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Quality Time with Family and Friends
Mental Health
<p> The role of family is a popular topic of study in mental health, but often from the point of view of how family and genetics influence mental health disorders and conditions. There is another important element to consider when it comes to mental health treatment: the importance of quality time with loved ones, and its role in mental health treatment.</p>
<p><strong>How do family connections factor into mental health?</strong></p>
<p> The role of family and friends can fall, interestingly, into two categories when it comes to the importance of time spent: helpful and hindering connections for those dealing with mental health conditions.</p>
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<li><strong>Helpful time with family and friends:</strong> Family and friends who provide love, compassion, empathy, and support to the person dealing with a mental health condition, have important roles to play. From day-to-day operations, to dealing with a crisis, family can help ease the journey of someone who needs support and guidance. Quality time spent with supportive people can also provide trust and a sense of centring for the patient, which is crucial to making other mental health treatments more effective. Emotional stability can come from that time.</li>
<li><strong>Hindering time with family and friends:</strong> Some time spent with family and friends, especially so-called “quality time” can actually worsen a mental health condition or crisis. For instance, siblings who deliberately cause a flare up of anxiety. Or, friends or parents who worsen a patient’s depressive episode by making light of it. Sometimes family and friends can cause more harm than good, making separation a crucial part of a patient’s treatment long-term in order to create emotional stability.</li>
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<p><strong>Not all family connections are supportive</strong></p>
<p> From unstable parents to disrespectful and apathetic friends, and beyond, sometimes separation from “quality” time spent with them, can be a crucial part of mental health treatment. Studies show that those who live alone, or separated from family and friends, can be just as happy and healthy as those who live in those households. It often comes down to separating and determining a healthy and important relationship versus an unstable one. </p>
<p> Sometimes, “chosen” family is going to be more supportive and important for a patient’s journey, as opposed to biological or “assumed” family and friends. Quality time spent with the former option can be helpful, whereas time spent with the latter, destructive.</p>
<p><strong>Connection is important for mental health treatment</strong></p>
<p> All that being said, there is a designated role for family and friends when it comes to providing compassion and support. For many, it is their family that they grow up with. For others, though, family exists in other forms and in other people in order to help promote a stronger, better connection and better support. </p>
<p> The role of family and emotional support factors into mental health treatment at all ages, and its importance is thought to increase with time and age. Quality time with the right people can be a core part of long-term mental health treatment. The key is, of course, that it is quality time spent with the right family and friends.</p>
<p>Sources:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2927880/">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2927880/</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/227419">https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/227419</a></li>
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