mental health •

With a Little Help from Our Friends We Can Stay Healthier

With a little help from our friends we can stay healthier according to research emphasizing the role of social ties on our health.

Friends are difficult to come by. Forging lasting social ties is also a difficult task. So when friends are around, we should make sure we keep them around for long. Alongside the sense of fulfillment gained from having close friendship relations, we can reap a host of other benefits for our health, both mental and physical.

In 2004, a Gallup poll showed that 98 percent of Americans have at least one close friend. It sounds quite normal, doesn’t it? Well, in 1990, another Gallup poll recorded that the vast majority of Americans had 10 close friends on average. In 2006, a separate study found that the average number of friends a person trusted to discuss important issues with fell from 2.94 to 2.08 between 1985 and 2004.

Thus, friends are increasingly hard to come by. That is bad news as they are really important not only to upkeep our emotional health, but our physical health too. With a little help from our friends we can stay healthier in time.

Having friends and nurturing lasting relations in time will curb the risk of premature death. A study from 2010 found that friendships fare much better than exercise when it comes to one’s lifespan. In fact, they curb the risk of premature death twice the rate exercising does and fall on the same place as quitting smoking.

If that’s not sufficient, friendships considerably improve our physical health. A life led in isolation or mostly in isolation has been proven to lead to increased blood pressure, as well as a larger waist circumference, increased BMI. People who surround themselves with friends may be more active. This could explain why the above biomarkers are considerably improved with those who have a larger circle of friends than people who don’t.

In addition, recent research has shown that social ties are crucial for maintaining brain fitness. With age, the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or any other form of dementia increases considerably. However, if we nurture lasting friendships and social ties into older age, the risk decreases significantly. Friends keep us young. Loneliness is at the heart of a host of health ailments, both physically and mentally.

Photo Credits: Pexels

One Out of Five New Yorkers Struggles with Mental Health Problems

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According to a recent report issued by the city’s health department, one out of five New Yorkers struggles with mental health problems, including substance abuse, anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts.

The report, which was unveiled on Thursday, is part of a larger initiative set in place by Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to reduce incidence of mental health disorders among New York City’s 8.4 million residents.

The plan, which was dubbed NYC Thrive, is slated to be released by the end of December. The recently released report indicates how severe the issue really is in the city. Deputy Commissioner Dr. Gary Belkin explained that many New Yorkers are ‘very deeply’ affected by an array of public health problems The report outlines what the health department is going to do and what the public is going to hear about, Dr. Belkin added.

Nevertheless, authorities declined to provide more details on NYC Thrive or disclose its costs. This summer, Chirlane McCray, the wife of mayor de Blasio, told reporters that the municipality would allocate $386 million to mental health by the end of 2018. McCray has been an active advocate for mental health awareness in the city long before her husband was elected mayor.

McCray was inspired to lead this fight by the troubles her family had to go through. Both her parents struggled with depression, while her own daughter was caught in the tangle of substance abuse.

The recent report also showed that eight percent of NYC adults report signs of depression every year. Additionally, eight percent of the city’s students reported suicide attempts.

Investigators also found that the groups with the highest risk of developing a mental illness are the poor and minority members. What’s more, these people are also more likely to remain untreated or be misdiagnosed.

Researchers noted that the number of people affected by psychological issues including anxiety and depression remained steady in recent years, but drug and alcohol abuse incidence skyrocketed in the meantime.

New Yorkers have troubles especially with drug overdoses caused by opioids, just like the rest of the nation, and synthetic marijuana which often results in deaths or and psychotic episodes such as extreme violence.

The new mental-health plan aims at detecting earlier mental health problems in both children and adults, health authorities said, and students are Mayor de Blasio’s top priority.
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Amanda Bynes’ Psychiatric Hold Extended

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For a short time after being released from a psychiatric hospital this past summer, Amanda Bynes appeared to be doing better. Under guidance from her parents, the former Nickelodeon star enrolled in fashion design school but for the past week, her antics have made it obvious that she is again suffering the effects of schizophrenia.

In a well-orchestrated ruse by the parents and with the aid of Sam Lufti who once helped Brittany Spears during her difficult time, Amanda believed she was flying to Los Angeles to meet with an attorney in regards to filing a lawsuit against her mom and dad. However, upon arrival, she was admitted into a Pasadena mental hospital and placed on an involuntary hold.

According to an insider, waiting for her at the hospital were her parents, the family attorney, and Sam’s attorney. Although Sam played a big role in getting Amanda to California, he has been shrouded by controversy ever since wanting conservatorship over Brittany Spears, making many people question his motivation regarding Amanda’s case.

Despite his tract record, Amanda’s dad believes Sam has some credibility and in fact, may be trying to redeem himself after the earlier debacle with Brittany. However, Brittany’s parents are not so forgiving and Amanda herself cannot stand him. Much of the skepticism comes from Sam trying over the years to build friendships with people like Paris Jackson, Lindsay Lohan, and Courtney Cox, and for what.

No matter his intentions, the most important thing is that Amanda is where she needs to be right now. The initial 72-hour involuntary psychiatric hold expired yesterday and after an emergency hearing, a judge determined that she needed to stay put for a few weeks. During this time, doctors will work closely with the star in getting her medication straightened out and providing ongoing mental health counseling.

According to a source close to the family, Amanda’s mom and dad are worried sick for their daughter and genuinely believe if not properly treated, she would continue to pose significant risk not only to herself but others.

Also troubling is that Amanda reportedly is so angry that her parents deceived her in getting her to the California mental hospital that she never wants to speak with them again. Everyone hopes that she will see it is her parents who love and care about her most and are willing to do everything it takes to help her get well.

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