I Want to Address My Mental Health Issues Holistically: Can You Help?

Do you ever wonder how nutrition, your environment, and your mindset all contribute to either health or disease? Holistic psychiatry explores exactly that — it looks at the possible root causes and helps create an environment that supports health.

Did you ever wonder what is contributing to your mental health concerns? Could it be what you eat? Could it be a toxin you are exposed to? Could it be your early life experiences?

Holistic psychiatry doesn’t focus on just one area of your life. Instead, it seeks to make improvements in all areas of your life to support a healthy mind in a healthy body. It also looks at possible deficiencies that could get in the way of you living and feeling well.

Want to learn more about holistic psychiatry? Read on as our experts at VP MindCare explain what it entails.

The trifecta of health: sleep, nutrition, stress

Did you know that after only 24 hours of no sleep, you can start experiencing hallucinations? At the 48-hour mark, you might experience more detailed and stronger images, as well as voices, which goes to show just how important sleep is for our mental health.

Unfortunately, poor sleep and depression create a vicious cycle. Depression makes it harder to fall asleep, while poor sleep puts you at risk for depression, as it causes fatigue, poor job performance, and a general lack of interest in activities that you no longer have the energy for.

Nutrition also plays an important role, as it provides the building blocks for every neurotransmitter your brain makes. In addition, untreated intolerances and allergies can cause low-grade inflammation, brain fog, fatigue, and depressed moods.

Deficiencies can also cause symptoms. For example, low zinc, vitamin D, and B vitamin deficiencies can all lead to fatigue, depression, and anxiety-like symptoms.

And finally, a stressful environment can throw someone into a continuous state of fight or flight, causing symptoms even in the most resilient. Having someone on your side who can help you discover what areas of your life cause the most distress and explore alternatives together can give your nervous system a break, allowing you to relax and enter rest-and-digest mode.

Improving your mental health issues holistically

In addition to psychotherapy and counseling, our experts look at any area of your life that causes you distress, either psychologically or physically. Something as small as a thrown-off sleep schedule or a deficiency can cause issues that may seem psychological but aren’t treated with psychological treatment.

Want to learn more? Contact us to schedule an appointment at our office in Anchorage, Alaska, to learn more about what may be causing your symptoms and receive a personalized holistic treatment plan.