Maintaining Good Mental Health

In order to describe mental health it is important to understand mental illness. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) states that “A mental illness is a condition that impacts a person's thinking, feeling or mood and may affect his or her ability to relate to others and function on a daily basis.”

Let’s look at the two most common mental illnesses; anxiety and depression. Anxiety is excessive worry over specific things—like spiders or snakes—or general things, like whether you turned off the stove, locked the door, will be late for work, will trip over your shoelace, etc. This kind of anxiety is called generalized anxiety. Anxiety often goes hand in hand with depression. Depression can be described as feelings of hopelessness and sadness for two weeks or more. Other types of mental disorders may include drug or alcohol abuse, severe mood swings called bi-polar disorder, memory disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, or sensory processing disorders like autism. Just as there is a vast array of medical conditions that a person may experience, mental illnesses also have a broad range of types, symptoms, and onset.

So how does a person get a mental illness? There’s no definitive answer that describes every person and every illness. Most mental illnesses, such as alcoholism or bi-polar disorder, have a genetic factor, meaning that they are more likely to run in families. Genetics isn’t the only determining factor, though. Some illness happen in response to situational stressors—like losing a dear loved one and falling into deep depression, or being overly stressed and developing anxiety. Some illnesses appear in response to childhood abuse, trauma, or neglect, and some illnesses occur due to environmental toxins that interrupt normal brain development.  

There are many different environmental, behavioral, and situational conditions that can bring about mental illness, and the bad news is that some of them can’t be avoided. The good news, however, is that every person has the ability to live the best life they can to keep mental and physical illness at bay. The most important things to do (and I know you’ve heard this before) is get adequate sleep and rest, engage in regular physical exercise, and eat a healthy diet. Research shows that people who live a healthy lifestyle tend to have fewer health problems—both physical and mental—stronger interpersonal relationships, and a more positive outlook on life.

If you have more questions about mental health, mental illness, or ways to keep your mind and body healthy, see if your employer offers an Employee Assistance Program benefit, or call Employer Solutions EAP at 800-540-3758. EAP staff can answer your questions and help you make a free and confidential appointment with a licensed counselor.

Be well!