Taking Care of Your Mental Health
Experiencing stress, isolation, loss, or systemic social inequities is harmful to the health of Americans. Improving emotional well-being, social connectedness, and resiliency through research-based health promotion and prevention programs is critical to population health.
Coping with Stress
Many of us are facing challenges that can be stressful and overwhelming. Learning to cope with stress in a healthy way will help you, the people you care about, and those around you become more resilient.
Stress can cause the following:
- Feelings of fear, anger, sadness, worry, numbness, or frustration.
- Changes in appetite, energy, desires, and interests.
- Trouble concentrating and making decisions.
- Nightmares or problems sleeping.
- Physical reactions, such as headaches, body pains, stomach problems, or skin rashes.
- Worsening of chronic health problems and mental health conditions.
- Increased use of alcohol, illegal drugs (like heroin, cocaine, or methamphetamine), and misuse of prescription drugs (like opioids).
1. Risk-taking behavior: People with behavioral health issues such as substance abuse disorders, depression, or anxiety may engage in risky sexual behaviors, such as having unprotected sex or having multiple partners. These behaviors increase the risk of contracting STDs.
2. Access to healthcare: People with behavioral health issues may face barriers to accessing healthcare, including STD testing and treatment. This can lead to undiagnosed and untreated STDs, which can have serious health consequences.
3. Stigma and shame: People with behavioral health issues may experience stigma and shame related to their condition, which can make it difficult to talk about sexual health and seek STD prevention and treatment services.
To address these issues, healthcare providers and public health advocates can take several steps:
- Integrate behavioral health screening and counseling into STD prevention efforts: This can help identify people who may be at higher risk of contracting STDs due to their behavioral health issues and provide them with appropriate support and resources.
- Improve access to healthcare: This can include providing STD testing and treatment services in behavioral health clinics, as well as addressing structural barriers such as transportation or cost.
- Address stigma and shame: This can involve destigmatizing behavioral health issues and promoting open and honest communication about sexual health. This can include community education campaigns, as well as individual counseling and support services.