“Dementia, mental health and mental illness are different, but have things in common”
– by Tommy Dunne
“I would like to clear up a few points, especially with Mental Health Week approaching: people seem to think that dementia, mental health and mental illnesses are all the same thing, so let’s look at them.
Dementia is caused when the brain is damaged by diseases or strokes; the specific symptoms that someone with dementia experiences will depend on the parts of the brain that are damaged and the disease that is causing the dementia. Dementia is just an umbrella term used to cover over a hundred different types of it; all it does is describe the symptoms that occur when the brain is affected by certain diseases or conditions.
Now, all of us suffer from mental health problems at some time, and such temporary problems do not necessarily lead to mental health illnesses. However, being mentally unhealthy limits our potential as human beings and may lead to more serious problems.
Mental illnesses can be defined as experiencing severe and disperse psychological symptoms to the extent that the normal functioning is seriously impaired – for example, anxiety, depressed mood, obsessive thinking, delusions and hallucinations – whereas mental health is a state of well-being in which the individual recognises his or her own abilities, and can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make contributions to his or her community.
Mental illness is a recognised, medically-diagnosable illness that results in a significant impairment of the individual’s cognitive, effective, or rational abilities. Mental disorders result from biological developments and the psycho-social factors and can be managed using approaches comparable to those of a physical disease – for example, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation.
Although the terms are often used interchangeably, mental health and mental illness is not the same thing, but they’re not mutually exclusive.
The fundamental difference between mental health and mental illness is that everyone has some level of mental health all of the time, just like physical health, which is possible to be without. Mental illness is like diabetes, heart disease, and a broken leg: you can live with it and recover from it, although recovery is not an end state. It does not necessarily mean that the individual no longer has depression, schizophrenia, or other mental illnesses; recovery means that the person has stabilised and regained their role in society.
We need to learn more about mental health and mental illnesses, as it is crucial in dispelling stigma, stopping prejudice, and promoting early identification and effective treatment.
Being mentally healthy doesn’t mean that you don’t have a mental health problem: if you’re in good mental health, you can make the most of your potential – you can cope with life. You can play a full part in your family, workplace, community, and among friends. Some people call mental health emotional health or well-being, and it’s just as important as physical health.
Mental health is everyone’s business.
We have, all, times when we feel down or stressed, or frightened; most of the time, those feelings pass, but sometimes they develop into a more serious problem, and that could happen to any one of us. Everyone is different. You may bounce back from a setback well; someone else may feel weighed down by it for a very long time. Your mental health doesn’t always stay the same. It can change as circumstances change and as you weave through different stages of your life.
There’s a stigma attached to dementia and mental health problems. This means that people feel uncomfortable about them and don’t talk about them much. Many people don’t feel comfortable talking about their feelings.
So remember: dementia, mental heath and mental illness are different things, but have things in common.”
