Written by: Abbey Riendeau, LMHC
October is Mental Illness Awareness Month and it is an important topic to continue to bring awareness to for various reasons. Mental illnesses are health conditions involving challenges or changes in emotion, thinking, behaviors, or a combination of the three. Just like diabetes or hypertension, disorders and illnesses of the mind are medical problems. And just like many Americans suffer from hypertension, many Americans will also suffer from a mental illness. In the United States, 19% or 1 in 5 adults will experience some form of mental illness in a given year. Although the majority of individuals with mental illness can continue to function in their daily lives, 1 in 24 adults will have a serious mental illness that may impact their daily functioning and 1 in 12 will have a diagnosable substance use disorder.
Mental Health vs. Mental Illness
Mental health refers to and involves the effective functioning in daily activities, which result in productivity, healthy relationships, ability to adapt to changes, and the ability to cope with challenges. Mental illness refers to and involves the collective of diagnosable mental health disorders that involve significant changes in thinking, emotions, and/or behaviors, distress, and problems functioning in important areas of life. The severity of mental illness can range from mild and only interfering in limited ways with daily life to severe, requiring that a person be hospitalized to receive the level of care they need.
Mental health is the foundation for emotions, thinking, communication, learning, resilience, hope, and self-esteem. Mental health allows individuals to thrive in relationships, allows personal and emotional well-being, and allows an individual to contribute to the community and society in prosocial ways. Just as physical health is a component of overall well-being, so is mental health. Mental health can influence and be influenced by physical health.
Mental illness does not discriminate. It can impact anyone, regardless of age, race, gender, income, social status, sexual orientation, religion, or any other aspect of an individual’s background or cultural identity. So why is there so much shame and stigma around the topic of mental health, especially if it is so common? Why are people willing to discuss their hypertension with others but cannot discuss their depression without feeling ashamed? If mental illness is just as important, and common, as physical illness, why don’t we talk about it more?
Society is slowly becoming more open and understanding towards mental illness, especially as it becomes clear that mental illness conditions are treatable and can impact anyone. The increase in social media use has recently been utilized as a platform for facilitating mental health discussions, adding to the normalization of mental health challenges.
Mental Health Diagnosing
If you are like many individuals in the United States, you probably have social media and have possibly seen some of the mental health diagnosing videos come across your screen. Self-diagnosing from social media has become more prevalent with the increase in online discussions about mental health. Although this can have some benefits, self-diagnosing also comes with many negative consequences (For more information on self-diagnosing with social media, see our previous blog post Self-Diagnosing with Social Media). Mental health conditions are treatable and improvement is possible, and sometimes this begins with a mental health diagnosis (though not always!). It’s important to receive an accurate diagnosis in order to receive the most appropriate care and treatment, just like a physical health condition. You wouldn’t want to be diagnosed and treated for hypertension when you really have a kidney stone. Treatment for mental health is very individualized. It is created collaboratively with a mental health professional and the individual. The need for treatment is not based on a diagnosis alone, but rather taken into consideration is the severity of symptoms, distress and impacts caused by symptoms, and the risks and benefits of available treatments.
Sometimes it is hard to know when problems with mood or thinking become problematic and serious enough to warrant a mental health concern. Sometimes changes in mood, thinking, or behaviors are expected, such as experiencing a depressed mood after the loss of a loved one. When that depressed mood continues to cause distress or begins to get in the way of everyday functioning, the person may need professional help. Sometimes, family and friends notice these changes in loved ones before the loved ones can recognize the changes themself.
Not only do we have to know when changes in mood and thinking warrant mental health intervention, we also have to know if the changes are due to a physical health condition or a mental health condition. Many symptoms of physical health conditions can mimic mental health conditions, and vice versa. For example, what someone may assume is depression may actually be a thyroid issue.
Mental illness can also be expressed differently across diverse cultures and backgrounds. Some cultures view and describe mental health in different ways from western medicine in the United States. For example, some individuals may focus on and express the physical symptoms of a mental illness versus the internal experience or impacts of the illness. Additionally, varying levels of acceptance of mental health and mental illness across different cultures may impact or prevent individuals from seeking treatment.
Self-help and support can be very important for coping, recovery, and overall well-being. Self-help and support can be a great place to start making positive changes for your mental well-being. Lifestyle changes, including nutrition, exercise, and sleep hygiene, can play an important role in mental health and recovery. Reading self-help books, listening to supportive podcasts, and following mental health positive individuals on social media are ways in which you can incorporate mental health support into your day-to-day activities. What you consume (both with your mouth and your eyes/brain) and expose yourself to everyday impacts you. Curating your social media to show you posts from inspirational and motivational individuals may provide you more benefits than following news channels or political pages.
If self-help is not working for you or the symptoms you are experiencing are so severe you are having difficulty managing daily activities, reach out to your primary care clinician, psychiatrist, or other health professionals for mental health support and help. Our therapists at Forensic Insight Group are here to support you and answer any questions you may have. Contact us today to learn more about our therapy services.
Citation:
American Psychiatric Association. (2022). What is mental illness? American Psychiatric Association. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/what-is-mental-illness