Did you know there is a strong connection between occupational therapy and mental health?
Occupational therapy aims to improve the skills people need to live full and independent lives. This includes addressing their mental health needs and helping them achieve emotional balance. Addressing both mental and physical well-being at the same time is part of a holistic approach to healthcare.
Rather than just focusing on specific symptoms, holistic mental health care looks at every aspect of a patient’s well-being. It offers a variety of therapies and activities to help them manage or overcome their condition and live their fullest life. This empowers the patient to reach a place of healing in every aspect of their well-being.
In this article, we’re going to explore the relationship between occupational therapy and mental health. We’ll look at the mental health benefits of occupational therapy and discover how it can address specific concerns. We’ll also explain how our occupational therapy interventions for mental health can help you heal.
How Does Occupational Therapy Contribute to Mental Health?
Occupational therapy for mental health improvement recognizes the need for people to live as fully as possible. To do this, they may need help carrying out everyday tasks.
They may be experiencing difficulties because of specific mental health concerns. A depressed patient with little energy or motivation may lose their independent living skills. An occupational therapist can help the patient re-learn these activities or carry them out in a different way.
For example, an occupational therapist could help an inactive patient build up their muscle strength. This allows them to return to everyday activities like cooking or getting dressed unaided.
These activities help to create a “virtuous circle.” As the patient becomes more confident and skilled, they are more likely to re-engage with activities like school or work. The patient’s self-esteem continues to grow, and so the symptoms of their mental health condition improve.
What Are the Mental Health Benefits of Occupational Therapy?
There are many mental health benefits of occupational therapy, which help people live as full a life as possible.
These include:
- Helping people return to an independent lifestyle. Occupational therapy can help them re-learn food preparation tasks, for example.
- Guiding people in establishing healthy habits to enhance both physical and mental health. This can include advising on exercise and nutrition.
- Helping people to manage physical symptoms linked to mental health conditions. For example, an occupational therapist can help people with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) improve their motor skills or coordination.
Following a holistic health improvement program that includes occupational therapy, patients may also experience better mood and improved coping techniques.
Overall, they are likely to experience an improved sense of well-being and an uptick in their physical and emotional health.
Can Occupational Therapy Address Specific Mental Health Conditions?
Occupational therapy is a flexible and versatile field. This means that it can be tailored to address a variety of specific mental health conditions.
For example, people with anxiety may experience a range of emotional and physical symptoms as part of their condition. An occupational therapist can work with them on relaxation techniques to counter these feelings. They can also teach them to recognize physical symptoms, such as palpitations and gastric issues, and strategies to help them.
Depression can lead to low energy, disturbed sleep patterns, and poor appetite. Occupational therapists can work with patients to set up daily routines and build up their strength to help with these symptoms. They can also advise on mood-boosting activities such as yoga, tai chi, or other gentle exercises to offer relief.
Similar approaches can also work to ease the symptoms of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Activities include breathing and relaxation exercises. These help to re-establish everyday routines. Meanwhile, advice on exercise and nutrition addresses their well-being as a whole.
These are not the only mental health challenges occupational therapy can treat. Occupational therapy can help people with conditions like dementia improve their motor skills. This, in turn, helps them carry out everyday tasks.
It can also benefit people living with the effects of stress or bereavement. A tailored program can help reduce negative feelings and restore structure to their lives.
How Does JAG Physical Therapy Prioritize Mental Health in Occupational Therapy?
The team at JAG Physical Therapy recognizes the role of occupational therapy in mental wellness. In fact, we believe that occupational therapy and mental health go hand-in-hand.
Our experienced therapists can offer tailored programs to help patients improve their quality of life and regain independence. This may combine both physical therapy and occupational therapy techniques.
Activities include post-operative rehabilitation and Wellness By Design services, focusing on physical strength and healthy weight. We also offer therapies such as dry needling to promote well-being.
JAG Physical Therapy also offers targeted occupational therapy for children to address a range of issues.
Make an Appointment with JAG Physical Therapy Today
JAG PT’s holistic approach to care could help you or a loved one living with mental health challenges. Our occupational therapists can create a unique plan tailored to your individual needs to get you on the road to recovery. Take the first step to wholeness by scheduling an appointment today.