Mental wellbeing and mental health conditions are two different experiences, which can vary along two separate but linked spectrums.
Mental Health or Illness?
When you hear the words ‘mental health’ you might think of conditions such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. In fact, these are mental health conditions (also referred to as mental disorders or mental illness).
Because of confusion between mental health and mental health conditions, many people prefer to use the term mental wellbeing when referring to ‘good’ or ‘positive’ mental health.
If you have high levels of mental wellbeing, then you’re said to be flourishing. If you experience low levels you’re said to be languishing.
It is important to note that languishing is not the same as having a mental health condition, and people living with mental health conditions are still able to flourish. However there is more to good mental health than simply the absence of a mental health condition. According to the World Health Organisation, mental health is a state of mental wellbeing that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute in their community.
Ultimately mental wellbeing is about feeling good, having positive relationships, functioning well, and feeling that you have purpose and meaning in your life.
Mental health conditions
While everyone has a level of mental wellbeing, not everyone will experience a mental health condition, although it is worth noting that around half of all Australians will experience a clinically significant mental health condition at some point in their life and in any given year, 1 in 5 Australians is living with a mental health condition.
There are numerous mental health conditions, each with a different cluster of symptoms, including the most common types such as depression and anxiety disorders, as well as less common conditions such as behavioural disorders, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. The one thing they all have in common is the tendency to cause severe distress and impact our day-to-day functioning.
The diagnosis of these conditions requires an assessment by a doctor, psychologist or other mental health specialist and this assessment should be done in line with agreed guidelines, such as the World Health Organisation International Classification of Diseases or the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Mental Health Continuum
Our wellbeing ebbs and flows, from day to day, week to week and year to year. How we feel tomorrow can be different from how we felt yesterday. In the same way, our mental health exists on a continuum too, from mental illness at one extreme to mental wellbeing at the other. It is important to recognise that no matter where you might be on that continuum, help is always at hand to support you through your journey.