Published on 12, July, 2020
I'm going to be pedantic.But I get sick and tired of hearing people use the term mental health as a synonym for mental illness. A mental illness is a specific mental disorder. And someone is mentally ill when they have been diagnosed with a specific mental disorder. Mental health describes the whole spectrum of possible states of mental wellness or illness; we all have mental health because we all have minds. In the same way we all have physical health because we all have bodies. Mental health is neutral and requires a positive or negative qualifier (good or bad) to correctly denote/describe someone's mental state. In other words, we can be mentally well or mentally un-well.
Now, on to the next point! Being mentally unwell is not synonymous with being mentally ill. Being mentally ill requires a diagnosis of (at least one) a specific mental disorder. If someone is physically out of shape, we wouldn't assume they have cancer, irritable bowl syndrome or any other medical condition - without a diagnosis.
I know I'm being pedantic, but it really hurts my autistic brain when people use language imprecisely. Also, it diminishes the legitimate struggles and experiences of people with diagnosed mental illnesses when everyday language is used casually and incorrectly in the place of specific terminology. Let me know what you think! And may everyone's mental health be good!
I'd agree there is a difference between poor Mental Health & Mental Illness in the sense the former could be temporary and the latter, something more permanent or long-term. For example, most people will experience anxiety or depression at some or various points in life and get better while others can be plagued with it for most of their lives, requiring help, treatment or radical life changes to manage or minimise it. Both are valid though and should be taken seriously just as physical illnesses are.
Diagnoses has it's place for sure but it really hurts my brain looking into this as there seems to be a diagnoses for everything and very often I find myself in a never ending field of Rabbit holes and the more you look into all the various diagnoses, and then look around you, it seems everyone on the planet could be diagnosed with something .
I think what's important is ; if anyone's mental health is causing suffering or if their lives are being negatively impacted by it long-term they should seek help and be given help right away, not in 3 months time or 2 years time. In this scenario, a diagnoses is probably beneficial for treatment or managing the specific condition/s tailored to each individual.
There is a danger that ' Mental Health ' can become a slogan or political football branded about to make-out they are actually doing something when in reality, services available are wholly inadequate, dismally out of date and actual ' Mental illness ' not taken seriously or ignored.
I'm totally with you, Turtle. You make some excellent points.
That's precisely what has happened. Mental Health has become a ubiquitous term used by all organisations/politicians who want to show that they are concerned about people's 'stress levels' or 'work/life balance'. It's purely performative. At the same time, the understanding, care and treatment of people with actual mental illness is as dire as ever. In fact, as you correctly point out, the services available are still wholly inadequate, underfunded and dismally out of date.