Over the past few years, the connection between mental health and physical health has been increasingly explored because of the fascinating ways in which one can affect the other.
It is a somewhat complex issue, particularly in the context of individual therapy, as the relationship between the body and the mind is somewhat complex, and attempts to simplify this connection can sometimes lead to questionable, if not outright toxic pieces of advice.
Part of the reason for this is that exploring the links between the mental and the physical has been treated as a philosophical question, rather than a medical or psychological one, but with the rise of fields such as psychoneuroimmunology, the mind-body connection could have implications for mental health.
It is important to understand what aspects of physical health are affected by mental health, which are not, and vice versa.
From Philosophy To Neuropsychology
It has been known since the beginning of philosophy itself that the mind and the body are not entirely separate, although the exact connection between mental and physical events is something that has been widely and often fiercely debated.
The mind-body problem in philosophy is the question of where thoughts, ideas and mental states come from, whether the mind is at its fundamental level separate from the physical world but is influenced by it, or whether the mind comes from the complex interplay of physical aspects that make up the human body and brain.
In the past, the question of dualism vs monism was a question largely confined to philosophy, as it is patently obvious that the body affects the mind, and the mind affects the body by making the conscious decision to take physical actions.
However, the exact nature of this relationship continued to be explored as psychology did, and the field of psychoneuroimmunology would start to take shape in the mid-1970s, distinctly exploring the connection between the immune system, the nervous system and mental health.
What People Get Wrong
There are connections between mental health and physical health. There have been countless studies of the physical effects of stress, as psychological stress has been linked to increased levels of hormones such as cortisol.
Where people often struggle is that there is still a lot that is not known about this connection, and attempts to simplify the link between the body and mind particularly when it comes to treating both will invariably lead to issues.
After all, a positive mental attitude, affirmations and talking therapy will not repair a broken leg, and conversely whilst physical activity is exceptionally good for your health, it is not a replacement for psychological treatment and therapy.
At the same time, physical and mental health are not entirely separate either, and optimism has been linked to improved health outcomes and longer lifespans even accounting for the health behaviour changes that will naturally occur as a result.
Positive affirmations may not put a broken leg back together, but they can be associated with less intense pain, fewer symptoms reported and slightly faster recovery from surgery.
Conversely, whilst exercise will not cure a mental health condition, being active can in some cases reduce its effects through various neurotransmission and neuroplasticity effects.
It is a complex school of neurology and psychology that still has a lot of questions surrounding it, but the connection between physical and mental health could have significant implications for the future of psychology treatments.