‘Mental illness’ is a reality – so why does ‘mental health’ get all the attention?

[Tonkin]

https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...alth-treatment

I've been thinking along these lines lately, too.

Looking after our wellbeing is important, but an illness that is severe and needs treatment should not be minimised

We talk a lot about “mental health” these days, and references to mental illness are becoming rarer. The focus is on being well, and on recovery, which is very encouraging.

But it’s not so good if you don’t actually manage to recover. Cancer services, accident and emergency departments and fracture clinics are fairly blunt about what they are addressing – but if you become mentally ill, you will usually be directed to services designed to help you with your mental health.

[Dougella]

I think it might have something to do with the fact that mental illness needs proper investment in services and treatments etc, and recent governments haven't wanted to address that fact or actually commit to funding it properly.

[Sunrise]

I couldn't agree more with this article and glad there are people out there discussing this.

The current trend for mental health awareness is something I can't relate to at all and a lot of it feels completely irrelevant to my own experiences with mental illness.

[gregarious_introvert]

Having read the article, I think it answers its own question: mental illness requires intervention, treatment, therapy, drugs etc. and is usually a long-term or lifetime condition; mental health is something over which people have a much greater element of control, therefore the publicity around "good mental health" focuses on people helping themselves through diet, exercise, lifestyle etc.

People can be confused by the two, but I've found that explaining that there is a difference between, say, depression the condition and feeling depressed (the temporary state usually caused by an identifiable influence) creates more understanding. Personally, I haven't noticed that references to mental illness are becoming rarer (indeed, in popular culture, there seem to be more characters in television dramas with mental illness), but it's more that the references to mental health are greater in number, making those to mental illness seem rarer by comparison.

I do feel that awareness to both is increasing - or perhaps it's because I'm now at a stage where I'm more communicative with people and able to spread awareness among those I meet.

[Tonkin]

I guess it's a bit like the difference between being healthy and unwell.

You can do things to get physically health, such as exercise, what you eat, sleep, etc. But if you are actually ill, with cancer for example, you need medical intervention.

Originally Posted by gregarious_introvert

Personally, I haven't noticed that references to mental illness are becoming rarer (indeed, in popular culture, there seem to be more characters in television dramas with mental illness), but it's more that the references to mental health are greater in number, making those to mental illness seem rarer by comparison.

I feel like it's the opposite. Like mental health has totally taken over mental illness in terms of exposure, discussion, and everything else and pushed it out.

Almost to the extent that it belittles or diminishes proper mental illness.