I wanted to write about the difference between mental health, and mental illness, as I've seen the two terms used interchangeably and in the wrong situations.
Mental health, is something that EVERYONE experiences. Essentially, it is how we are feeling emotionally. We develop these feelings as young children. When we learn what happy and sad feels like, that's our mental health. Just as we learn about what makes us feel good and bad physically.
Mental illness, on the other hand, is when we have actually been diagnosed by a doctor as being mentally ill. That is with diagnosis of a condition, an illness or a disorder.
So when we're talking about mental health generally, we're talking about how we're feeling emotionally. When we're talking about mental illness we're talking about specifics disorders, such as depression, eating disorders, BPD.
I want to talk about the overlaps in the terms.
•You don't have to be mentally ill to struggle with your mental health.
•Equally you don't have to be mentally ill to get support for it.
•Everyone should do things to look after their mental health, ill or not. Self care is so important. You are deserving of help.
•Your lack of a diagnosis doesn't invalidate your struggles. Not everyone can afford the cost of seeing a psychiatrist. Just because you haven't been diagnosed with an illness, doesn't mean that you don't struggle with it. You are just as valid with someone as a diagnosis.
Whatever you are going through, know that your struggles are valid, and you are stronger than the things that make you afraid.
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