The
Garden of Good Health –
(An illustration about mental health and substance use treatment)
Anyone who has taken care of a grassy lawn knows that weeds may grow at times.
One quick way to get rid of the weeds is to mow the lawn really low so that you
cannot see them anymore.
Group
Question:
This is a quick solution, but what almost always happens over time?
Yes,
the weeds grow back with time and eventually they are back again. Therefore,
the only way to really deal with the weeds is to pull them out by getting to
the root. This may require more effort up front, but in the long term, the
grass will grow much healthier when the time is taken to deal with the weeds
properly.
Comparing
this with mental health and substance use:
If a person has mental health or substance use issues, that person may
attempt to conceal or ignore those issues temporarily (like cutting the lawn
really short in the illustration) and it may work for a short time. However, in
the long run, like the weeds in the illustration, mental health or substance
issues that have not been properly taken care may grow back.
Neglecting
your mental health or substance use issues may end up resulting in negative
impact in other life areas including family, work, education, financial,
physical health, etc. So, it really makes sense to be proactive and take care
of these issues rather than ignore them.
Group
Questions:
Does
this make sense?
Has
anyone ever seen or heard of a story where neglect of caring for mental health
or substance use issues resulted in other life problems down the line (like in
this story)?
When
should someone seek help for a mental health or substance use problem?
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