What is the Difference Between Mental Health and Mental Illness?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The difference between mental health and mental illness lies in the fact that mental health refers to a person's overall emotional and psychological well-being, while mental illness refers to diagnosable mental health conditions that affect a person's thinking, feelings, mood, or behavior.
Key differences include:
- Mental Health: This is a broader concept that encompasses a person's mental well-being, including emotions, thoughts, feelings, problem-solving abilities, social connections, and understanding of the world around them. Mental health can vary throughout a person's life and is influenced by various factors.
- Mental Illness: These are diagnosable disorders with specific criteria, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia. Mental illnesses can be caused by factors like genes, brain chemistry, or trauma. Not everyone with a mental illness will experience poor mental health, and with proper support, individuals with mental illnesses can achieve good mental health.
In summary, mental health is a broad term that refers to a person's overall psychological well-being, while mental illness is a specific term used to describe diagnosable mental health conditions that impact a person's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Both mental health and mental illness are on a spectrum, and a person can have a mental illness without experiencing constant poor mental health.
Comparative Table: Mental Health vs Mental Illness
The terms "mental health" and "mental illness" are often used interchangeably, but they have distinct meanings. Here is a table outlining the differences between the two:
| Mental Health | Mental Illness |
|---|---|
| Refers to a person's state of mental and emotional well-being | Refers to diagnosable conditions that affect a person's thinking, feeling, mood, or behavior, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia |
| Mental well-being can vary throughout a person's life, depending on external factors | Symptoms of mental illnesses can impact people's lives in different ways and often have a specific set of diagnostic criteria |
| Everyone has mental health, just like everyone has physical health | Not everyone will experience a mental illness, but everyone will have challenges with their mental well-being at some point in their life |
| Focuses on a person's ability to solve problems, overcome difficulties, maintain social connections, and understand the world around them | Mental illness can be caused by factors like genes, brain chemistry, or trauma |
| Everyone has a state of mental health, which is on a spectrum | Mental health is similar to physical health, in that it is not an all-or-nothing concept |
It is essential to recognize the differences between mental health and mental illness to better understand and support individuals facing mental health challenges or mental illnesses. Both mental health and mental illness can be influenced by various factors, and promoting mental well-being or treating mental illnesses may require different approaches, such as counseling, therapy, lifestyle changes, medications, and other practices.
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