WHAT DOES MENTAL HEALTH MEANS?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is « a state of well-being allowing everyone to recognize their own abilities, to accomplish, to overcome the normal tensions of life, to do productive and fruitful work and to contribute to the life of their community ».

Based on that definition, a mental illness is a change in someone’s behavior, thought, or mood, which can cause distress and suffering.

Did you know that, always according to the World Health Organization (WHO), almost 1 in 5 people will develop a mental illness during their lifetime ? However, less than half of people with mental illness will see a healthcare professional.

WHEN TO CONSULT?

Do not wait until you are in an emergency situation before consulting, here are a few sings that it might be the time to see a healthcare professional:

• Symptoms have been going on for a while
• The anxiety attacks are repeated
• There is a sign of distress
• The comfort of loved ones is no longer enough
• Difficulty performing daily activities
• People around are suggesting that you should be going for help

ANXIETY

Anxiety is a normal feeling allowing a person to protect themselves from a worrying or even dangerous situation. Anxiety can sometimes be perceived as an inexplicable fear and can manifest physically and psychologically. It’s normal to feel anxious during a big event or a big change in life.

Anxiety becomes a problem when:

• It won’t disappear after the worrying situation
• It causes distress
• It appears for no reason
• It preoccupies the person
• It prevents the person from practicing their daily activities

DEPRESSION

Depression is an increase in the intensity and duration of negative emotions in an individual. He or she will therefore have more difficulty fulfilling the daily obligations, because everything seems to be suffering, and this, constantly.

EXHAUSTION AT WORK (”BURNOUT”)

Exhaustion at work is not considered as a mental illness in itself, it can be approached as such. The characteristics of burnout are emotional exhaustion, cynicism, inefficiency at work as well as negative reactions to stress.