Image courtesy of Michal Marcol / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
I have just finished watching the first episode of the new BBC 3 show entitled, ‘Don’t Call Me Crazy’. This show documents the teenagers who are being treated in the McGuinness Unit in Manchester (a mental-health inpatient unit for teenagers), over the course of a year.
As someone who battled with mental health disorders as a teenager, and into my early twenties – I felt compelled to comment on this show and ask the question: are we really doing enough to prevent mental disorders in teenagers from developing in the first place?
The answer for me is no. Not when half a million young people in Britain are currently living with a mental health disorder. That’s an awfully high statistic.
Enough is not being done to help young people learn the correct tools to cope in life emotionally, right from when they are young, plus not enough emphasis is placed on just how much having great nutrition can do in helping or even resolving mental health problems in people of all ages.
Improving Body Image, Self-Esteem & Role Models are Crucial
I have consulted with many women who have had eating disorders like bulimia to anorexia. All of these women had one thing in common – low self esteem and low body confidence. Many don’t like the way they look and feel they have to look a certain way to be happy. Usually, the way they must look is to fit in with other peoples ideals and is rarely to please themselves. Sometimes the women have a warped view of themselves and feel they are fat or overweight when they are absolutely not.
Either way – resolving a deep rooted emotional problem helps them as well as improving the way they see themselves.
Lets face it, when a child is young they are watching and learning all the time, and their environment needs to be filled with positive role models – be it parents, sisters to friends and grandparents. Everyone influences a young child – and these influences and beliefs are carried through right until adulthood. So the more negative things they are being told when they are young, the more they feel insecure, and the more likely the chance of a mental health disorder can arise. Couple this with a poor diet from the mother when they were in the womb, and a poor diet when they are out of the womb – is a recipe for poor brain health.
But it is only when someone tells the young insecure person that the thoughts they have about themselves are not real, and that they can change the way they see themselves and the way they feel with with diet and positive thinking – do they believe that what they have been thinking is not the truth and then the vicious cycle can end.
The mind is a powerful thing and it is vital we help children grow into happy and positive teenagers who are not full of self hate and wish to kill themselves like Beth on the show ‘Dont Call Me Crazy’.
In my opinion, Beth, Emma and Jill are all prime examples of young women suffering with low self esteem and poor diets at the McGunniess Mental Health Unit.
I know I definitely had low self-esteem and a poor diet and this was the reason behind a lot of my own mental health problems. I went to some dark places when I was younger, and did some scary stuff – but no antidepressant, no psychologist ever really helped me. It was only when I learnt to have confidence in myself, that it was OK to do so, and that its what I thought of myself that really counts – did I ever start to resolve my depression and anxiety attacks.
Nutritional Therapy is More Important than Drugs
Changing my mind set was not the thing to help keep my depression at bay – a lot changed for me positively when I addressed my diet. I found that once I addressed my deficiencies and kicked out all the toxic foods and anti-nutrients, that over time my mental health problems resolved once and for all. So I believe it is vital the two have to be be applied together if looking for long term solutions when treating mental health problems.
Drugs do not give you a long term solution either, all antidepressants and anti-psychotics do is suppress a deep rooted problem. Unless you resolve this deep rooted problem you will never help a teenager for the best who has a mental health disorder and they will keep having a relapse.
I did not see the mental health carers on this BBC show ‘Don’t Call Me Crazy’ even mention the importance of a good diet in the patients recovery process. Sure, only one episode has been aired so far – but I will be watching closely to see if they mention anything more on it.
As there have been many studies demonstrating a deficiency in certain vitamins, minerals and healthy fats can cause many mental health disorders, and that when this is addressed – a patient makes a big leap forward in their recovery.
Vitamin & Mineral Deficiencies Linked to Mental Health Problems
Dr. Leonard John Hoffer, the author of “Vitamin Therapy in Schizophrenia”, stated that schizophrenic patients have a tendency to be deficient in vitamin C which could be linked to a poor diet.
If a vitamin B12 deficiency goes on long enough, it can cause damage to nerve cells, if this happens it can then go on to cause mood disorders and depression. So vegetarian and vegan mothers should ensure they regularly test their children’s B12 levels.
Another vital nutrient that if missing can cause brain damage, depression, mood disorders and ADHD – is Omega 3. This is an essential fat that the human body cannot manufacture so is crucial we get it regularly in our diet from good quality food sources like oily fish and/or supplements. I personally do both.
Of course, if anyone is currently suffering from a mental illness, they should continue the therapy and medication they are on. As just taking yourself off the drugs cold turkey can cause serious complications. But I would advise you or the person with a mental health problem to tell the doctor you/they are seeing and express you/they are interested in incorporating nutritional therapy into your/their treatment list. If they do not wish to offer nutritional therapy, go seek another doctor or nutritionist yourself as there are many others out there willing to help you that understand the importance of a great diet in mental health recovery. I am also available for Skype or face-to-face consultations.
Current Treatment Needs to Reevaluated
I am not trying to knock what the carers at the McGuinness Unit do, because at least there is some sort of help being given to young men and women in desperate situations. But what I do feel is much more needs to be done to help prevent teenagers ending up in there, and the right treatment needs to be given to create long term solutions, in those that end up in a unit like the McGuinness.
Also, what about the many that don’t even end up in the mental health unit? What about the many that end up committing suicide each year and who never even had a chance to get some help and their pain went unheard?
Something has to be done and all of us play a role in influencing others happiness and confidence levels, so make sure you are trying to empower a young person, right from when they are small. So that they do not end up with such shocking body image issues like Beth does on the show.
She is a very beautiful girl, who is not carrying any extra weight yet sees herself as fat so does not want to eat and ends up being sectioned under the Mental Health Act. Where she will now be forced to eat and take medication because it is deemed it is in her best interest, as up until this point she was not able to look after herself according to the carers in the unit. She also has suicidal tendencies, self-harms and suffers with depression – not a simple problem.
Also, if you feel someone you know may suffer with a mental health problem and you are worried they could end up doing something serious to harm themselves or others – then speak up. Tell your boss, and get them to intervene. Even if your suspicions end up being wrong – you could have saved a persons life. If you personally think you have a mental health problem then please visit the website for mental health charity ‘Mind’ www.mind.org.uk or phone them on 0300 123 3393 in the UK between 9am and 6pm.
Having a mental health issue can really begin to take its toll on your everyday life. But by incorporating nutritional therapy into your life, and improving your self-esteem, it could be just what you need to make long term permanent solutions to get you feeling on track again.