Mental Health Problems and Mind-Body Wellness

Mental Self-Care

Many mental health problems begin when physical stress (such as an illness or injury) or emotional stress (such as the loss of a loved one) triggers chemical changes in your brain. The goal of treatment for mental health problems—including self-care and professional treatment—is to reduce stress and restore the normal chemical processes in your brain.

Seeking professional help

In general, it is a good idea to seek professional help for a mental health problem when:

• A symptom becomes severe or disruptive.
• A symptom becomes a continuous or permanent pattern of behaviour and does not respond to self-care.
• Symptoms become numerous, affect all areas of your life, and do not respond to self-care or communication efforts.
• You are thinking about hurting yourself or someone else. See the topics Suicidal Thoughts or Threats and Violent Behaviour.

There is a wide range of professional and lay resources to choose from for mental health problems.

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Author:	Katy E. Magee, MA Sydney Youngerman-Cole, RN, BSN, RNC	Last Updated: July 31, 2006
Medical Review:	Patrice Burgess, MD - Family Medicine Martin Gabica, MD - Family Medicine Tom Bailey, MD - Family Medicine
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