Friendship and Marriage Good For The Brain
Dementia is a horrible condition and could be an unexpected and unwanted consequence of people living longer. Steeling memories which is ultimately what makes us who and what we are, is the cruelest aspect of this condition.
Studies conducted at Lougborough University has shown that close friendships and marriage may stave off the symptoms of dementia. Having a circle of friends and a life partner can be a means of keeping stress to a manageble level and that in turn staves off dementia symptoms.
From the perspective of a psychotherapist, I am interested in how we therapists can provide support for our clients. Obviously, this support is directed to specific psychological, emotional and behavioural issues. However, wouldn’t it be wonderful if in addition to this support, the work that we do in therapy helps reduce the risk of denentia in the long term.
This reverts back to the argument that many of us in the profession have been making in that we need to provide more talking therapies to the public rather than less. By doing this, we not only take mental health seriously, but also physical health as well. Talking therapy is shown to be a great help for people in distress, people just need to be made aware of it.
