{"id":36957,"date":"2018-08-10T20:30:00","date_gmt":"2018-08-10T17:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/?p=36957"},"modified":"2020-10-04T20:29:20","modified_gmt":"2020-10-04T20:29:20","slug":"preventive-healthcare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/preventive-healthcare\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Preventive Healthcare Measures for Chronic Mental Patients"},"content":{"rendered":"
There are some must-do preventive healthcare measures you should regularly make time for in case if you have a chronic mental condition, such as depression or bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n
If you have depression or bipolar disorder<\/a>, it can be hard to stay on top of your physical health. You spend so much time and energy battling symptoms and staying in control of your mental health that physical health sometimes suffers. Severe or chronic depression<\/strong> can keep you from seeking preventive healthcare, like blood pressure screenings.<\/p>\n Symptoms also make it hard to follow diet and exercise recommendations.<\/p>\n The biggest physical health problems seen in patients with depression and bipolar disorder<\/strong> are preventable conditions. These include diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and an increased risk for cancer.<\/p>\n Making it even worse, the most common treatments for depression and bipolar disorder can further erode physical health in patients.<\/p>\n The bottom line is that depression and bipolar disorder symptoms<\/a> and treatments contribute to poor health and result in a shortened lifespan.<\/p>\n People with mental illness use tobacco products more than the general population. In the United States, adults with mental illness consume almost 40% of all cigarettes smoked by those over 18.<\/p>\n The mood-altering effects of nicotine mask the negative symptoms of mental illness, making people with these disorders at higher risk for nicotine addiction<\/a>. Because of the effect that nicotine and addiction have on the brain, you may need special programs or additional assistance to give up tobacco use if you have depression or bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n Quitting smoking and conquering nicotine addiction can lower your risk of various cancers. Involve your mental health care provider in your efforts to stop smoking so that your medication is adjusted to compensate for the increase of symptoms and lack of nicotine.<\/p>\n Severe depression<\/a> often results in neglected dental care. If your depression symptoms render you unable to perform basic tasks like brushing and flossing, it can have long-term consequences on your overall physical health.<\/p>\n Advanced gum disease raises your risk for health complications like respiratory infections, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, dementia and premature birth.<\/p>\n Talk to your dentist about alternatives to brushing your teeth when you are unable to leave the bed. Studies have shown that chewing sugar-free gum sweetened with xylitol can drastically lower or eliminate the bacteria that cause cavities.<\/p>\n Good oral hygiene can lower your risk factor for developing more serious health conditions.<\/p>\n People with depression and bipolar disorder often struggle to maintain regular physical activity, raising the risk of heart disease<\/a> and Type 2 diabetes. If your depression is unrelenting, it can be especially hard to focus on insulin regulation and diet restrictions.<\/p>\n Even successful treatment for mental illness can contribute to weight gain, as is the case with antipsychotics and antidepressants. Psychotropic medicines also cause cardiovascular disease and side effects like hypotension and ventricular fibrillation. All these\u00a0can contribute to the risk of stroke<\/strong>.<\/p>\nFor this reason, you should make time for certain preventive healthcare measures to avoid these unfortunate happenings.<\/h2>\n
1. Stop smoking<\/h3>\n
2. Regular dental care<\/h3>\n
3. Weight management<\/h3>\n