• Question: Do you think that removing the smallest parts of a daily routine can have a lasting effect on a person's mental state?

    Asked by anon-282368 on 4 Mar 2021.
    • Photo: anon

      anon answered on 4 Mar 2021:

      Hi JoelL,
      Thank you for asking me a great question!
      A lot of studies support the role of a routine for mental health, both those in the general population who have common issues like depression, anxiety or stress that come and go (we all have mental health!) and also in those with diagnosed mental health problems like schizophrenia or bipolar.
      I know in psychiatric hospitals they utilise daily routines to improve mental health for those with severe symptoms. Things like set meal and medication times with strict adherence to this routine to have something constant for those who are in a world with no constants due to their mental health symptoms such as psychosis where you lost contact with reality.
      It’s really interesting to ask if removing a small part of a routine can impact one’s mental state, I am not sure and I don’t think there is any research on this actually!
      I think perhaps in those with autism, however, a small or minor change in daily routine can have lasting and quite profound effect on their mental state.

Comments

  • Photo: Dennis

    Dennis commented on :

    Hi Joel. I’ll go along with Lara has already said. While I was at uni, I had the opportunity to work as an intern in a psychiatric hospital. Routine certainly play a crucial role in patients’ lives.