Mental Health Awareness week

Did you know that oral health and mental health are closely linked?

It’s well known that dentistry has a poor track record for mental health among professionals – and research shows that patients struggling with depression, addiction and eating disorders are also likely to have poor oral health.

This week in the UK, it’s Mental Health Awareness Week – an opportunity for all of us in the dental industry to stop and think about our own mental health, and that of those around us.

Your mind is just like your body, or even your mouth – it needs looking after to keep it healthy! Regular exercise, maintaining a hobby or interest, a healthy diet, and getting enough sleep are all things we should be doing to ensure we’re able to manage the situations life throws at us.

Knowing when to seek help is also really important. We need to be more aware of when things like low mood, irritability, anxiety and insomnia are becoming a problem – whether that’s in ourselves, our colleagues, or in our patients.

Talking about the problem is the first step towards recovery. When it comes to oral health, everyone accepts that prevention, or early intervention, is best – why should it be any different when it comes to minding our heads?

For further information visit http://www.mind.org.uk/get-involved