October 10th is World Mental Health Day, and it is a time for raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and supporting mental health efforts. We at Bel Marra believe that mental health is an important issue that doesn’t get much recognition, so we have taken the time to compile a list of our best articles on the subject. You will find information on mental exhaustion, age-related mental decline, catatonic depression, and tips to protect mental health. We hope all our readers do their best to keep their mental health in check.
Mental exhaustion (fatigue): Symptoms, causes, and recovery tips
Mental exhaustion is a common occurrence and is a result of brain over-activity. Feelings of being overwhelmed by tasks at work or responsibilities to children and family members can leave you with feelings of frustration and mental unrest. You may also find yourself becoming envious of others you perceive as being more relaxed or laid back, as your level of mental stress can make you detest those who seem to have it easier.
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When you spend a lot of mental effort on a task, you become mentally exhausted. Though manageable at first, over time, your ability to maintain your focus becomes hampered. This may leave you with an inability to concentrate, performing more mistakes than normal. Feelings of being stressed, irritated, and even depressed can lead you into a downward spiral, potentially affecting your health and the people around you. Continue reading…
Dancing can counteract age related mental decline: Study
Getting older often means the decline of physical health. Admittedly, we become weaker, more susceptible to disease, and can even injure easily. But perhaps more troubling is our decline in mental function as we age. While dementia is not simply caused by getting old, advanced age is considered a risk factor.
All is not lost, however, as a new study finds that older people who routinely partake in physical exercise can reverse the signs of aging in the brain, and dancing was seen to provide the best effect. Continue reading…
Potential treatment found for mental illness related to brain inflammation
Lupus is a chronic inflammatory condition that commonly occurs in women that can affect nearly any part of the body. It is not known how this disease manifests, but it is known to be an autoimmune disease—when your body’s immune system attacks its own tissue. Lupus attacks tissue in the joints, skin, kidneys, blood, heart, and lungs. Lupus patients also experience neuropsychiatric symptoms in about 75 percent of cases, but researchers are not sure why this happens.
New research into the neuropsychiatric aspect of lupus has yielded new information that may pave the way to developing brain protecting medication. Continue reading…
Playing a musical instrument can protect mental health: Study
Listening to music has long been known to have an emotional effect on the listener. It can put us in a great mood, or it can make us feel depressed and isolated. Without a doubt, music holds a great power over us, and new research suggests that playing music can help older adults retain their listening skills and even ward off age-associated cognitive decline.
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“Music has been known to have beneficial effects on the brain, but there has been limited understanding into what about music makes a difference. This is the first study demonstrating that learning the fine movement needed to reproduce a sound on an instrument changes the brain’s perception of sound in a way that is not seen when listening to music,” says Dr. Bernhard Ross, senior scientist at Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute (RRI) and senior author on the study. Continue reading…
How to treat catatonic depression? Symptoms and causes
Catatonic depression is a subset of depression that is characterized by additional symptoms of extended periods without speaking and remaining motionless for a long time. The term catatonic is not a separate illness in itself, but rather considered an additional part of an already present diagnosis. Other illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia could also have catatonia has a distinction.
Those affected may not be able to perform simple tasks such as sitting up in bed or changing their clothes. They may also sit quietly for hours on end not moving a muscle. Continue reading…
