The terms “mental health” and “mental illness” are sometimes interchanged, but they differ in meaning.
While mental health refers to anyone’s state of mental, emotional well-being, mental illnesses are diagnosed conditions that affect thoughts and behaviors. Though anyone can have moments of poor mental health, not everyone has a mental illness. On the other hand, someone with a mental illness can achieve sound mental health.
In essence, mental health and mental illness are not the same. Mental health affects all people, while only some experience diagnosed mental illnesses.
It’s helpful to realize that mental illness does not always lead to poor mental health and that poor mental health is not always due to mental illness. Life events or other outside factors can affect anyone’s mental health, whether or not a mental illness is present.
According to the World Health Organization, mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. It is an integral component of health and well-being that underpins our individual and collective abilities to make decisions, build relationships and shape the world we live in. Mental health is a basic human right. And it is crucial to personal, community and socio-economic development.
Thus in the absence of a stable Mental Health state a person can suffer various mental conditions which include mental disorders and psychosocial disabilities as well as other mental states associated with significant distress, impairment in functioning, or risk of self-harm. People with mental health conditions are more likely to experience lower levels of mental well-being, but this is not always or necessarily the case.
The numbers associated with mental health is mind boggling, WHO says that about 1 billion people are living with mental health issues, about 1 trillion Dollars is lost annually in global economy due to anxiety and depression and 3 in 4 people with MH conditions in LMICs (Low and Low Middle Income Countries) do not receive adequate care.
Mental Health and Social Care are a global issue.
While mental health refers to anyone’s state of mental, emotional well-being, mental illnesses are diagnosed conditions that affect thoughts and behaviors. Though anyone can have moments of poor mental health, not everyone has a mental illness. On the other hand, someone with a mental illness can achieve sound mental health.
In essence, mental health and mental illness are not the same. Mental health affects all people, while only some experience diagnosed mental illnesses.
It’s helpful to realize that mental illness does not always lead to poor mental health and that poor mental health is not always due to mental illness. Life events or other outside factors can affect anyone’s mental health, whether or not a mental illness is present.
According to the World Health Organization, mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. It is an integral component of health and well-being that underpins our individual and collective abilities to make decisions, build relationships and shape the world we live in. Mental health is a basic human right. And it is crucial to personal, community and socio-economic development.
Thus in the absence of a stable Mental Health state a person can suffer various mental conditions which include mental disorders and psychosocial disabilities as well as other mental states associated with significant distress, impairment in functioning, or risk of self-harm. People with mental health conditions are more likely to experience lower levels of mental well-being, but this is not always or necessarily the case.
The numbers associated with mental health is mind boggling, WHO says that about 1 billion people are living with mental health issues, about 1 trillion Dollars is lost annually in global economy due to anxiety and depression and 3 in 4 people with MH conditions in LMICs (Low and Low Middle Income Countries) do not receive adequate care.
Mental Health and Social Care are a global issue.