#mentalhealth vs. #mentalillness (approx. 1½ min, read)
/Last week when my husband was reading over my blog he brought something to my attention and I decided it would be a good topic for this week’s blog. I had mentioned mental illness as well as mental health; believing they were interchangeable but after doing some research found out they aren’t even close.
CMHA defines mental health “as a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully and is able to make a contribution to his or her community. Whereas mental illness is a recognized, medically diagnosable illness that results in the significant impairment of an individual’s cognitive, affective or relational abilities.”
Health vs. illness; well-being vs. ill-being; cognitive vs. confused; strong vs. impaired! Humph ...if this is the case, it’s no wonder there’s so much stigma around mental illness!
We all want to be mentally healthy because when a person is mentally healthy they aren’t as easily affected by outside stressors and can live their life to their full potential.
And that’s all any of us want; to live our life to our full potential ...even if the stigma around mental health states that people like me don’t.
We WANT to be productive, interact with other people and function on a day-to-day basis just like the rest of you, but sometimes our illness gets in the way. Believe me when I say, that I can no more get over my PTSD than a person can walk off a broken leg, but my struggle is just as real.
Instead of judging mental illness - talk about it, learn about it and understand that people like me aren’t seeking attention, we’re just trying to believe that mental health is as within our reach as it is anyone else’s.
Stay safe and stay strong. Thanks for following.
References:
http://www.mentalhealth.wa.gov.au/mental_illness_and_health/mh_whatis.aspx
