Take Charge of Your Mental Health

Dr. John Ashfield PhD

About the Book

This 192-page very readable publication reflects the most up-to-date perspective on mental health, one that aims to stop the drift towards turning common human experience into a medical disorder, and instead showing individuals how to take care of their own and others mental health.

We all too easily overlook what is most potentially effective because it doesn’t seem profound enough or doesn’t sound clinical enough, and of course because it might require time and effort rather than mere passive acceptance of ‘treatment’.

Whilst this book may be accused of over-simplifying the subject it seeks to address, the fact is the field of mental health as it stands, falls far short of good science or good medicine and has been mystified and complicated beyond any defensible claim of expertise or effectiveness.

When all is said and done, the solution to most psychological difficulties is nearly always far simpler than their seeming complexity.

Includes postage and handling.

Reviews

“This is an important book. Ashfield speaks clearly to those of us who might otherwise become patients about better ways to respond to distress. His reasoning is easy to follow without oversimplifying.”

Professor Jon Jureidini, Head of Critical and Ethical Mental Health (CEMH) research group, Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide; and Paediatric Mental Health Training Unit.

“In this most recent contribution to our understanding of health and wellness, John Ashfield provides a clear, practical antidote to the dead-end medicalisation of everyday life and mental illness model. The focus is on common, inevitable problems of living, not as reasons for turning to doctors for labels and medications, but as a motivation to turn to one’s own common sense and inherent tendency to heal.”

Miles Groth PhD, Emeritus Professor, Department of Psychology, Wagner College, New York; and President, American Daseinsanalytic Institute.

“Dr Ashfield provides an indispensable ‘travel guide’ for practitioners navigating the ‘mountainous challenges’ of mental health. He strikes a compassionate, yet secure tone towards a humane approach to the ‘conflicts of the mind’, assisting the emotive intellect to grasp the true concept of ‘self-awareness’, whilst empowering emotional growth.

If we genuinely invest, taking the time to show care, to understand in a spirit of fellowship… then who knows what good we can accomplish together. Definitely worth a read.”

Dr Mark Abd-Mariam MBChB, MRCGP, General Practitioner, Wales, UK.

“Take Charge of Your Mental Health: An owner’s guide to psychological wellbeing” makes the case that we should take care before administering diagnostic labels and mind-altering medications. Some people feel sad or anxious in situations where it would be bizarre to feel calm and contented. Certain medications may be useful, particularly in the short term with severe psychological difficulties, but only if prescribed and reviewed with the utmost care.

The general public will find this book readable and informative. After 40 years practicing medicine, I also found it thought-provoking.”

Christopher S E Wurm. MB BS FRACGP FAChAM. Senior Consultant in Primary Care, Specialist in Addiction Medicine, Central Adelaide Local Health Network. Visiting Fellow, Discipline of Psychiatry, University of Adelaide, South Australia.

“This incredibly well-written, engaging, and thought-provoking book delves into psychological well-being, emphasizing the importance of human relationships and reimagining community as a source of support. It is easy to read and understand, offering practical tips while challenging readers’ perceptions and presenting new perspectives on this often-invisible malady.

The core message is clear: there is no quick fix to psychological well-being; individuals must take charge of their own well-being by adopting strategies that work for them, seek professional help when required, and strongly advocate for a paradigm shift in how human experiences are diagnosed and labelled.”

Abraham Francis, Associate Professor of Social Work and Human Services, College of Arts, Society, and Education (CASE), in the Division of Tropical Environments and Societies (DTES), James Cook University, Australia

About the Author

Dr John Ashfield, possibly the most read and published author of popular mental health literature in Australia, has once again written an important contribution to the health and well-being of the general community.

It improves on and replaces his previous book, Taking Care of Yourself and Your Family: A resource book for good mental health; over 1.3 million copies of which were purchased and distributed by Beyond Blue, governments and major NGO’s.

Part One: Rethinking the whole business of ‘mental health’

Beyond pills: exploding some medication myths

Are we being told the truth about psychiatric drugs?
Anti-depressants, the most prescribed and misprescribed of psychiatric drugs
The effectiveness of antidepressants has been greatly overstated
Why are some people so invested in taking medication?
Difficulties of withdrawal
Suicidal thoughts and antidepressants

Stepping off the ‘mental disorder’ treadmill

The ‘mental disorder’ pandemic that never was?
Using bad language has bad outcomes
Why labels mess people up
The flimsy defence of labels
Other negative consequences of labelling
Why we should not label children
Some thought and imagination are all that’s needed
Taking psychological distress more not less seriously
Words that help instead of harm
Mild to severe psychological distress

Become the CEO of your mental health

We have to face facts if we want to make progress
What if I have really challenging difficulties?
Getting the basics right can often mean a major step forward

Depression: making sense of it and responding to it

Finding a way through the confusion
Depression and its colourful history
What major or severe depression may look like
What kind of support might be helpful for major or severe depression?
The murky territory of mild to moderate depression
Getting away from labels of depression altogether
Mixed depression and anxiety, a relationship not to be overlooked
What kind of support may be important for mild to moderate depression?

What if you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts

Suicidal thoughts are more common than most people realise
Why do people experience suicidal thoughts?
Suicidal thoughts and antidepressants
Things to consider in helping someone else experiencing suicidal thoughts

Anxiety: making it your servant rather than being its slave

Understanding anxiety
The fight or flight response
How an over-zealous fight or flight response can cause us difficulties
At its worst, anxiety can be seriously disruptive of people’s lives
Learning and unlearning anxiety

Part Two: Strategies for Making Real Progress

The unequalled potency of lifestyle factors

Sleep
Exercise
Nutrition
Stress
Living calmly
Being sociable
Daily activity planning
Lifestyle priorities
Why self-medication is a poor lifestyle choice
Illicit substances create psychological difficulties

Situational stressors and facing up to tough decisions

We sometimes have to be prepared to be honest and courageous
Situational stressors and their potential effects
Examples of the need to deal with situational stressors not just their effects
But what about when things happen to us over which we have no control?

How not to be paralysed by problems

Structured problem solving
A simple six-step method

Policing and managing unruly thoughts

Stepping off the treadmill of rumination
Policing our thoughts
The art of ignoring unwelcome visitors
A rebuttal card can be useful
Recognise and deal with errors of thinking

Gradual (graded) exposure for difficulties of anxiety

Why avoidance of anxiety may feel good but is counterproductive
Confronting fears through gradual exposure
Tips for succeeding with gradual exposure
Some examples of how gradual exposure has helped people

Learning to live in the present moment

Using your mind and thoughts to help you rather than hinder you
Simple ways to train our attention for being in the present moment

How not to be a victim of change and transition

Change, you’ve got no choice but to get used to it
Change can be a real tonic

Rethinking and revising your life script

What is a life script and how is it formed?
What effect does our life script have?
Getting out of the habit of being ourselves
All behaviours have a goal
Starting a Life Script inventory

Grief and psychological wellbeing

In life, loss and grief are inevitable
Bereavement grief
Normal grief
Taking a well-earned break
Taking a break is not the same as avoidance
Common grief avoidance behaviours
Men and women tend to grieve differently
Self-care and coping with grief

Choosing and accessing professional services

Which of the non-medical professions or services might be able to help most with psychological distress and difficulties?
You may have to pay for timely access to a good standard of service
What about psychiatry?
Local service availability and accessibility?
Don’t ever be fooled by fancy techniques and clever sounding clinical methods
What can you expect from a good practitioner?