Holistic Approach
By Christine Ferch
“Taking a holistic approach can be very helpful when mental health symptoms of various diagnosis such as depression and anxiety because it allows us to look at the symptoms as a whole. Furthermore, it can establish what the function of the symptoms might be.
Part of the holistic approach is identifying what could be occurring in the individual mentally, physically and socially. This includes looking at possible medical concerns, an individual’s social world and predisposition to mental health diagnosis. An individual may be faced with low confidence and signs of depression because of weight gain and lose their motivation. This individual may seek counselling to address their negative thoughts and are encouraged to see a doctor and finds out they have low thyroid. The client receives appropriate medication and finds some of the distressing factors encountered, are reduced.
Another aspect of the holistic approach is drawing in different methods to assist the individual’s distressing facets of their life. This may include engaging in physical activity, being outdoors for a certain amount of time during the week, engagement in mindfulness techniques and a steady, healthy diet. Dialectical Behavior Therapy addresses this to HEAR ME:
H: Health
E: Exercise
A: Avoid mood-altering drugs
R: Rest, getting enough sleep
M: Mastery, engaging in a rewarding activity
E: Eat at regular times
This information can assist with irritable moods and assist with emotion regulation and replacing negative with positive thoughts and confidence.”
