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Mental Health Home Treatment

For many mental health disorders, talk therapy and medications can help keep patients stable. However, other tools outside of the doctor's office should also be considered, especially when professional resources are lacking. The use of supplements, getting regular exercise and keeping a consistent schedule can help benefit mental health patients at home.

  1. Supplements and Herbs

    • Supplements and herbs can certainly play a role in treating mental health disorders at home. Scientific evidence as reported by the National Institutes of Health show that major depressive patients tend to be deficient in magnesium. Magnesium supplements could theoretically boost moods. St. John's Wort is a natural monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), which can help boost mood in depressed patients by slowing the breakdown of serotonin in the brain. However, herbs like St. John's Wort must also be taken with precaution. If taken with prescription MAOI medications or other antidepressants, St. John's Wort can result in severe adverse effects.

    Exercise

    • Exercise can also have positive correlations with mental health. Exercise encourages the reduction of Cortisol, a hormone that causes muscle tension which can be extreme in anxiety patients. Some team-oriented exercise or types that require heavy concentration can prove to be a healthy distraction for depression patients who can sometimes dwell on the negatives of life. There is also a possibility of self-esteem increase, according to studies conducted by Arizona State University. For mental health patients that have difficulty sleeping, a comparative study in a 1996 Sports Medicine issue showed that the slow brain waves during sleep are increased in physically fit people versus unfit people. They also increase acutely during sleep after a workout. In other words, working out can produce a more restful sleep.

    Scheduling

    • Some mental health patients benefit best by having a regular schedule at home and tools to keep things scheduled. Bipolar disorder patients can find problems with getting regular sleep, either due to the high energy of manic episodes or oversleeping during depressive moods. Setting a regular daily schedule such as when meals are consumed and exercise is performed can help create the necessary life rhythms that could warrant better sleep. The use of mood charts, for example, can benefit bipolar patients by helping predict patterns of behavior due to recording the amounts of medications taken, number of hours slept, general mood, irritability levels and even weight gain. Having family members and friends helping patients keep mood charts can help ensure a regular schedule can be maintained.

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