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"We envision a future when everyone with a mental illness will recover, a future when mental illnesses can be prevented or cured, a future when mental illnesses are detected early, and a future when everyone with a mental illness at any stage of life has access to effective treatment and supports— essentials for living, working, learning and participating fully in the community."
Vision Statement, The President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, 2003
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All human beings experience changes in their bodies as they age. Aging changes are caused by the effects of heredity, environment, cultural influences, diet, exercise, leisure choices, past illnesses and many other factors. Certain medications, illnesses, significant life changes and increased demands on the body are stressors that make the body work harder. These factors acontribute to the changing health status of an older body. It is difficult to predict how an individual’s health will progress in later life though there are certain physical changes that are to be expected.
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The brain, as an organ of the body, is vulnerable to the influences listed above and susceptible to change and illness in later life. Mental health is physical health. As people consider age related health changes, they need to be aware of their own mental health and seek professional help if they have any symptoms of a mental health disorder. |
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