|
In many countries around the world, 20–25% of people will experience a mental health problem. This is one in every four to five people. Depression is one of the most commonly experienced mental health problems. While the causes of depression can be different for different people, there are often common contributors such as excessive stress or ongoing stress, trauma (past or recent) and emotional pain.
I’m going to share some tools for managing and recovering from depression that you can start to action in your life. This article will be in two parts. First, we'll focus on some basics of supporting your physical health - nutrition, reducing caffeine and alcohol, and supporting sleep. Part two will then look at ways to support your emotional health.  Welcome to the fourth article in The OCD series. I’m Francesca, a Nutritionist who has lived with OCD since I was 10. In my teens and late 20s, I hit rock bottom with OCD – it was so distressing and debilitating that it left me feeling suicidal and at one point, partially housebound. Now, after investing time, money and effort in creating a mental health tool box, I have been largely symptom-free of OCD since 2012, with one relapse. And I offer support to people who have OCD who want to get their lives back.
The previous three articles in The OCD series focused on nutritional tools that support your mental health. Yet nutrition is not the only tool for recovering from OCD, though it is an important one. Because I take a holistic approach to supporting my clients, this article will discuss the role of childhood trauma in OCD. Before we go further, I'd like to say – the information in this article won't be relevant for all of you. Not everyone affected by OCD will have experienced childhood trauma. If this article doesn't strike a chord for you, I invite you to look at the other articles in The OCD Series. For the people of Canterbury and Christchurch, New Zealand, who have lived through major earthquakes and thousands of aftershocks, and ALL people experiencing stress, sleep problems and mental health problems after traumatic events.
New Zealand is my home and I grew up in Canterbury. On February 22, 2011, an earthquake struck Christchurch and nearby towns in the Canterbury region, causing 185 deaths and huge damage to homes and infrastructure. Thousands of aftershocks followed. The number of people seeking support with mental health problems, particularly anxiety and PTSD, has risen dramatically in the wake of the quake. This article offers holistic advice on how you can take care of your or a loved one’s mental health after a traumatic event such as an earthquake. |
