Scientists are making strides toward making major advances when it comes to slowing and possibly reversing aging, including advances like cellular reprogramming. Nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka discovered four genes can convert an adult cell into something known as an induced pluripotent stem cell – similar to embryonic stem cells.
Epigenetics, spearheaded by Harvard Medical School molecular geneticist David Sinclair, allows researchers to speed up cell aging without altering DNA sequence.
Mental Health
Mental wellness is an integral component of overall wellbeing and healthy aging, impacting an individual’s emotional, social, physical, cognitive, and behavioral well-being as well as their ability to deal with life’s challenges. If mental illness develops it can decrease quality of life significantly affecting home, work and community functions. There are various approaches for maintaining good mental health: one is emphasizing emotional well-being with the goal of cultivating happiness; while psychotherapy or medication treatment could also help treat any disorders that arise.
Mental illnesses are one of the leading causes of disability worldwide and can have serious repercussions for an individual’s life if left untreated, including unemployment, housing insecurity, inappropriate incarceration and substance abuse – as well as leading to suicide and having a significant economic and human toll.
Mental disorders refer to any condition which interferes with an individual’s thinking, feeling and mood and hinders their functioning in some way. Their symptoms can range from mild to severe and be temporary or persistent – likely as a direct result of biological, behavioral or environmental influences – such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.
Occupational therapy (OT) services that specialize in mental health can assist individuals suffering from various conditions. Therapies offered include family, group and individual psychotherapy as well as counseling; cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), interpersonal therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction may also be provided by these OT services. Furthermore they can prescribe medications and assist people access community programs which support mental wellbeing.
Risks associated with mental health conditions can be found locally, regionally and globally. They include personal and familial histories, exposure to violence or adversities, poverty, unemployment, disease outbreaks, humanitarian crises, forced displacement and climate change – although any single risk or protective factor only plays a limited role; most individuals at known risks don’t develop disorders regardless. Prevention therefore remains paramount, with early intervention providing the greatest advantage and can reduce illness burden as well as suffering, disability and loss of life.
