San Diego-based Park Mental Health treatment facility highlights importance of mental wellness recognized as year-round healthcare priority
Each year, specific months are dedicated to bringing awareness to various mental health topics; depression, PTSD, Bipolar, Schizophrenia, eating disorders and suicide prevention, among many others.
While these mental wellness campaigns are helpful in bringing conversations to prioritize mental well-being to the table annually, mental health deserves attention on a daily basis throughout the year.
The broader message is that these conditions can be treated in the same vein that physical illnesses are: as an essential component of preventative healthcare. Mental health and wellness is too often something that’s not seriously addressed until it becomes noticeable, despite having a significant impact on daily functioning and life activities.
“Mental wellness should be an ongoing discussion and something that individuals should maintain proactively, not just address during a crisis,” said Park Mental Health Program Director Mikayla Weathers.
Preventive healthcare traditionally emphasizes early and routine exams, screenings, nutrition and exercise for physical ailments to identify potential health concerns, while behavioral health interventions are overlooked or only begin after symptoms become disruptive.
“Taking care of your mental health before you reach a crisis point is just as important as taking care of your physical health,” Weathers said. “Internal growth and maintenance is just as important, if not more important than external growth and maintenance.”
Mental health influences every area of daily life. Symptoms including persistent anxiety and stress, irritability, disrupted sleep, poor appetite, social withdrawal, difficulty concentrating and loss of interest in activities are all indicators that someone could benefit from additional support.
Regular mental health check-ins can help people recognize changes in their emotional well-being, identify stressors and seek support before concerns become too difficult to manage.
“In therapy we use different interventions to look at the root causes of symptoms and question beliefs/negative self-talk to begin healing,” Weathers said.
“Seeking help doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. It means you’re paying attention to your well-being.”
Despite dramatic changes in mood and behavior, many people don’t seek help because they might believe they’re just overwhelmed, overreacting or need to tough it out.
“These are exactly the kinds of concerns that are serious enough to warrant professional advice,” Weathers said. In fact, a mental health check-in is valuable even when someone is functioning well.
Speaking with a mental health professional gives individuals an opportunity to address ongoing stress, better understand changes they’re experiencing, develop healthy coping strategies and strengthen emotional resilience.
Preventative mental wellness also involves the awareness that people’s needs shift through major transitions, relationship difficulties, grief, financial change and other life circumstances—even when someone has no previous history of mental health concerns.
“It’s about giving people tools and support before they feel overwhelmed,” Weathers said. “The more we normalize mental health struggles, the more those who are struggling will reach out for support.”
