Most people completely misunderstand what a mental health diagnosis means.
So in this video I'm gonna explain how you can understand your mental health diagnosis
differently which is gonna allow you more opportunities to change and grow and heal.
So most people completely misunderstand what a mental health diagnosis means. For example,
if someone gets the diagnosis of depression, they assume that that means that depression is
causing their symptoms. But that's not actually how mental health diagnoses work. Mental health
diagnoses are completely different than most medical diagnoses, and in this video I'm going
to show you how so this video is an excerpt from my udemy course,, it's one of my first chapters in
this full-length course I have on udemy.com, and the course is called change your brain,
10 alternatives to medication for changing brain chemistry and it talks about neuroplasticity,
and this new research and science that's coming out that's showing that we can actually change
our brain structure and function and chemistry based on how we think and how we act. And so I
wanted to make this some of this information more accessible to everyone so I'm including chapters
from that course right here on youtube.com. If you want to see the full course it's about 3
hours long, and I'll include a link in the description with a coupon code so you can
take it for 10 bucks. Because most people misunderstand what their diagnosis means,
it closes down some of their options for treatment, and my mission is to help make
these these resources this education and their treatment options more accessible.
So let's jump in to one of the chapters from my udemy course change your brain.
When it comes to a mental health diagnosis, we need to talk a little bit about what that
means. When you go to the doctor and you have symptoms like vomiting, or diarrhea, or body
aches and chills and the doctor sees you and runs a test and diagnoses you as having the flu. What
they're saying is that the influenza virus is what's causing your symptoms and so when you get
a diagnosis and they say you have the flu they're telling you this is what's causing your problem.
When you have a mental health diagnosis on the other hand you'll have symptoms like sadness low
energy frequent crying spells or feeling hopeless or suicidal. And if you went to your doctor he
would give you a diagnosis like depression but what's different about mental health diagnosis
is that when they say you have depression they're not telling you anything about the cause of your
symptoms. They're telling you this cluster of symptoms we in the scientific community call
it depression but we don't know what causes it. And in this course you're gonna see that some
people their depression is caused by a nutrient deficiency or by a lack of sleep. Unfortunately
when many people hear our diagnosis like depression they assume that what the doctor is
saying is you are defective or you are broken. Or what they've learned from the kind of medication
commercials that they've seen on TV is that you have a chemical imbalance and the only way to
treat it is through a chemical like a medication and research really doesn't back that up. We don't
know what causes depression. We know a lot of things that contribute to depression and we don't
know what causes your depression or your anxiety so it might be genetic it might be biological it
might be chemical it might be an experience you've had or behavior that you're acting on. So please
don't automatically assume that you're stuck feeling this way forever it's just not the case
and that's not what a mental health diagnosis really means. And what I'd like for people to
know is that a mental health diagnosis does not mean you have this or you are this. It means that
you're experiencing this. That doesn't mean it's not real. It is real, and most of the people I
work with are doing everything they can to try and make things better but nothing's working.
So it's not laziness it's not a moral failure but it doesn't mean that it's who you are. So
if you have a mental health diagnosis, please don't give up to just coping with it or feeling
miserable for the rest of your life. There's so much that can be done to resolve the symptoms,
and sometimes the cause of mental illness so stick with me to learn some of the ways to do this. It's
certainly not helpful to blame yourself or beat yourself up for feeling the way that
you're feeling. So I'm certainly not suggesting that you're bad or you're doing it wrong, if if
you're feeling depressed or anxious or having other problems in your life. What I am saying
is that let's take a step back and just say, is there something you can do that's going to improve
your life. Some predispositions like temperament are natural and innate part of us and we just
don't know how to manage them in the right way. But the disorder, the impact that your feelings
are having on your life. Much of those symptoms can be resolved or greatly reduced so let's talk
about what causes mental illness there's two extremes. One side says it's all biological,
that a completely medical view. And the other side says that this is all about choice. This is
a weakness or a moral failing or even a sin. Now the truth is a lot more complicated than either of
those options. Ever since scientists discovered that brain chemistry impacts depression,
people have been assuming that brain chemistry is causing depression, those emotions and thoughts.
But now new research and new imaging technology is showing us that how we think and how we feel
also impacts our brain chemistry. Mental illness is real but is not necessarily permanent. Moods,
behaviors, and thoughts do show up in our biology and people who are experiencing mental illness
can't just think their way out of it or get over it. I mean that's just not helpful and it doesn't
work. But for many people mental illness can be completely resolved and for others the symptoms
can be greatly reduced. So please don't resign yourself - just giving up - feeling miserable
for the rest of your life in this course I'm presenting ten alternatives to medication for
improving your mental health, but I'm not against medication. I've actually recommended to many
of my clients that they consult with a doctor to find out what are the medication options for them,
and medication can be a helpful stepping stone to improving your mental health to the point
where perhaps you don't need them again in the future. However many people are you know
uncomfortable with the idea of taking medication and here's some reasons why. People are concerned
about side effects including weight gain, sexual problems, and increased suicidality. They worry
about becoming dependent or not knowing what is them and what's the medication.
Taking medication comes with uncertainty of not knowing how it's going to affect you,
and the expense and time that it takes to find the right medication can be a roller coaster that
lasts for months or years. Everything in this course is compatible with taking medications,
so there's no reason why you can't do both take medication and learn new skills or technique that
improve your mental health. So this course is gonna walk you through ten things you can do to
build a solid foundation of mental health, to improve your mood, be happier, and healthier,
and have better relationships. So I'm excited to walk with you on this journey. Let's jump in.