The scientific study of our behavior, emotions, and the role of our biology in mental health and functional abilities in daily life is known as behavioral health. However, behavioral health is a broader term defining physical health in combination with intricate mental aspects. It includes our cognitive skills, habits, and how our thoughts turn into actions.
A good and stable behavioral health would enable a person to engage in behaviors that can help them achieve a physical and mental balance in life. Therefore, a behaviorally healthy person would strive to eat healthily, exercise, take precautions, abstain from deteriorating habits, etc.
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Symptoms of poor behavioral health
Some symptoms can mark poor behavioral health. These symptoms negatively impact a person’s health, and many times they link back to a mental illness.
These symptoms include:
Eating disorders: An eating disorder happens when a person takes an unhealthy obsession with their body shape, weight, exercise, and diet. It often includes people going to extreme lengths to starve themselves and sometimes having unhealthy eating habits of eating too much or too little.
Substance use disorder: Substance use disorder is when a person abuses drugs or alcohol for a long time. It can cause impairments that include multiple health issues, disabilities, behavioral changes, and failure to meet responsibilities.
Social isolation: Social isolation is when a person experiences a lack of social connection with others, leading to loneliness, depression, etc. There are also instances where a person feels isolated without physically separating themselves from others. Social isolation includes avoiding people and staying alone for an extended time, severing communication with friends and family, and consciously avoiding people.
Furthermore, behavioral issues also bring about less intense symptoms, including poor sleeping habits, improper hygiene, aggression, etc. Fortunately, nowadays, universities promote public health education online, allowing people to pursue MPH online programs more freely. As a result, more public health workers in every community can help people assess these behavioral issues and provide appropriate treatment.
A breakdown of behavioral health services
Often people misunderstand behavioral issues to be mental health issues. When in reality, mental health issues are a part of behavioral issues. Therefore, when it comes to behavioral health services, they often don’t fit in the traditional and typical categories of mental health treatments. Apart from that, behavioral health faces a lot less stigma in society than mental health issues. This factor also encourages people to seek out professional help without feeling objected to and stigmatized by society. In addition to that, there are more diverse options and services available to the patient. It provides them with the means and resources not known previously.
The domain of behavioral health services has been increasing in recent times. These services aim towards helping people lead healthier lives and maintain a balance between their physical and mental health. They attend to the diverse needs of a person depending upon their issues, alongside targeting the mental health and actions of a person to solve them. Some programs that people with behavioral health issues can benefit from include:
1. Psychiatrists
A psychiatrist helps people tackle various types of behavioral health challenges. Their services range from treating psychiatric issues in children, adolescents, and adults. They assess their patient’s mental and physical health and then diagnose according to their findings. Moreover, diagnosis guides them into devising a management plan with the purpose of recovery through treatment. Therefore, it includes psychological treatment and prescriptions that can help you manage your symptoms.
2. Psychologists
Psychologists primarily work in a clinical setting.Their job is to assess their patient’s condition, treat different psychological issues, and develop their treatment according to behavioral problems. In addition, their job is to promote healthy behavior and mindset in their patients and educate them about disease prevention. Overall, their job is to make their patients’ quality of life better and help them in their endeavors.
3. Social workers
Social workers work in various services that typically involve administrative responsibilities in programs designed to help people. For example, they can work in substance abuse and mental health facilities, child protection, school social work, etc. They bridge the gap between the ailing and the health providers.
4. Licensed professional counselor
A counselor specializing in psychotherapy can help patients deal with their unique conditions. They can specialize in one specific type of behavioral issue, such as eating disorders, substance use, marriage counseling, etc. However, a licensed professional counselor doesn’t hold the responsibility to provide a set diagnosis and give out any prescription. Instead, they help through psychotherapy programs and walk the patient through their condition.
These behavioral health services shoulder the purpose of understanding and addressing the underlying causes of poor behavior. They aim to prevent behavioral issues, understand their root causes, and deal with them in the longterm.
Conclusion
According to NAMI, almost one in five people experience mental health issues that sometimes translate to behavioral problems. Such huge statistics are concerning, yet people are still struggling with the stigma of seeking help for mental health issues. Opting for aid for behavioral health issues is less stigmatizing and helps people tackle their mental health issues. Thus, seeking help for behavioral health issues can help a person maintain a healthy balance between their body and mind.
