![parenting style affects your children's health](https://blog.uvahealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/parentingstyles.slider-350x243.jpg)
What is your parenting style? Are you helping your child learn good decision-making? Get tips on how to help your child become an independent, healthy adult.
Every May, we observe Mental Health Awareness Month. Why is mental health important? Because it affects every single one of us. In the past, we viewed mental health through a narrow lens: mental illness was something that happened to a small group of people. That allowed discrimination to take hold. As a society, we’re still working to shake off the stigma attached to mental health.
The truth is mental health is a key part of every person’s health and well-being. It’s so closely tied to physical health that the two can’t be separated. UVA Health psychologist Kim Penberthy, PhD, breaks this down using sleep as an example. “Stress impacts sleep and poor sleep weakens the immune system,” she explains. A weakened immune system makes us more likely to get sick, which in turn causes stress.
Mental health issues — stress and many others — affect all of us at different points of our lives. People around the world face:
If you’re struggling with a mental health challenge, it’s important to know help is available. Leaning on friends and family can help. Other mental health resources include counseling and support groups. Some mental health issues respond well to medical treatments, like medications.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call, text, or chat the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
You can also find behavioral health services at UVA Health.
You don’t have to be a mental health professional to help someone struggling with mental health challenges. If you’re worried about someone you care about, don’t be afraid to reach out. But it’s important to be mindful of your approach. Avoid platitudes or jumping in with solutions unasked. Listening without judgement works best. Read more on the dos and don’ts of supporting someone in crisis.
Not sure where to start? The articles here can help you learn:
What is your parenting style? Are you helping your child learn good decision-making? Get tips on how to help your child become an independent, healthy adult.
Now 50 years old, Karen remembers depression as a major factor in her life since she was 12. After college, she followed a fairly normal trajectory: She got married and started a family. But Karen’s inner life was anything but normal.
Do you know the most depressed country? Or why we don't have insane asylums anymore? Why do people go off their meds? We answer these and other questions about modern psychiatry, so you have the facts.
Many people who seek help for depression don't respond to standard treatments. For them, transcranial magnetic stimulation may be a good option.
Having a baby: It’s a delight, it’s a joy — and it is also stressful. No matter how positive the birth experience, how well-prepared you are as a parent (you read every Maternity Monday post, for instance!) and no matter how pleasantly your infant integrates into the world, the arrival…
The sudden death of actor Robin Williams has put mental illness and Parkinson’s disease in the spotlight. Kim Penberthy, PhD, works with patients who have severe depression and talks about the stigmas, myths and what you can do to help. [caption id="attachment_8665" align="alignright" width="100"] Kim Penberthy, PhD[/caption] Are there any…
Each Monday this month, we’re looking at the UVA Cancer Center’s Integrative Medicine Program. It starts like this. You’re driving down the road. Another driver pulls out, cuts you off without even looking. Or the truck behind you tailgates too close. Even before your brain registers what’s happening, your body…
Get stories & health tips every week