Special Report: Building Emotional And Psychological Wellness

Life is an opportunity to experience joy, love and create. We’re also liable to suffer along the way, and the global pandemic has presented many challenges to emotional and mental health. Here’s what the latest research shows you can do to overcome depression, anxiety and other psychological problems.

When 5472 Danish citizens were asked to rank the severity of their own health problems, they rated depression and breathing problems the most unendurable.

Unfortunately, depression and anxiety are increasing global issues. In Australia one in five of us was suffering a mental or behavioural health issue in the National Health Survey of 2017–18, compared to 17.5 per cent in 2014–15. Those struggling with both anxiety and depression rose 5 per cent in the same period. And, tragically, suicide claims the lives of more Australians between the ages of 15 and 44 than any other cause. The societal and economic dislocations associated with COVID-19 have only exacerbated the challenges.

Hearteningly, many also transcend and heal from afflictions of the mind, heart and soul. Todd Kashdan, a professor of psychology at George Mason University, Virginia, says this ability for many to thrive after mental health problems remains a blind spot in psychiatry. “Depression is sometimes far from being an inevitable death sentence. It can be a way station. In a surprisingly large number of cases, people move from the ashes of despair to flourishing,” he wrote in Psychology Today.

What is psychological and emotional wellbeing?