What "is" mental health?

What IS mental health?

Usually when we hear about mental health, it's not featured in a favorable light.  You may read in the newspaper that a crime was committed by someone labeled "mentally ill."  Or, perhaps you've heard on a TV court drama that someone needs a "mental health evaluation."  These representations of mental health don't make it easier to understand it...or how it applies to us. 

There are plenty of definitions of mental health out there (probably as many definitions as there are human service professions).  Simply put, mental health relates to functioning and the impact of stressors on the person.  Some of those stressors may be typical (going to work/school, being a parent), genetic (family history of depression) and some may be as a result of trauma (abuse, neglect or grief).

A mental health evaluation is often a first step in counseling.  A counselor will ask you about your family of origin, your educational and work history, your close relationships & children, your culture & religion and any distressing symptoms you are experiencing (lack of sleep, mood changes, etc).  The evaluation assists the counselor with understanding your symptoms in the context of your life experiences. 

It’s true that clinicians diagnose mental health issues.  However, diagnosis of a mental health issue should not feel haphazard.  Rather, there should be a clear rational for why a diagnosis is made.  For instance, for a diagnosis of Major Depression Disorder, the clinician would have to identify that the client had at least 5 out of 9 clearly defined symptoms in a 2 week period.  A person would not be labeled as having depression because they said, “Today I feel a little depressed.”

The goal of coming to counseling is not to diagnose anyone or to receive a diagnosis.  Counseling is an opportunity to talk about your current stressors and have a space to process how those stressors affects you and your day to day life.  One of our goals here is to “enhance abilities and skills to cope with everyday living – to work, to relate to others, to play, to enjoy life, to realize one's potential”.  That makes for good mental health.  I guess that’s one of the reasons we’re called ACT for Mental Health.