Mental illness is something diagnosed by doctors or mental health professionals.
It's when, in their
opinion, you have symptoms or problems that interfere with your ability
to lead a normal life. This means your ability to do the normal
day-to-day things like concentrate, have healthy relationships and be
able to communicate and interact with other people.
The
Mental Health Foundation says: "When someone experiences severe and or lasting mental health problems they are sometimes described as mentally ill."
What's a mental health problem?
A
mental health problem is when a life event, situation or problem
disrupts the way we think and feel. This can either be temporary –
following a sad or traumatic event, for example – or it can be more
long-term.
In general, the term 'mental health problem' is used to describe a whole range of difficulties, from
stresses and bereavement,
phobias, anxiety disorders and eating disorders to the more serious forms of depression, and illnesses such as
schizophrenia.
There can be a stigma attached to having mental
health problems, which can mean that people don't want to be 'labelled'
or are scared to tell other people they have problems.
Who do mental health problems affect?
A mental health problem can happen to anyone.
Experts estimate that around one in four of us will have some sort of mental health problem at some time in our lives.
It could be you
Mental illness
doesn't choose particular groups of people. It can strike regardless of
your age, race, colour, religion or IQ – in fact many people who
experience mental illness can be incredibly intelligent and gifted
(think of planet-for-a-brain Steven Hawkin).
But mental illness strikes 'the average person' even
more frequently. Often a mental health problem can occur if a person
experiences something traumatic – the death of a loved one, a terrible
accident,
sexual abuse, bullying or if someone has a very stressful family life, for example.
This sort of thing could happen to anyone; it's not the person's fault, and nor is the mental health problem which can follow.
But mental health problems can also happen even if
nothing like this has happened to you. It has nothing to do with being
weak, and there is nothing to be ashamed of.
Not the only one
The main thing to
remember is that you are not alone if you have a mental health problem.
In fact, you're in pretty good company.
There are many famous people who have experienced
mental health problems, including Johnny Depp, Drew Barrymore, Charlotte
Bronte, Halle Berry, Alanis Morissette, Winston Churchill and Eric
Clapton. And the list goes on – even David Beckham admits he has
problems with obsessive behaviour.
But that's not to say that mental health problems are cool or trivial or something that you would want.
Mental health problems can be extremely frightening
and can really affect the quality of your life if you don't get proper
help. This is why it's important to know what's normal and what's not,
and when it's time to seek help.
What is mental health?
'Mental health' is a sense of feeling well and having the ability to cope with obstacles and challenges in life.
Mental health 'problems' or 'difficulties' are terms
used to describe (often temporary) reactions to a traumatic event,
chronic stress or illness, or street
drug or
alcohol abuse.
The terms are also used for serious psychiatric
conditions which significantly affect their ability to function and can
be long-term.
The mental health spectrum
Problems
can range from mild anxiety or stresses in everyday life, which are
difficult but can be managed, to problems which are so severe that they
affect the person's ability to think properly or keep in touch with
reality.
If you are worried about your mental health, here are some of the signs that they may be a problem:
- a gradual or sudden deterioration in your school work
- feeling exhausted or tired all the time
- not turning up at school or college
- withdrawing from your social life or stopping sports you used to enjoy
- mood swings and feeling irritable a lot of the time
- difficulty in sleeping
- misuse of alcohol or drugs
- significant weight loss/gain
- hearing or seeing things that other's don't
- mistakenly thinking people are 'out to get you' or are laughing at you
If you are feeling
stressed, anxious, depressed or finding it difficult to cope, you need to tell someone.
You may have a mental health problem that can be
treated and therefore it's best to get help as soon as possible rather
than to carry on suffering.
Talk to a trusted adult or friend, or see your GP
and talk to them about your concerns. Alternatively, contact the
organisations below for support.
