Mental Health

Mental health is defined as our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects every part of our lives: how we think, feel, and act. Responses to stress and the ability to make choices is determined by our mental health. A mental health condition goes beyond having ups and downs in life, it is a medical condition that causes changes in how we think and feel. Serious Mental Illness (SMI) is someone over the age of 18 that has a diagnosable mental, behavior, or emotional disorder. SMI causes serious functional impairment that greatly gets in the way of major life activities. Many factors contribute to these mental health conditions such as :

• Biological factors, like genes or brain chemistry

• Life experiences, like trauma or abuse

• Family history of mental health problems

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 1 in 5 adults experiences a mental health illness every year. Although each illness has different symptoms, common signs of mental health illness include:

• Feeling sad or withdrawn for more than two weeks

• Feeling excessively anxious, worried, or panicked

• Changes in behavior

• Abuse of substances like alcohol or drugs

• Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared

• Eating or sleeping too much or too little

Don’t be afraid to reach out if you or someone you know needs help. Learning all you can about mental health is an important first step along with seeking help. If you are concerned about a friend or yourself, call the National Helpline for Referral of Treatment/Services at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).