutSleeping too much or littleRestlessnessLack of motivationFatigueWeight gain/lossFeeling guilty or worthless ForgetfulnessConfusionConsidering suicide	AntidepressantsTalk therapyElectroconvulsive therapy
Schizophrenia	Disorganized speech and thinkingDelusionsPoor hygieneLack of emotional expressionForgetfulnessDifficulty understanding or learning new informationDepressionAnxiety	Coordinated specialty carePsychotherapyMedication
Personality Disorders	Depends on a specific form of personality disorder	PsychotherapyHospitalizationMedication
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder	Intense flashbacksAvoidance of situations similar to the inciting traumatic incidentDepression and anxiety	Trauma-focused therapyMedication

How to Know When Someone is Experiencing Mental Health Issues

Knowing the symptoms of specific mental disorders is useful. How can you judge from signs when you or someone in your life is experiencing a mental health issue?

50% of mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% of mental illness shows signs by age 24. For your wellbeing, it’s essential to know the warning signs of mental health trouble so you can get the right kind of treatment.

What are the symptoms of mental health issues?

• Lack of investment. Losing emotional investment in things they cared about before is a sign that something is wrong.

• Delusional thought. Suddenly thinking illogically, believing in fantastical theories or forces.

• Withdrawal. Socially secluding oneself to an extreme or harmful extent.

• Agitation. Heightened sensitivity, rapid mood changes, and issues concentrating can be telltale signs of mental illness.

• Dramatic changes in sleep or appetite. A marked change in daily routine can signal a shift in mental health.

• Inability to function. Being unable to complete work that was previously doable at school or work shows a drop in mental state.

Having one or two of these mental health warning signs may not constitute a full-blown crisis. Ultimately, you’ll need a diagnosis from a professional to take further action.

Relationship Between Mental Health and Substance Abuse

Substance abuse is a form of mental illness in itself. Just like other types of mental illness mentioned above, it can be hereditary or happen due to environmental factors. 

There’s actually a strong link between untreated mental health disorders and substance abuse. Around one in four (25%) individuals with a serious mental illness also have a substance abuse disorder. Youth who have mental health issues are especially likely to fall into drug or alcohol addiction, thanks to their uniquely vulnerable disposition.

To add to the story, substance abuse worsens pre-existing mental health conditions, leading to a negative feedback effect. Substances like alcohol can alter brain chemistry to be more prone to depression and anxiety, leading to fits of psychosis, paranoia, and mood swings.

Thankfully both are treatable with the proper diagnosis. Just like other forms of mental illness, combining medication and therapy is usually the best way to treat substance disorders. This is usually combined with an inpatient or outpatient program where the patient receives treatment at a specialized clinic while they work to get sober. Addiction is a disease, not a choice, and it deserves to be treated as such.

How and Where to Get Help for Mental Health Issues

There are plenty of great resources for drug and alcohol addiction intervention in Canada. You can find tons of treatment options on the Canada Drug Rehab website.

Here are a few more examples of great treatment locations that offer a variety of expertise:

• Aurora Recovery Centre
• Cedars at Cobble Hill
• Sunshine Coast Health Centre
• Andy Bhatti Intervention Services

Treatment Centre	Specializes In
Andy Bhatti Intervention Services	Providing interventions for victims of sexual abuse and addiction, high-risk youth, families in recovery, Punjabi community recovery
Aurora Recovery Centre	Sustainable sobriety through personalized addiction recovery plans, family programs, stabilization support, addiction awareness training
Cedars at Cobble Hill	Abstinence-based treatment for addiction with full staff support
Sunshine Coast Health Centre	Holistic rehab for working men, 24/7 medical care, nutritional, psychological, psychiatric support

Receiving treatment for mental health issues can seem extremely challenging, but finding the right kind of medication and therapy can do wonders both for substance abuse disorders and mental health struggles in general. 

Going from addiction to remission is tough, but possible with empathy, support, and proper treatment.