The Contributory Risk Factors on Mental Health

What are the contributory Risk factors on mental health?

This is a great resource if you are struggling with overwhelm or stress or a business leader, leader, manager looking to understand how to help your staff

It has been long known about the impact of childhood adversity on mental health, one of the largest investigations into the impact Adverse Childhood Experiences??(ACE’s) was undertaken in 1995.??The study aimed to identify the impact of early childhood adversity?on disease, disability, and early mortality an resulted in an assessment used by a number of professions. It has since become a great way of identifying contributory risk factors to poor mental health, although it is not a definitive answer, it gives us an idea of what might have had an impact on our mental health.?

?Childhood adversity is not the only adversity that impacts our mental health but also adversity we face in adult hood, so if you are reading this as a leader, you may not know about any childhood adversity, but your staff may be going through some challenging life events currently that have an impact on their mental health.

ACE’s Itself looks at childhood abuse, neglect and household challenges, these are split into further categories and asks 20 questions, the higher the number of adverse events the more risk of poor mental health and health challenges.??I’ve worked closely with a local social prescriber who uses the ACE’s assessment to help patients understand why they may be finding life a challenge, to great effect. People are more likely to reach out for help when they understand a little bit about what has brought them to their current situation.??This lady skillfully helped patients be more self compassionate and make informed decisions about their health and mental health, a great empowerment tool

Things to consider:??

The life experience isn’t necessarily the thing to focus on, it’s the unexpressed emotional impact of the situation that has the long term effect.

There is no right or wrong way to feel after any event, it is important to identify how life events have affected you emotionally. People tend to focus on what they have been through, rather than the emotional impact, it’s easier and more socially acceptable to talk about what you have been through. It’s good to remember different people are emotionally impacted differently by the same experience so as not to project what we might think the emotional impact might be on someone.

Lets take a look at the kinds of childhood and adulthood adversity that can have an impact on mental health:

*the descriptions below are lived experience emotional reactions clients have identified as a result of life experiences.

Divorce / separation / relationship issues?of parents as a child or going through it as an adult can leave us with powerful emotions including abandoned, lonely, confused, angry, worried, etc.

Whether living in a home where there is?Domestic abuse or violence?as a child or an adult it??often has a big emotional impact on all involved, living in fear, walking on egg shells constantly, and result in triggering the??fight, flight, freeze or fawn response.

Living in Poverty?as a child or as an adult can leave us feeling emotions such as shame, hopeless, powerless and anxious. The current cost of living crisis is hitting people hard.

Unemployment?whether in a family facing unemployment as a child or as an adult there can be a lot of insecurity and uncertainty, worry and stress.

Moving home / schools, although this may seem a small thing, for a child moving away from family and or friends can be scary and leave children feeling anxious, lonely, sad, insecure, uncertain, etc. Moving home is ranked as one of the top three most stressful situations.

Children and adults may have become carers?of?parents living with poor mental health, meaning a role reversal, they may be emotionally reliant on the children, as adults we know how challenging caring for other people is, we have more skills but no one is prepared for how emotionally exhausting caring for a poorly relative can be.

Both children and adults can live with?Long term stress?as a result of?Socio, economic and environmental factors,?any or all of the situations mentioned here in this article, it can result in physical symptoms, practical challenges like concentration at school or work, tiredness, aches and pains, brain fog, decreased self esteem and self worth as well as anxiety or worry.

Stress at work from things like high targets, change, promotion, relationship breakdowns, feeling overwhelmed by work load can be ignored, particularly if everyone else seems to be doing well and the talk in the office is that the targets are easy to achieve, everyone is doing it, everyone else is embracing change and the expectation is that it is going to be a good thing, people feel they should fell the same so hide the stress.

Being?bullied or being the bully?as an child or adult can be a result of feeling powerless in our own life, we can be vulnerable to being bullied or find being the bully gives us some control in a life that feels out of our control.??Both the bully or bullied are often insecure, feeling lost in their own life and feel unable to change.

Bereavement / loss?isn’t only about death of a loved one, friend, pet etc, it can be??physical loss like a relationship or a sense of loss such as trust, stability, future, etc.??Losing one or more significant people, pets, moving away from family, familiar places,?losing trust in a relationship that has gone bad all have the potential of big emotional impacts.

Social isolation / loneliness?is hugely impactful for people of all ages, even those who are surrounded by people can feel lonely and social isolation can affect our mental health and wellbeing.

A diagnosis of a?long term health condition, Neurological conditions, Head injury, epilepsy, etc can have an all round impact on your ability to live your life, relate to others, cope with the change to your life, how you communicate, hospital /medical appointments and can leave you feeling powerless, frustrated by becoming dependent on others, adjusting to a new life can be an emotional, mental, physical and spiritual challenge.

Adult or child trauma, tragedy?can have devastating effects on mental health years down the line, things like child abuse, physical abuse, house fire, car accidents with or without serious injury, but even things like falling out with special friends as a child or when an adult who you love shouts at you or gives you a row, it can be traumatic and leave you feeling disappointed, let down, angry, sad, fearful, lonely and confused, each emotion a powerful addition to your emotional vessel.

Drug and alcohol misuse?is a coping mechanism as well as emotionally impactful, causing physical and emotional harm to you.??A secondary effect is knowing you are potentially hurting your family or friends while self medicating to get you through your day.?

Living with a?Diagnosis or non diagnosis of conditions such as?ADHD, ADD, Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, etc??can be highly impactful, living a life with undiagnosed ADHD for example can leave you feeling??confused about your own behaviour yet you are unable to stop, it can result in your family and yourself not understanding who you are and just struggling to get by in a world that doesn’t accept you.??Diagnosis can be a positive for some in adulthood, it can offer an explanation as to why they made the decisions they made or took the actions they did, treated people the way they did, and while this may be good for some, this can be devastating for others.

A negative self perception?has the ability to make or break a child or adult, the words you use to talk to and about yourself are some of the most powerful you will hear and will reflect in your choices, relationships, life, behaviour and mental health.

*This list is comprehensive but not exhaustive.

If you are feeling a little overwhelmed click this link to find ways to navigate your emotions

https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/navigating-your-emotions-hayley-t-wheeler-

It’s important to understand that there is no one way, right way or wrong way to emotionally experience any situation, this is more about understanding how your life experiences have emotionally impacted you, with kindness and compassion and are indicators of things that might have had an impact on your mental and emotional health.?

If you are a leader and are aware of any of your team experiencing any of these situation, it might be time for a supportive discussion that could prevent poor mental health and result in them getting the right support.

This work is an extraction from the EmotionMind Dynamic programme find out more here?https://www.emotionminddynamic.co.uk/emotionmind-dynamic-programme/