Mental Health Awareness Week
Are we missing the mark?
If you are in the mental health circles - you may have heard that this week is Mental Health Awareness Week in New Zealand.
I love the idea that we are promoting mental health
As you well know - my work is completely dedicated to improving mental health in Aotearoa.
It's something I have chosen to spend a lot of time trying to understand.
What causes us to feel miserable or dysfunctional? (It’s not just about present circumstances - there are plenty of people who see me who have ‘nothing wrong’ with their lives)
What helps people get better?
Why is the suicide rate in New Zealand so high?
These questions led me on a 10-year journey of paving my own way in how we approach mental health.
My exploration has led me down many pathways - a few of them are not often mentioned by mental health organisations - both government-led and independent.
Diet
Impact of diet on mental health
One of these is the impact of food & nutrition on mental health.
Changing from a so-called SAD (Standard American/Australian - and one might suggest - New Zealand Diet) can reduce depression by over 30%. It can reduce anxiety, reduce aggression and influence behaviour in young people. It may even lessen symptoms of schizophrenia.
The ketogenic diet has been found in some studies to have such significant and substantial improvements in the most treatment-resistant mental illness (ie has not responded to medications) as to have people significantly reduce the number of medications they need to take and have a significant improvement in symptoms.
The research on this can not be disputed.
Trauma
Impact of childhood trauma on mental health
Another often undiscussed contributing factor of mental illness is the impact that early childhood trauma can have on the health of the individual. A study which looked at the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), stated that children who were exposed to more than four criteria of ACEs had an increased risk of depression of 460%, and suicide by 1220%.
These factors are not to be taken lightly.
Unfortunately, neither of these issues is being addressed when we look at reducing the mental health burden in New Zealand
The Five Ways… and more
So yes, I encourage the Five Ways to Well-Being: socialise with your community, keep moving, give and be kind, keep learning, be present by taking notice (and don’t forget to get your rest and sleep!)
But - but let's not forget - the kai we eat - nourishing our minds and our bodies and the way we treat our tamariki (and each other in our adult/parenting relationships), may have the greatest, most profound impact on the future of mental health in New Zealand more than anything.
We have the power to change the incidence of mental illness in New Zealand.
Start with where you are.
(But let's re-construct our food system too!)
PS. We don't need more psychiatrists or psychologists either. Just saying!
Sense of Hope Podcast
The Sense of Hope Podcast is humming along nicely. Actually - we have broached this subject of childhood trauma a few times on the podcast with Dr Davin Tan and with Donna Stichbury - so if you’ve not listened to it yet - head on over. It’s only in its infancy - but eventually, there will be a little something for everyone!
The Sense of Hope Podcast, building resilience and fostering well-being. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you prefer to hear your podcasts!
As always - thank you for being here and wanting to do mental health differently, it’s a pleasure to have you on board x
Helen Duyvestyn, Registered Nurse, Life Coach
Helen is a registered nurse, specialising in mental health from a holistic perspective. She is passionate about supporting people to have optimal mental health and well-being.
Based in New Zealand, Helen is available for speaking, education sessions and one-on-one appointments. She has online courses and lectures at the University of Auckland on Nutrition and Mental Health as a guest lecturer.