The American Psychiatric Association definition:
Mental illnesses are health conditions involving changes in emotion, thinking or behavior (or a combination of these). Mental illnesses are associated with distress and/or problems functioning in social, work or family activities.
Mental illness is common. In a given year:
Mental illness is treatable. The vast majority of individuals with mental illness continue to function in their daily lives.
(https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/what-is-mental-illness)
World Health Organization has asserted that mental illness is the greatest overriding burden of disease in the majority of developed countries, and that the socioeconomic burden of mental disease will exceed that of cancer and cardiovascular disorders in the future. The life-time prevalence rate for mental disorders in Korea is reported at 27.6 %, which means three out of 10 adults experience mental disorders more than once throughout their lifetime. Korea’s suicide rate has remained the highest among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations for 10 consecutive years, with 29.1 people out of every 100,000 having committed suicide. Nevertheless, a comprehensive study on the mental health services and the Research and Development (R&D) status in Korea is hard to find. Against this backdrop, this paper examines the mental health services and the R&D status in Korea, and examines their shortcomings and future direction. The paper discusses the mental health service system, budget and human resources, followed by the mental health R&D system and budget. And, by a comparison with other OECD countries, the areas for improvement are discussed and based on that, a future direction is suggested. This paper proposes three measures to realize mid and long-term mental health promotion services and to realize improvements in mental health R&D at the national level: first, establish a national mental health system; second, forecast demand for mental health; and third, secure and develop mental health professionals.
To read the full article in International Journal of Mental Health Systems, click HERE:
Vegetarian diet and mental health: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses in culturally diverse samples
Vegetarian diet and mental health: longitudinal prediction Long prevalent in some Asian cultures, the popularity of the plantbased diet is on the rise in the Western world. Vegetarians enjoy multiple physical health benefits from cutting out meat, such as lowered blood pressure and cholesterol in women (Cade et al., 2004), as well as altruistic benefits and peace of mind in the areas of animal ethics (i.e., less harm to animals), and environmental protection (i.e., less acreage is needed to grow plants than to raise animals, and less pollution is caused by plant agriculture than animal). Not often discussed are the mental health correlates, causes, or consequences of being vegetarian.
To read the full study, click HERE: