Kimberly Tello

Cienna Cole

Juan Fernando Nieto R

Lea Alshammary

Professor Cris Longhurst

ENGL-2010

Proposal
Problem: Suicide in teens and being pushed to medication

Knowing what is right for a human being can be difficult. Every human being thinks,

eats, talks, and walks differently. Now, imagine what it will be for a young adult that is going

through a mental crisis and needs professional help. The big question is what can we do so young

adults are having that right treatment without making the issue a bigger problem by prescribing

the wrong medication?

National Institute of Mental Health explains that the FDA in 2004 children and

adolescents were badly treated with the wrong medicine. The results of that were suicidal and

thoughts. On June 2005, the FDA expose that antidepressants were also effective older young

adults (children and young adults 25 years old) and were not only thinking about suicide but

actually attempting suicide.

There are natural ways to cope with mental illness. These should be discussed before

making the jump to a medication that may not help the situation and has been shown to worsen

the condition. These solutions are a safer and natural way to cope with mental illness and have

been shown to be helpful. Some of these solutions include focusing on nutrition, exercise,

counseling, and meditation.

Nutrition

Poor nutrition is related to depression as both a cause and an effect. Specific nutrient

deficiencies can lead to lethargy and depression-like signs and symptoms. Conversely, depression

can cause altered food intake and a subsequent decline in nutritional status. Deficiencies of

vitamins C, D, or E; B vitamins (especially folate and B ); omega-3 fatty acids; and essential
12

minerals (e.g., copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, selenium, zinc) can contribute to a neurologic

impairment that causes manifestations that are similar to depression. Having low levels of omega-

3 fatty acids is common in individuals with depression or depression related to bipolar disorder,

which is characterized by alternating cycles of depression and mania. (Smith, Schub).

Inadequate intake of essential nutrients can result when depression causes changes in

dietary habits; poor appetite, skipping meals, and having cravings for foods that are high in simple

sugars can contribute to nutritional deficiencies. In some persons, depression causes overeating

and weight gain (Smith, Schub). According to the Harvard Medical School Here is a example of a

diet that could be useful to help as a treatment for depression: “A dietary pattern characterized by

a high intake of fruit, vegetables, whole grain, fish, olive oil, low-fat dairy and antioxidants and

low intakes of animal foods was apparently associated with a decreased risk of depression.

Exercise

One potential psychosomatic treatment for reducing depression is exercise. Greist a physiatrist

suggests that many patients would do better if they used to run rather than psychoanalysis to

decrease their depression. He suggests that running does not resolve an individual’s existential

problem but may offer temporary relief (North et al).

Aerobic Exercise Programs

The American College and sports medicine and the centers of disease control and prevention

recommend at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, 75 minutes of

vigorous activity or a combination of both for adults they also suggest muscle strengthening twice

a week. Following the FITT principle to design and implement a safe, effective, and enjoyable

program. F = frequency, I = intensity, T = time, and T = type.

As we have seen above there are natural ways to deal with mental illness using diet and

exercise. There is another natural way to help with mental illness that is often overlooked such as

counseling and meditation.

Counseling

Counseling is a form of therapy called talk therapy. This helps treat psychological and

emotional problems by talking about them (Badash, M). This also helps fill a basic human need to

talk and connect with people. It is divided into different kinds of therapy based on patients needs.

Psychoanalysis is best for long term problems such as depression, anxiety, and long-lasting family

issues. Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps unhealthy behaviors and is suggested for a wide variety

of conditions such as eating disorders, substance abuse, and mood disorders. Psychodynamic

Therapy helps people gain a better understanding of oneself using techniques to help reflect on

life. This helps with anxiety disorders, depression, a relationship issue, etc.

Meditation

In counseling, people are taught natural coping mechanisms to help them live and cope

with their mental disability. One of these coping mechanisms that are often used is meditation.

Meditation helps attention and awareness which helps keep the brain under “voluntary control and

thereby fostering general mental well-being” ( Lomas, Tim). When someone is involuntary control
it is less likely to have harmful thoughts jump into their head. This is helpful for people who

commonly have panic attacks, thoughts of self-harm, people with addiction, etc. Meditation has

been shown to reduce depression and anxiety (Lomas, Tim).

Conclusion

Suicide is one of the major causes of death worldwide, it’s impact has only been put into

perspective in the past few decades. There is now a wealth of knowledge on prevention measures

that can be taken to help suicidal people. It is no longer acceptable to say that we do not have

convincing evidence for the effectiveness of suicide prevention measures. It is unrealistic to expect

one approach to suit all, there are a number of different approaches which are effective and can be

easily adopted, like non-pharmacological approaches. Some of these approaches are exercise, diet

and nutrition, counseling, and meditation. Poor nutrition and exercise habits are related to

depression which is one of the main cause of suicide. Counseling and meditation are great natural

ways to help cope with mental illnesses which can lead to suicidal thoughts.
 WorksCited

Badash, M. “Considering Counseling.” Health Library: Evidence-Based Information, edited by

Woods M, Jan. 2016. EBSCOhost,
libprox1.slcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&d
b=nup&AN=2009806021&site=eds-live.

Lomas, Tim, et al. “Engagement with Meditation as a Positive Health Trajectory: Divergent
Narratives of Progress in Male Meditators.” Psychology & Health, vol. 29, no. 2, Feb.
2014, pp. 218–236. EBSCOhost,
libprox1.slcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h
&AN=92885767&site=eds-live.
NORTH T. CHRISTIAN Ph.D.; McCULLAGH, PENNY Ph.D; TRAN, ZUNG VU Ph.D.
Effects of exercise on depression. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews: January 1990 -
Volume 18 - Issue 1 - ppg 379-416. https://journals.lww.com/acsm-
essr/Citation/1990/01000/Effect_of_Exercise_on_Depression.16.aspx

Smith, N, RN, MSN, CNP, and T, BS Schub. “Depression and Nutrition: An Overview.”
CINAHL Nursing Guide, edited by RN, PhD, FAAN Pravikoff D, Mar. 2018. EBSCOhost,
libprox1.slcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nup&AN=T
704666&site=eds-live.