This guide presents basic information about mental health and mental illness; definitions, causes, symptoms and treatments of mental disorders; and resources to get help, for you or for someone else. Explore the tabs at the top to learn more.
What Is Mental Health?
Like physical health, mental health is a part of everyone’s life. Physical health is the state of your body, and mental health is the state of your mind, feelings, and emotions.
Physical health can influence mental health, both positively and negatively. So can life experiences, work or school environment, relationships, and the community you live in.
Being mentally healthy contributes to feeling, thinking and acting in ways that help you enjoy life and cope with its challenges. Struggling with mental health may result in feeling unhappy, difficulty thinking clearly, or feeling overwhelmed by stressful situations.
What Is Mental Illness?
While mental health is always there and may be positive or negative, mental illness affects a person’s ability to function over a long period of time.
Mental illness is not the same as feeling sad, unhappy, or stressed because of difficult situations. People with mental illness may feel distressed regularly and may not feel in control of their lives. Mental illness can impact how we see ourselves, how we see the world around us and how we interact with the world.
It’s important to know that it is possible to have good mental health even if you have a mental illness. Just like with other conditions, many people with mental illness experience tough times but they can also have periods of better or good mental health. Taking care of your mental health is important for everyone.