According to the Mayo Clinic
Mental health is the overall wellness of how you think, regulate your feelings and behave. Sometimes people experience a significant disturbance in this mental functioning. A mental disorder may be present when patterns or changes in thinking, feeling or behaving cause distress or disrupt a person's ability to function. A mental health disorder may affect how well you:
- Maintain personal or family relationships
- Function in social settings
- Perform at work or school
- Learn at a level expected for your age and intelligence
- Participate in other important activities
Cultural norms and social expectations also play a role in defining mental health disorders. There is no standard measure across cultures to determine whether a behavior is normal or when it becomes disruptive. What might be normal in one society may be a cause for concern in another.
That being said, I think most people have their own idea of what mental health is. Now I'm not saying that a diagnosis isn't important; it is VERY important!!! However, each mental illness affects the patient differently. I am Bi-Polar, and my sister (this is just an example) is also Bi-Polar. I get depressed and manic to the point of crying, yelling, and pulling my hair out. She goes on a wild girl's night out one night; she's bouncing off the walls and the start of the night and crying (to the point of sobbing) into her beer at the end of the night. Her symptoms occur for 2 or 3 days a month, whereas mine occurs for a couple of weeks a month.
Ok, this example is a bit extreme, but you get my drift...
The point is, I know what my mental illness is. I don't why I'm Bi-Polar or why I react the way I do when I have a Bi-Polar episode, but I know what it means to me.
This is also true about my Cerebral Palsy. I don't why it happen or why my body reacts to the CP, but I know my definition of what CP means to me.
It is very important to be aware of any illnesses we have.
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