Jan. 15--If a person's mental health is good, chances are his physical health will be good too.

That was the theme of a talk titled "The Pursuit of Happiness" given by Dr. Daniel Stanhiser Thursday at a healthy woman meeting] held at Woodward Regional Hospital.

Stanhiser, a hospitalist for the local hospital, said mental and physical health are related.

For example, he said, if a diabetic has good mental health, chances are that person will treat the illness correctly, but if not, the person's physical health will also suffer.

"Unless a person's mental health is good, he can't improve his overall well being," Stanhiser said.

He said it's important to note that mental illness and mood disorder is more prevalent than people realize.

People who suffer from mental illness include Robin Williams and Brooke Shields, he said. Charles Darwin and Thomas Edison also suffered from mental illness, he said.

"Eighty years ago, we didn't really have any treatments for mental illness," Stanhiser said, noting that even 20 years ago, there wasn't much help available. But today there are many types of medication and treatments available to help the mentally ill so that they can lead better quality lives.

Stanhiser discussed several types of mental illness.

Mood disorders include major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder and bipolar disorder, he said, noting about 20.9 million American adults or about 9.5 percent of the U.S. population 18 and older have a mood disorder.

"The median age of onset for mood disorders is 30 years," he said.

He said symptoms include sleep disturbance, change of interest in hobbies or interests, feeling guilt or hopelessness, energy changes, mood swings, difficulty concentrating, appetite changes and suicidal and homicidal ideation.

Other disorders include panic, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, and phobias, such as being afraid to socialize or leave the house, Stanhiser said.

About 40 million Americans adults 18 and older or about 18.1 percent of the population in this age group suffer from an anxiety disorder, he said.

Besides mood disorders, he addressed schizophrenia, which he said consists of hallucinations, delusions, illusions and paranoia. He said about 2.4 million Americans suffer from schizophrenia

For treatment, he recommended having a good primary provider, a mental health provider and a pastor, counselor, crisis worker, social worker psychologist or a psychiatrist.

Medications include anti-depressants, such as Paxil or Prozac; anxiolytics, such as valium; hypnotics; sedatives; mood stabilizers, such as seroquil; and typical and atypical anti-psychotics.

There are alternatives ways to medicate, Stanhiser said, such as with herbal preparations, acupuncture, journaling, exercising, church, family, yoga and diet.

To stay healthy physically, he recommended eating right and exercising.

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