WHAT IS

MENTAL

HEALTH?

A measure of emotional, psychological and social well-being, mental health helps determine how we make choices, handle stress and deal with other people. When mental health suffers, it can cause a range of problems including anxiety, eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive behavior that repeats actions and depression. Each mental health disorder has its own symptoms, but the National Alliance on Mental Illness lists some common signs:

• excessive worry or fear • feeling overly sad or low • extreme mood swings • prolonged irritability or anger • changes in sleeping habits, eating habits or sex drive • alcohol or drug overuse • problems concentrating and learning • inability to perform daily activities or handle problems • intense fear of gaining weight • multiple physical ailments without any obvious cause • thoughts of suicide

Two-thirds of people with a diagnosable mental health disorder do not seek treatment.

—Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

4 TYPES OF RISK

Mental health disorders occur in all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups. Although the specific cause of many mental health disorders is unknown, the most common contributing factors are:

1. BIOLOGICAL

Infections, brain defect or injury, disruption of fetal brain development, poor nutrition, exposure to toxins

2. PSYCHOLOGICAL

Trauma, such as emotional, physical or sexual abuse; an early loss of a parent; neglect; inability to relate to others

3. ENVIRONMENTAL

Living in poverty, dysfunctional family life, significant life changes, social or cultural expectations

4. FAMILY HISTORY

Heredity (although a person who inherits susceptibility doesn’t necessarily develop the illness)