Mental health versus mental health problems

“Mental Health”…. You hear it everywhere, but you don’t really explain it!

I feel like all the eggs are in the same basket!

So I humbly take the liberty of sharing with you “my little reference guide” that helps me untangle all this!

First, MENTAL HEALTH.

Health is a state that we want to maintain or that we want to achieve. Whether it’s physical or mental, we do things every day to achieve this goal: exercise, eat healthy, socialize, pursue hobbies. In short, doing activities that we enjoy and that bring us comfort and value. For me, the combination of the words “mental health” is positive!

However, when our “mental health” is challenged by life events and it becomes difficult for us to regain our balance, when the strategies and tools we used before no longer allow us to regain our stability, it is possible that we are experiencing a mental health problem.

It is usually a “transient disorder” that is directly related to one or more events that we experience. Examples of mental health problems include: adjustment disorder, depression, anxiety disorders. The mental health problem temporarily affects our ability to function in our daily lives. It also leads us to experience psychological “distress”. Our bearings are affected, we lose control. In fact, we are usually very aware of what is happening to us!

Generally, in order to regain our “normal” state, consulting professionals such as social workers or psychologists to help us become aware of what is wrong and to make changes in our lives are favorable to regaining our mental health.

It may sometimes be necessary to take medication.

However, mental illness occurs when the mental health problem persists and seriously impairs our ability to function.

AND/OR

When there is a combination of biological vulnerabilities (brain chemistry), hereditary factors, low self-perception, difficulty in managing stress, etc…

Mental illness is complex and sometimes more difficult to diagnose. It is treated by a medical and psychosocial team. Medication is often essential to the person’s recovery.

The latest statistics that I have in mind are that one (1) person in five (5) will be affected by mental illness. We are talking about people living with schizophrenia, bipolar illness or chronic depression. Regardless of the type of illness, it affects thinking, mood and there are major changes in the person’s behavior. Mental illness causes a great deal of distress and suffering for both the person and those around them.

This brings me to my final point about psychosis!

From what I know, the psychotic state is a disturbance of the senses that causes a loss of contact with reality! We can all experience a psychotic episode one day! It occurs when emotions, stresses, relationships, physical and mental conditions are affected…The brain instinctively goes into “pause”.

Psychosis can be present in both physical and mental illnesses. It is important to understand that it is “a moment, an episode” in the illness that the person is experiencing. It can also be induced. That is to say, following an interaction between medications or drug use.

I had been thinking for a while about sharing my little knowledge and perception on the subject. I hadn’t really heard the media make distinctions between mental health, mental health problems and mental illness.

In short, all eggs were in one basket!