We hear terms like “taking a mental health day” or having a “nervous breakdown” and may wonder what it means to have or not have our mental health. In our yoga addicted, acupuncture going, green tea drinking , namaste society, being “unbalanced” is something serious which requires immediate attention…. but what is being unbalanced, really? The answer lies in an explanation of mental health.
So, what is mental health anyways?
Mental Health Gov defines mental health as a system involving our emotional, psychological and social well being, affecting thinking, behavior and overall feelings across the lifespan. Mental illness is a medical condition which happens when our thinking, behavior and/or how we feel becomes disrupted. The National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) discusses how the disruption can affect quality of life, ability to relate to others and ability to cope with day to day functions.
The DIagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM) currently in fifth edition, is a manual of disorders and their symptoms. The DSM discusses the criteria for disorders, duration of symptoms, and distinction between disorders. Basically, the DSM makes it possible to label the symptoms.
Disorders include anxiety disorders, mood disorders, autistic spectrum disorders, ADHD/ADD, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, etc. Conditions resulting from disorders include insomnia, racing thoughts, hallucinations, general uneasiness, isolation, suicidal thoughts or ideations, substance use, difficulty sustaining healthy relationships and/or employment, etc….
In a nutshell, mental health ensures that other systems or components in our lives run smoothly and our ability to handle hurdles is strong. When faced with a mental health illness, situations may seem overwhelming and intolerable: our ability to handle stressful situations at a job, on the subway, waiting in line at a grocery store, in marriage, at Thanksgiving dinner becomes negatively affected leading to horrible, debilitating thoughts and just feeling very, very bad.
Our mental health IS important.
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