Body
Health and wellness are not the absence of diseases, but they are concepts that influence one’s quality of life; they comprise a dynamic state that everyone must address throughout their lifetime. This state changes depending on other factors that enter into your life. Health and wellness include many areas of your life such as physical, emotional, spiritual, social, and cognitive (thinking) areas. When it comes to persons with disabilities, healthy behaviors and a desire toward positive health across the life span is the same than it is for persons who do not live with a disability.
Oftentimes, when a person faces a new health condition, a flare-up of a chronic health condition, and/or a traumatic event they may experience a host of associated conditions such as alcohol abuse, stress, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to name a few. It is important to know when to seek additional support services, such as mental health or substance use counselling, support groups, and/or medication. Below are links to several pamphlets from the National Institutes of Health that you can download free. For more information, please click on the link to learn more about the topic and download the free pamphlet. All information is available in Spanish and English.
Five Things You Should Know About Stress:
National Center on Mental Health
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/stress/index.shtml
Depression: National Center on Mental Health
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder:
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml
Alcohol Use:
Centers for Disease Control
https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm
National Institute on Alcohol and Alcoholism
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohols-effects-body
Where to Find Help?
Should you wish speak with a professional or locate a treatment, connect with the following resource for substance use and mental health resources throughout the USA.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
Related Resource
Listing: Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Resources
https://www.sralab.org/lifecenter/resources/listing-mental-health-and-substance-use-disorder-resources
