The annual physical is a staple. Kids are required to do it for school and camp. And most of us have it as a yearly “to-do” throughout our adult lives. After all, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” or, if not actual prevention, then at least early detection.
Most of us have experienced, or know someone who has experienced, the relief of finding an illness early so it can be treated more effectively and successfully.
Although we may not always have our checkups quite as punctually as we should, most of us don’t question the logic of a regular checkup with a series of standard questions, physical reviews, and blood test results acting as generalized markers for health or the status of any number of physical health issues, and the ongoing process of aging.
The point, as we all understand, is that, if there is something brewing, we should catch it early and therefore have a better chance of treating it while at its most treatable.
Sometimes, we are urged to make a lifestyle change like a shift in diet or exercise as cholesterol or weight creeps up.
Doctors will ask regular recurring questions about drinking, smoking, exercise, and other health benchmarks and can notice any upward or downward tick that should be underlined or taken notice of.
Other times we are offered preventative medication or advice to stave off a potential problem. And then there are the patients who are given a clean bill of health and can skip off back to their lives with some confidence that there is nothing to worry about for another 12 months, hoping to be spared any unforeseen infections, diagnoses, or accidents.
How is it that this is not done for mental and emotional health? Largely, I think the answer is that it is not our habit, that we fear pathologizing normal behavior, and that stigma about mental illness is still an issue.
Many of us are from a generation in which you needed to be seriously mentally ill to see a therapist or psychiatrist and, even then, there was shame attached to it. One common but erroneous view is that we should be able to keep an eye on our mental health status by ourselves—although this is not something that we say about physical health.
Young people will have access to apps that offer mental health support
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