This notion completely goes against what is thought to be our ‘mental health’, instead of being when things go wrong, our mental health is our state of wellbeing – a positive state where individuals feel like they are able to generally communicate well with others, handle the day-to-day of life without major interruption and generally live In sync with their community. This will look starkly different for everyone; we all live incredibly differently lives and our mental health will reflect that diversity. So now that we can appreciate that our mental health is an ever-present, innate element of our person, how do we communicate that something has gone wrong or isn’t feeling right?
When we talk about challenges we are experiencing, Everymind recommends the term ‘mental ill-health’, which they defined as; ‘an umbrella term that includes both mental illness and mental health problems’. Using the term mental ill-health lets those around us know that what we are experiencing is different from our usual ‘mental health’. The ability to have better conversations around mental health in schools and universities around Australia relies on having a better understanding of one another and what we’re experiencing. Having terms which correctly describe the experiences we have without adding to stigma surrounding mental health or mental ill-health. Student Written - With Suggestions from
