Mental Health and
The terms MENTAL HEALTH and MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES have different meanings for different people.
In Australia, the field of mental health describes an area of health that focuses on the psychological, emotional and behavioural wellbeing of the population.
At HelpingMinds, we would like to differentiate between mental health and mental health challenges. Mental health refers to a balanced state of mind, whilst mental health challenge indicates that something is off-balance, off-centre and it is impacting on someone’s ability to live a normal life.
Using “mental health challenge” instead of “mental illness” promotes a more empowering, inclusive, and stigma-reducing approach, focusing on the experience rather than defining a person by their condition.
What is a mental health challenge?
A mental health challenge refers to any difficulty or disruption in emotional, psychological, or social well-being that impacts how a person thinks, feels, or behaves, ranging from temporary stress or anxiety to more persistent conditions like depression or bipolar disorder.
Learn more about some common mental health challenges:
Diagnosing mental health challenges
Experiencing mental health challenges can develop from a very young age that is why it is necessary for a suspected person to be professionally assessed by a medical practitioner so that they can be given proper treatment early on. A diagnosis involves systematic interviews alongside ruling out other behavioural and mental health conditions. Often, signs and symptoms must be a recurring experience for the person to be diagnosed with the mental health condition.
What is recovery?
Treating mental health challenges
Treating mental health challenges is unique for every person. However, everything starts with a proper diagnosis and creating a treatment plan which can include medication and several forms of therapy, including Psychotherapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Self-help, encouragement from family and friends as well as joining support groups are also powerful means of treating mental health challenges.
Are you supporting a family member or friend
with a mental health challenge?
Living with or caring for someone with a mental health illness can be a challenge. This can be a stressful, overwhelming, and isolating experience, especially if you do not know what to do not understand what your family or friends are going through.
At HelpingMinds, it is our mission to support Carers or family and friends of people with mental health challenges by educating them and providing services that can make their role as a Carer more bearable. Here is some more information to help you understand what your loved one is going through and how to help yourself.
How to Help Your Loved One
It’s natural to want to “fix” or “solve” a loved one’s problems, but this is best left to qualified professionals. The most helpful thing you can do is guide them towards appropriate services, such as visiting a GP or contacting a mental health support line. Taking the initiative to research mental health resources can also be a valuable first step in understanding how to help.
Once your loved one begins receiving professional support, your role shifts to offering encouragement and emotional support. Being a compassionate listener and letting them know you’re there for them can be incredibly therapeutic and make a significant difference in their journey to overcoming mental health challenges.
How to help yourself
Having someone close to you who lives with mental health challenges can be exhausting, frustrating, confusing, and isolating. But you don’t have to go through it alone.
HelpingMinds offers free and confidential support to people who are caring for someone living with mental health challenges. We offer free counseling, support groups, rest and revive activities, school holiday programs, family programs, youth programs, and advocacy to people living in WA.
Get Support from HelpingMinds
Would you like to know more about our free and confidential services and how we can support you? Please feel free to contact HelpingMinds via our contact us page or on (08) 9427 7100. For one of our team to get back to you, we will require your email address and/or phone number. Please know all information provided will be treated completely confidential and in line with our privacy policy.
