3 Lessons About Mental Illness My Physical Illness Taught Me

Other than a trip to the hospital, my Thanksgiving was great. I became ill almost immediately after the dinner and assumed I had indigestion. On the following Sunday, I called my doctor after Googling "indigestion lasting three days." The nurse sent me to the emergency room (ER), where I was admitted with a diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. That may not sound like the most educational of experiences, but I've learned three things about mental illness and how it is affected by physical health.

Lesson 1: Physical Pain Can Worsen Psychiatric Symptoms

I had an appointment with my psychiatrist shortly after I was discharged--and a good thing, too, since I had an episode in which I wanted to grab an ax and start smashing up my apartment. Since I have an electronic medical record, she had access to the tests and ER report. She told me that my physical symptoms could cause my psychiatric symptoms to flare up. "Basically your body is in fight-flight-freeze," she explained. "You're prepared to face a threat when there is no threat, hence your urge to destroy your apartment."

I'm still on edge since I'm still sick, but at least now I know why. That knowledge has helped me to stay safe and non-violent. If you understand the reason behind why you feel the way you feel, more often than not, you can ease your reaction.

As a paper from the Canadian Mental Health Association of Ontario reads:

Mental health and physical health are fundamentally linked. People living with a serious mental illness are at higher risk of experiencing a wide range of chronic physical conditions. Conversely, people living with chronic physical health conditions experience depression and anxiety at twice the rate of the general population.

Lesson 2: Mental Illness Can Affect the Way the Doctor Sees You

I once read that 49 percent of people with schizophrenia reported that doctors took their physical symptoms less seriously if the doctors knew about their psychiatric diagnosis. My psychiatrist saw a similar study of people with bipolar. I've been flat-out asked if I'm a hypochondriac. I must have internalized this attitude, because I went to the ER fully expecting to be told they didn't know what was wrong and sent home.

The Canadian report reads:

Some physicians may also be reluctant to take on new patients with complex needs or psychiatric diagnoses, due to short appointment times or lack of support from mental health specialists. The stigma associated with mental illness also continues to be a barrier to the diagnosis and treatment of chronic physical conditions in people with mental illnesses. Stigma acts as a barrier in multiple ways. It can directly prevent people from accessing health care services, and negative past experiences can prevent people from seeking health care out of fear of discrimination. Furthermore, stigma can lead to a misdiagnosis of physical ailments as psychologically based. This 'diagnostic overshadowing' occurs frequently and can result in serious physical symptoms being either ignored or downplayed . . . People with serious mental illnesses who have access to primary health care are less likely to receive preventive health checks. They also have decreased access to specialist care and lower rates of surgical treatments following diagnosis of a chronic physical condition.

Lesson 3: It's Pointless to Care for Your Mental Health if You Don't Take Care of Your Physical Health

One member of the treatment team told me to take my diagnosis seriously. I was acting as if it were a mere hangover. She told me that her mother-in-law nearly died from this because she didn't follow the doctor's orders. "It's pointless to take care of your mental health if you allow your physical health to slowly kill you," she said.

She's right. All the mental health in the world won't help me if I'm dead or dying. Mental health and physical health are closely intertwined. If you don't take care of one, the other will suffer. You have to treat both.

Stay healthy.

You can also find Becky Oberg on Google+, Facebook and Twitter and Linkedin.