The term ‘mental health’ is used to encompass a person’s emotional and psychological wellbeing, which is experienced differently from one person to the next and includes a spectrum of mental health conditions. One of the most prevalent mental health concerns today centres around people’s levels of anxiety and depression. In the US alone, 6.8 million adults are affected by generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), which is a feeling of unease and worry to a variety of degrees, from manageable fear to debilitating panic. Common mental health issues such as GAD can also have knock-on effects on our physical health: depression and anxiety can lead to increases in blood pressure, reduce the amount of blood that flows through the heart and increase the release of a stress hormone called cortisol, all of which can contribute to the development of heart disease.
Mental health is often intertwined with a concept known as neurodiversity. This term is used to describe the breadth of ways the human brain operates and how it interprets and processes information. A neurotypical person is someone whose brain functions in a typical way – similar to the majority of their peers. The brain of a neurodivergent person, however, deviates from the typical. For example, someone on the autism spectrum or with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) might consider themselves to be neurodivergent.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 190-utgaven av How It Works UK.
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THE POWER OF WATER
We're hooked on fossil fuels. But hydroelectric power is becoming an increasingly important replacement for coal and oil
EXPLORING THE MOON'S CAVES
Earth's rocky neighbour is home to a network of unexplored caves, and scientists are keen to take a peek inside
HOW TO ELECT THE PRESIDENT
The campaigns, votes and elections that put someone in America's most powerful office
WHAT IS MORNING SICKNESS?
Why some pregnancies can cause nausea and vomiting
20 WEIRDEST SCIENCE MYSTERIES
From dark matter to deep-sea crabs, science still can't fully explain these strange quirks of nature
THE TRIANGULUM GALAXY SHINES IN A NEW HUBBLE IMAGE
A nearby galaxy is shining with star formation in a new image from the Hubble Space Telescope.
The world's fastest charger fully powers smartphones in five minutes
Scientists have revealed the fastest battery-charging technology in the world for smartphones, which can fully charge a smartphone in less than five minutes.
Real-time brain stimulation slashes Parkinson's symptoms by half in trials
Brain stimulation that rapidly adjusts in real-time can dramatically reduce Parkinson’s symptoms, an early trial suggests.
The hottest ocean temperature in 400 years threatens the Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is facing the hottest sea surface temperatures in four centuries.
Massive medieval coin hoard worth about 150 sheep' discovered
Archaeologists in Germany have unearthed over 1,500 medieval silver coins after a citizen noticed what looked like ‘small metal plates’ while digging during a construction project.
