Mental Health

1. Mental Health

2. Introduction • Mental health primarily involves the mind, whereas physical health primarily involves the body. • 20% or 1 in 5 of the Australian population will experience a mental illness of some kind at some stage in their life. • As with a physical illness, someone with a mental illness should consult a mental health professional for a diagnosis and treatment plan.

3. Mental illness • A psychological dysfunction experienced by an individual and usually involving distress, impairment in the ability to cope with everyday life and/or behaviour that are not typical of the person or appropriate within their society and/or culture.

4. Psychological dysfunction • A breakdown in cognitive, emotional and/or behavioural ‘functioning’ during which a person’s thoughts, feelings or behaviour differ from those that would usually occur or be expected for that individual in that situation.

5. Distress • When a person is distressed, they are extremely upset. People experience distress in their everyday life, however, it is also often present when people experience mental illness.

6. Impaired functioning • Inability to cope with everyday life. People can also experience this as part of their everyday life, however, it is also often present when people experience mental illness.

7. Atypical • The person responds in a way(s) that is not normal for them.

8. Society and/or culture • Each culture/society has its own set of norms about what is considered normal and abnormal behaviour.