It is increasingly common for us to talk about mental health. It is a popular expression that worries us. But, if there really are more mental health problems, why is that? When can we know that we have mental health problems? How to approach it?
The great difficulty with this type of concept is that today we live in the world of information overload. We receive so much information that we do not have time to reflect on it. If there are more mental health problems, the solution should not be massive medication. We have to find the why, know when it happens to us and how to solve it in a stable way, not just with temporary patches.
In this article we are going to delve into what mental health really is, when we have these difficulties and how to solve them. What I am going to tell you is based on my direct work in therapy as a psychologist. There has been an important change since 2020 and that experience in therapy will help us see it more clearly. At the same time, I am going to give you the solutions that have really served in processes of change and therapy to improve mental health in a stable way.
Are there really more mental health problems?
Before 2020, 50% of the people I saw had difficulties related to anxiety or discouragement. The reasons for starting a process of change or therapy can be diverse: a relationship breakup, insecurity in relationships, self-esteem problems, or even work-related. On some occasions, these difficulties led to anxiety, intrusive thoughts and subsequent discouragement or demotivation.
However, Since 2020, the number of people who have some difficulty with anxiety or discouragement has reached almost all. The reason is not that more and more people decide to live a committed and safe therapeutic process, since there is more and more intrusion or theories that attract our attention (without having any type of evidence). The real reason is that our mental health problems have increased in recent years.
Let’s reflect on what mental health really is to understand it better.
What really is mental health?
To understand what mental health truly is, we have to think about what health means. Health is our body’s ability to be well and recover from stimuli that harm us. In this way, A cold or fever is a sign of good health, since our body can recover on its own.. When we can no longer recover and a series of discomforts are constant, we speak of a health problem or even illness.
Mental health is applying the idea of health to our well-being, psychological and emotional state. Throughout our lives we experience difficult situations that cause us discomfort and learning that we carry with us. It could be childhood problems, a breakup, or a personal crisis. We have psychological and emotional resources to overcome. A mental health problem arrives… when we no longer have those resources. When there is frequent anxiety, or discouragement prevents us from making decisions, or arguments are so constant that we can’t seem to get out of them, we have a mental health problem.
We also have to differentiate between a mental health problem and a mental illness. A mental illness is not only about not having the resources to be well, but about having a disability. This happens when we can’t get out of our point of view (such as a psychotic personality disorder) or very dysfunctional limitations. Sometimes mental illness comes from having mental health problems for too long.
What then is the great mental health problem that we experience today?
That we have fewer and fewer resources to be well, anxiety and discouragement are more frequent, and that treating these problems with massive medication cannot be the solution (in the same way that taking drugs for every headache we experience is not a solution). without going to the cause of those frequent pains).
Mental health is improved through our own personal learning. If we try only to relieve symptoms, the problem will return over time. We are going to delve into the main causes of our increasing mental health difficulties and how to recover those resources to be well.
Causes of mental health problems: why do we waste our resources?
Certain stressful situations that are repeated over time can cause mental health problems (anxiety and/or continued discouragement, as well as outbursts of anger, frequent and very limiting self-esteem problems, etc.). It may be about the intensity of the situation (a traumatic experience) or its duration (it lasts for a long time).
There are 7 main causes that lead us to have more and more mental health problems.
First, I leave you the video version of this article in case you prefer this format (the article continues below).
1. Most stressful context
Today we live in a more stressful social, work and economic context. We live in a world of alert and constant uncertainty. For this reason, it makes no sense to try to address mental health problems with massive medication when part of the causes are in the same system in which we live. Changing this system may not be possible, but trying to be assertive and make decisions that lead us to be well does depend on you.
2. About information and technological addiction
The overload of network information and the technological addiction that we experience (especially to the mobile phone due to its touch screen and use of thumbs, which leads us to a constant dependency and system of brief stimuli) causes us more and more comparison, greater exhaustion and favors the appearance of anxiety.
For this reason, in a process of change and therapy and when there are cases of anxiety, we always work with how we use technology. In Human Empowerment you can find more articles about technological dependency and concrete solutions.
3. Dependent self-esteem
When our well-being depends too much on external factors that we cannot control, over time it affects our mental health. Comparing ourselves excessively, having too many expectations or always being focused on the other diminishes us over time.
4. Frequent anxiety
Frequent anxiety is the clearest symptom of mental health problems. However, the solution is not medication (this only gives us temporary relief) but neither is it a brief or superficial therapy. We need to work with respiratory mechanics and emotional management to solve it at its roots.
5. Difficulty managing our emotions
Our current context distances us from this learning. These difficulties cause us to feel our emotions in a more intense, frequent and lasting way. Learning to manage them is key to living with well-being.
6. We don’t know how to set limits
Knowing how to communicate assertively helps us make our own decisions and build more honest relationships. When this does not happen, we become too dependent on others or the context, and this also affects our mental health.
7. Lack of self-knowledge
Self-knowledge is not believing you know who you are, but being willing to discover it. When we don’t know what we want or what our values are, we feel lost and purposeless.
A combination of these factors can lead us to constant problems of anguish, discouragement, exhaustion or anxiety. Let’s go with the solutions.
Solutions for living with mental health
As we talked about, changing our context may not be easily possible, but we can recover and preserve our psychological and emotional resources to be well. When we look for quick remedies or temporary relief, whether medication is a brief therapy, it is only a band-aid and over time the problem returns.
Mental health exists when we have resources to be well, and those resources are a natural part of you. Seeking therapeutic help when we feel very bad is necessary, but it is also especially positive to seek that help and company preventively. There are 5 essential keys for your change and therapy process to work:
1. Go towards the solution, not the problem
Instead of being left alone with the problem (which causes us even more discomfort), let’s think about the solutions. That solution always lies in your own personal learning and change.
2. Delve into all parts of the personality
Instead of staying with just one aspect, delving into all parts of your personality helps us make this change stable over time. This is why we need to work with your self-esteem, emotion management, belief system, how you build relationships, how you manage stress, self-knowledge, etc.
3. Apply concrete changes
Only with reflections we will not be able to change what happens to us, but with concrete actions, everything will begin to change. For this reason, we always design an action plan to address the changes we need, always within your possibilities.
4. Self-centered vision (without theories)
When there are prior theories (for example, that what happens to you is due to event X or a family problem) we are limiting ourselves. Professional ethics leads us to ensure that your process is focused on you and what you need, with the aim of knowing yourself more, without theories that limit you.
5. Constant company
Instead of just having sessions, having constant company will make you feel more helped and we will be able to address what is happening more quickly and closely.
These are the keys that I have found work the most in my work as a psychologist. If you want to live your process, remember that you can schedule a first session in Human Empowerment. In this session we get to know each other, explore your case and see how we can solve what is happening to you so that you get better soon.
Mental health problems can be a difficulty of the present, but also a goal that you achieve from now on.
Thank you for thinking of you, Rubén Camacho
Use this citation format to reference the article clearly and help readers find the original source.
Sharing useful mental health content can help the right person at the right time.
This article has been reviewed by our editorial team at PsychologyFor to ensure accuracy, clarity, and adherence to evidence-based research. The content is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health advice. In case of a mental health crisis or emergency, call your local emergency services or contact a licensed professional immediately.
