Mental health is the state of your emotional and psychological well-being, influencing how you feel, think, and interact with others. It’s normal for your mental health to fluctuate throughout the day — just like the weather. Sometimes you’ll have bright bursts of energy, and other times you may feel down or tired. But it’s important to know that these emotions are a normal part of life, and there are ways to manage them.
Mental illness is not a character flaw or something you can simply “get over.” It’s a real, biologically-based condition that can impact anyone, regardless of their race, religion, gender, income level, or family history. It affects how you think, feel, and react to the world around you, and it can have a serious impact on your daily functioning and ability to participate in your community and work or school.
There are many things that can contribute to mental illness, including genetics, stress, trauma, and abuse. Some people also have a higher risk of developing a mental illness if they have a close relative with one. But, no matter what your background is, you can take steps to stay healthy and live a full life with mental illness.
Having a mental illness can make it hard to get enough sleep, keep up with classes or work, maintain relationships, eat right, socialize, and practice good hygiene. However, with the help of treatment — usually a combination of medication and psychotherapy — it’s possible to manage your symptoms and have a happy, fulfilling life.
Many people with mental illnesses aren’t getting the treatment they need. Almost half of adults say that they haven’t received adequate treatment for their conditions in the past year. And almost three-quarters say that it’s a problem that their insurance doesn’t cover mental health care the way that it covers physical health.
In the US, more than 57 million adults have some form of mental illness. And only about 67 percent of them receive any form of treatment for their condition. This is partly because of a lack of providers, and also because people don’t realize that treatment works. But there are ways to change this, including making sure that you or your loved ones stick with a treatment plan. And don’t be afraid to talk about your concerns, even if you’re worried that you will be judged. It’s worth it. JMIR Mental Health is a leading international journal in the field of digital psychiatry and behavioral medicine, covering online interventions, technologies, and innovations for improving mental health and behaviors. It has a global readership and editorial board, and features rapid, thorough, professional peer-review, editing, and publication. It is abstracted and indexed in PsycINFO, PubMed Central, SCIE/WoS/JCR, EMBASE, and other major databases. JMIR Mental Health is the official journal of the Society for Digital Psychiatry. Visit our website for more information.