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What is National Public Health Week?
National Public Health Week (NPHW) is an annual observance recognizing the contributions of public health professionals to the Nation's well-being. Each year, the NPHW theme focuses on major health issues in local communities. During the observance, communities throughout the Nation hold events to promote or raise awareness of a particular public health theme. NPHW is sponsored by the American Public Health Association (APHA), the governing body for public health professionals in the United States.
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What is the theme for this year's National Public Health Week?
This year's theme is "Encouraging Americans to Live Stronger, Longer." Throughout the week-long observance, APHA will showcase local and national efforts aimed at promoting the three Ps of health— prevention, protection, and planning—critical to living a long life in good health.
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What are the three Ps?
According to the APHA, public health advancements and new treatment options have helped to raise the average life expectancy in the U.S. to 74 years for men and 78 years for women. This April, individuals, families, communities and policy makers have an opportunity to play a role in encouraging Americans to add more healthy years to their lives by promoting the three Ps of health: prevention, protection, and planning. This year’s NPHW theme encourages everyone to think about preventing health problems by (1) adopting a healthier lifestyle, (2) getting regular medical checkups and health screenings to protect against illness and disease, and (3) developing a plan to manage existing medical conditions and promote a better quality of life in later years.
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What role does mental health play in living stronger and longer?
Mental health is central to overall health and well-being, family and interpersonal relationships, and the ability to contribute to society. It is easy to overlook the value of mental health until problems surface. Yet from early childhood until death, mental health is the springboard of thinking and communication skills, learning, emotional growth, and self-esteem. Success in school, at work, in parenting, and in relationships all rests on a foundation of mental health. Good mental health enables individuals to cope with stress and adversity while pursuing these life goals.
When a person develops a mental health disorder, it changes the way that person thinks, feels, and/or behaves. Mental disorders lead to distress and/or impaired functioning and produce a host of problems that may include disability, pain, and even death. Mental disorders occur across the lifespan and affect males and females, persons of all racial and ethnic groups, and those of all educational and socioeconomic groups. Mental disorders vary in severity and in the degree of their impact on people’s lives.
As the life expectancy of Americans continues to grow, the sheer number of persons experiencing mental disorders in late life also will grow. This trend will present new challenges to organizing, financing, and delivering effective prevention and treatment services for mental health in the aging population. In addition, the need for appropriate diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders in later life will become increasingly important.
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What can be done to help prevent mental health problems as Americans age?
There is a critical need to educate aging adults about the nature of mental health problems in aging. Stereotypes about normal aging can make diagnosis and assessment of mental disorders in late life challenging. Many people believe that “senility” is normal and that depression and hopelessness are natural conditions of older age, so they avoid or delay seeking help. By increasing public understanding that mental health problems are not an inevitable part of aging and that mental health problems can be diagnosed, treated, and prevented, we can empower aging adults to seek treatment. This, in turn, contributes to earlier diagnosis and better treatment outcomes.
Aging adults also need information about strategies they can follow to maintain their mental health. Mental health is a facet of health that evolves throughout the lifetime. Just as each person can take steps to promote and maintain overall health regardless of age, each person also can do much to promote and strengthen mental health at every stage of life. Taking steps to avoid disease and disability, staying physically and mentally active, and staying engaged with life are just some of the ways to enhance mental and physical health.
nother way to promote mental health is to encourage aging adults to develop a program of social activities and interpersonal relationships that usher them into old age. While Americans often are advised to plan for future economic security with a balanced financial portfolio, very little attention is paid to developing a balanced social portfolio to help plan for the future. A social portfolio can help to promote good mental health by helping people develop new strengths and identify new sources of satisfaction.
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Why is mental health an important public health issue?
The brain is a complex organ that supports all behavior and mental functions, making it impossible to separate mental health from physical health. Yet mental health is often still an afterthought, and mental illnesses remain shrouded in fear and misunderstanding. Mental illnesses are just as real as other illnesses, and a range of effective treatments exists for most mental disorders. Yet the stigma associated with mental illness continues to result in lost opportunities for individuals to seek treatment and improve or recover. When left untreated, mental disorders can lead to lost productivity, unsuccessful relationships, and significant distress and dysfunction.
In addition, an immense burden of disability is associated with mental illnesses. In the U.S., mental disorders collectively account for more than 15 percent of the overall burden of disease from all causes and slightly more than the burden associated with all forms of cancer. This demonstrates the importance and urgency of treating and preventing mental disorders and or promoting mental health in our society.
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