What is mental health?

Our mental health plays an important roll in how we feel and function on a daily basis. It also affects our ability to cope with challenges in life. Mental and physical health go hand in hand; if we take care of our bodies, our minds benefit, and vice versa.

There is a distinction between the terms “mental health” and “mental health problems” and “mental health disorders”, though they are sometimes confused. Each term is described in more detail below.

• Mental health is used as an umbrella term for mental wellbeing, mental health problems and mental health disorders.
• Mental health problems is often used to refer to both mental health problems or issues and mental health disorders. Mental health problems can therefore range from more common problems such as stress, worry and sadness, to depression and anxiety, and to rarer problems such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, which are considered mental health disorders.
• Mental health disorders is used to describe clinically significant disturbances in an individual’s cognition, emotional regulation, or behaviour. Several criteria must be met for a person to be diagnosed with a mental health disorder such as for example depression, eating disorder or schizophrenia.

The state of our mental health changes throughout life and is affected by several factors. These include genetic vulnerabilities, our childhood, what happens to us in life, our financial and social situations, habits and behaviours, our ability to cope with stress, and more. 

We can change some of the things that affect our mental health, such as our habits and behaviours. However, our genetic setup and conditions around us growing up are more difficult to change.

What is mental wellbeing?

Mental wellbeing refers to the feeling of thriving in various areas of life, such as in relationships, at work, play, and more, despite life’s ups and downs. It refers to how we react to our experiences throughout life, how satisfied we are,  and whether we feel that life has meaning. It also involves feeling pleasure and desire. Mental wellbeing is characterised by other things such as how well we balance positive and negative feelings, feeling as part of a community, personal development, and achieving your own potential. The things that benefit one’s wellbeing can vary.

Mental wellbeing and mental health problems are not mutually exclusive, i.e., you can feel wellbeing even though you have a mental health problem. While we can see that people with mental health problems or mental health disorders tend to experience poorer mental wellbeing, this manifests differently depending on the person. Someone may struggle in certain aspects, but not others. They might, for example, feel anxious and have difficulty concentrating at work or in school, but at the same time be good at creating friendships and consequently feel content and see meaning in life.

What are mental health problems?

The term ‘mental health problems’ is often used to refer to both mental health problems and mental health disorders. All mental health problems can cause suffering for the person affected, and other people in their lives are often affected indirectly as well. These types of symptoms and disorders can make it difficult to function normally, for example in relationships, at work, or at school. Nevertheless, the way mental health problems and mental health disorders affect us is individual. Someone may experience a mental health problem without having been diagnosed with a mental illness.

Mental health problems are common. Everyone can feel stressed, worried or anxious at times, or have trouble sleeping, or concentrating. These are often normal reactions to life’s stressors. These problems may be mild or severe; they may pass quickly or continue for a longer period. Sometimes, mental health problems can cause physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach pain, backache or dizziness.

Severe mental health problems may make it difficult to cope with important, everyday things – working, studying, spending time on a hobby, or taking care of yourself or others. Most of the time, these problems go away on their own, and there are things you can do to reduce their severity. If these kinds of problems last for a long time, you may need professional help.

Mental health disorders

Mental health disorders are mental illnesses and syndromes such as depression, eating disorders, anxiety disorder and alcohol use disorder. Neuropsychiatric disabilities such as ADHD and autism are also mental health disorders. Several criteria must be met for a person to be diagnosed with a mental health disorder. For example, a person needs to have had various symptoms for a long period of time that cause significant suffering and impair their ability to function in everyday life. Often, a person will need treatment from a mental health specialist or psychologist, though some mental health disorders can go away by themselves.

Suicide

Suicide is the act of intentionally taking your own life. Many people who take their own lives have depression or another mental disorder, but often there are several reasons that cause a person to take their own life. Research shows that some people who commit or attempt suicide may not do so out of a clear intention to die; rather, in some cases, someone may be in extreme distress or pain, and want to escape, but see no other way out.

It’s scary when someone says they are planning to kill themself, or do something to harm themself. But it can be possible to get through such a crisis with help and support from family, friends, and the healthcare system. Talking about suicide is not dangerous, nor does it increase the risk that a person will take their own life.

If you are having suicidal thoughts

Are you feeling so low that you think that life is not worth living? Are you thinking about taking your own life or have you made plans to do so? If so, you shouldn’t keep these feelings to yourself. Talk to someone you trust, seek help from a professional such as a psychiatric emergency department (In Swedish: psykiatrisk akutmottagning), or the Suicide Hotline at 90101, 24 hours a day. Suicidal thoughts are common, and help is available.

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, it’s important to talk to someone - call 1177 to talk to a nurse that can help you find the appropriate psychiatric care.