Mike Dow, PhD, PsyD, therapist and New York Times bestselling author, has made the following trend predictions for mental health and wellness in 2022.
1. Mental Health Is a Key to Physical Health
It's common knowledge that exercising and eating well is good for not just the body, but overall mental health. So, says Dr. Dow, 2022 will be the year that people will start to accept that the converse is true, and commit deeper to mental health and well-being as a part of their overall health care. More studies will validate that emotions impact epigenetics, and thus physical health. This will drive more people to explore mindfulness and other mental health modalities.
2. De-Stigmatization for Men's Mental Wellness
Mental health is increasingly becoming a priority when it comes to men's wellness. According to the Mental Health Foundation, 28% of UK men admitted that they had not sought help for mental health problems, compared to 19% of women. Studies have also shown that men are three times more likely to die by suicide in Australia, 3.5 times more likely in the US, and over four times more likely in Russia and Argentina. But men are increasingly interested in self-care, and they will be looking to address their mental wellness with less stigma in 2022 and beyond.
3. Psychedelics in Psychotherapy
Although SSRIs and other medications can work well for many people suffering from mental illness, they aren't always the perfect cure. At the end of 2020, a slim majority of Oregon voters agreed to allow the use of psilocybin in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. As psilocybin and psychedelic-assisted therapy grows in popularity, Johns Hopkins and others are helping it go more mainstream. Dr. Dow predicts that such treatments will soon be adopted by the majority of Americans.
