Understanding Mental Health

Mental health is an essential part of overall wellbeing, influencing how we think, feel, cope, relate to others, and manage everyday life. Mental health challenges can affect individuals of all ages and may impact psychological, emotional wellbeing, relationships, academic performance, work functioning, and daily living. Seeking help is an important step in understanding these challenges, and improving your quality of life. A good mental health is a state of, psychological, emotional and social wellness in which an individual is able to cope and function effectively.

General Life Challenges

These are difficulties people experience as part of everyday life. They are usually temporary and manageable, although highly stressfull, mentally and emotionally challenging. These problems may disrupt a person’s thinking, emotions, or daily functioning for a short period of time for example academic pressure, peer pressure, grief or loss, work pressure, relationship problems and financial stress, causing mild to moderate distress but not reaching a clinical level. These challenges require professisonal short-term assistance, to help the individual cope effectively.

Psychological Disorders

Psychological disorders are clinically significant conditions that affect a person’s thoughts, emotions, behaviour, mood, perception, or overall functioning. Unlike general life challenges, these conditions are often more persistent, severe, and complex, and may significantly interfere with mental, physical, behavioural, social and daily functioning and wellbeing over a longer period of time. Psychological disorders can range from mild to severe and may develop due to a combination of biological, psychological, social, environmental, or traumatic factors. Examples include Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Bipolar Disorder (BD), Schizophrenia, Substance Use Disorders (SUD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder(GAD) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, (PTSD). These conditions require, long-term psychological treatment, assessments, and evidence-based treatment by professional and specialist practitioners to improve psychological health, adaptive functioning, overall quality of life.

Mental Health is Just as Important as Physical Health

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A Mental Health Problem is Not

  • A reason to judge or label someone
  • Something you “snap out of”
  • A sign of weakness
  • Always visible to others
  • A personal failure
  • Being “crazy” or dangerous
  • Something to be ashamed of
  • Defined by a diagnosis alone
  • The same for every individual

Mental Health or Physical Health

  • Mental health is just as important as physical health
  • Both affect functioning
  • Both can be treated
  • Mental health conditions are real health conditions
  • Physical illness can affect mental health (vise-versa)
  • Both require treatment
  • Prevention is important
  • Recovery is possible in both

Therapy Misconceptions

  • Therapy is for “crazy” people
  • Therapy is “just talking” to a therapist
  • Therapy is only for serious mental illness
  • Friends can do the same job as a therapist
  • Therapy changes nothing at
  • If you need therapy, you’re weak

Types of Psychological Disorders

Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders involve excessive fear, worry, or nervousness that interferes with daily functioning, relationships, work, or academic performance.

Major Depressive Disorder

Depression is characterised by persistent sadness, low mood, loss of interest or pleasure, fatigue, and difficulties with motivation, concentration, and daily functioning.

Bipolar and Related Disorders

Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder involving significant shifts between depressive episodes and periods of elevated mood, increased energy, impulsivity, or mania.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD may develop following exposure to traumatic events and can involve intrusive memories, emotional distress, hypervigilance, avoidance, and sleep disturbances.

Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

chizophrenia and related disorders affect perception, thinking, emotions, and behaviour, and may involve hallucinations, delusions, disorganised thinking, and difficulties with reality testing.

Personality Disorders

Personality disorders involve long-standing patterns of thinking, emotional regulation, behaviour, and interpersonal functioning that may affect relationships and daily life.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

OCD is characterised by intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviours or mental rituals (compulsions) performed to reduce anxiety or distress.

Dissociative Disorders

Dissociative disorders involve disruptions in memory, identity, awareness, or perception, often associated with psychological trauma or severe stress.

Substance Use Disorders

Substance use disorders involve problematic use of alcohol or other substances leading to impaired functioning, dependency, and difficulties in social, occupational, or emotional wellbeing.

Adjustment Disorders

Adjustment disorders occur when emotional or behavioural symptoms develop in response to significant life stressors or major life changes, affecting daily functioning and wellbeing.

Sleep-Wake Disorders

Sleep-related disorders involve disturbances in sleep quality, timing, or behaviour that negatively affect mental, emotional, and physical functioning.

Psychotic Disorder

Psychotic disorders are serious mental health conditions that affect a person’s perception of reality, thinking, emotions, and behaviour. Symptoms may include hallucinations, delusions, disorganised thinking, impaired insight, and difficulties with daily functioning.

Attachment Disorders

Attachment disorders are conditions that may develop in childhood when a child experiences severe neglect, inconsistent caregiving, trauma, or disruptions in early attachment relationships. These disorders can affect emotional regulation, trust, social relationships, and the ability to form healthy emotional bonds with caregivers and others.

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

A condition characterised by persistent difficulties with attention, impulsivity, hyperactivity, and executive functioning that may affect academic, occupational, and social functioning.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

A neurodevelopmental condition involving differences in social communication, behaviour, sensory processing, and patterns of interaction or interests.

Intellectual Developmental Disorder (IDD)

A condition characterised by limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviour, affecting learning, communication, and independent daily functioning.

Specific Learning Disorder (SLD)

A disorder affecting the ability to acquire and use academic skills such as reading, writing, spelling, or mathematics despite adequate learning opportunities..

Neurocogntive Disorders

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

A A condition resulting from injury to the brain that may affect memory, attention, reasoning, emotional regulation, and overall cognitive functioning.

Cognitive Impairment (CI)

A condition involving noticeable declines in memory or cognitive abilities that are greater than expected for age but do not significantly impair independent functioning.

Dementia Disorders

Dementia refers to progressive neurocognitive conditions that affect memory, thinking, behaviour, language, and daily functioning, including conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease