Your Mental Health

YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

As October the 10th marks the World Mental Health Day, we thought that it may be a good opportunity to reflect on what good mental health can mean and the various types of mental illness.

Good mental health is a sense of wellbeing, confidence and self-esteem. Good mental health enables us to fully enjoy and appreciate other people, day-to-day life and our environment.

Having this sense of mental wellbeing enables us to:

Form positive relationships
Use our abilities to reach our potential
Deal with life’s challenges

A mental illness is a health problem that significantly affects how a person thinks, behaves and interacts with other people; and it is diagnosed according to a standardised criteria.

1 in 5 Australians will suffer from a mental illness in any given year

There are different types of mental illness with various degrees of severity. Some of the major types are:

Anxiety
Depression
Eating disorders
Bipolar mood disorders
Personality disorders
Schizophrenia

A mental health problem also affects how a person thinks, feels and behaves, but to a lesser extent than a mental illness.

Mental illness results from complex interactions between the mind, body and environment. Factors which can contribute to mental illness are:

Long-term and acute stress
Biological factors such as genetics, chemistry and hormones
Use of alcohol, drugs and other substances
Cognitive patterns such as constant negative thoughts and low self-esteem
Social factors such as isolation, financial problems, family breakdown or violence

How can we improve our mental health?