How to prevent mental illness

Vera Abdel Malek
Contributor
Eat well, sleep well and exercise.
Health experts cite these as the three best ways to maintain a healthy body.
According to Dr. Dennis Embry, CEO of Paxis Institute, psychologist and senior scientist, however,  these are also the best way to maintain a healthy mind.
“The combination of a lack of physical activity, a poor fatty acid diet and a lack of sleep is the recipe for mental illness,” said Embry. “When you reverse that and do those things, you’re a lot healthier.”
The first step in preventing mental illness, however,  is understanding what it is.
“Think of it like a house,” says Embry. “You’re in a room on the upper level and you have no idea that there is a leak in the basement. It keeps getting worse until the entire basement floods. The damage continues moving up, and you finally become aware of what’s happening. By this time, you have no idea why it’s happening.”
The basement represents the emotional part of the brain, and the upper level the prefrontal cortex. But instead of the leak, it’s a serious condition that moves up to the prefrontal cortex, where you finally became aware of the problem, explained Embry.
Whether the leak springs has to do with those three key factors, namely exercise.
“More and more people are no longer physically active,” says Embry, who finds most people see exercising as a big inconvenience. “In the past, individuals moved five to 12 miles a day. When you move, you create Brain Derived Neural Factor (BDNF), which is essentially what we call brain fertilizer. When two neurons [in the brain] are trying to wire up, those neurons need that fertilizer to wire.”
The lack of sleep people get at night also plays a big factor in people’s health. Many people today are not getting an adequate amount of sleep, says Embry, who finds this especially true for students. Sleep loss is a big factor in triggering mental illness, since it also decreases BDNF.
Poor diet also renders the individual’s mental health more vulnerable. According to the psychologist, the brain is composed of 60 percent fat, and half that fat is supposed to come from omega-3. Embry says we don’t get enough of this fatty acid, which is found in fish oil. People are, however, eating too much of another fatty acid, omega-6, which tampers with one’s health and contributes to depression.
One recommended way to increase omega-3 is through supplements. The American Psychiatric Association recommends that all psychiatric patients receive at least one gram per day, and those with serious mood disorders should receive up to nine grams daily.
The negative impact poor physical health can have on mental health is a cause for concern for many.
Stephanie Loewen, Manitoba’s provincial suicide prevention coordinator, notes mental illness is considered one of the main risk factors for suicide. She suggests the key strategy to preventing mental illness is by making people aware of these factors.
“Promotion is prevention,” said Loewen “You want to work to prevent mental illness and promote mental well-being.”
“If you can really grab on to it and get excited about prevention and health promotion, then over time we’ll see less and less people who are in need of interventions.”
Many find it difficult to eat properly and exercise every week, but Embry believes it is possible.
“People say it couldn’t be that simple, but I say most things are that simple,” Embry said.

other reported benefits of omega-3
1 Might prevent certain types of cancer
2 Improves your sleep 3 Reduces inflammation 4 Helps with arthritis
5 Helps to prevent cardiovascular diseases

How to prevent mental illness
Eat healthy
Eat food that is high in omega-3 such as walnuts, butternuts, soy- beans and fish (especially salmon, herring and tuna)
Sleep
Get the recommended amount of sleep. For adults it is seven to nine hours according to the National Sleep Foundation
Exercise
Exercise as much as possible. The World Health Organization says at least 150 minutes of moderate- intensity aerobic physical activity a week will reach the recommended amount for adults 18-64