AIBU to ask you to explain what people mean by MH?

[BarryWhiteIsMyBrother]

Here on MN I keep on hearing people say that they MH is suffering for one reason or another which sometimes sounds to me just like stress. I used to think that MH issues are when someone is actually ill with a MH condition like bipolar, multiple personalities, etc. Serious stuff. I would hope not all the people saying their MH is suffering actually suffer from one of those MH conditions.

I have a very stressful job, one you can never really switch off from, I have to do a few hours' work even when I'm on holiday. But that was my choice when I decided to go down the path I chose. So I'm rarely 100% relaxed, but I wouldn't say my MH is suffering.

Am I completely misunderstanding what MH stands for?

Some people, myself included, are deeply uncomfortable with describing themselves as “mentally ill”. I might refer to feeling stressed or say my mental health has taken a dip. Labels aren’t always easy to accept.
I prefer to err on the side of caution and avoid being a judgemental arse, so if someone says they feel their mental health is poor, I believe them. It might just be their way of saying they’re actually not mentally well at all.

@BarryWhiteIsMyBrother - as I said earlier, mental health is a spectrum, just as physical health is.

Someone with a nasty cold is not suffering as much as someone with pneumonia, but both people are ill, and both deserve the right support and treatment.

I have depression, anxiety and low self esteem, and have had these since my mid teens (though not formally diagnosed until my 40s), and sometimes my mental health has been pretty bad (suicidal thoughts) - but I know that there are plenty of people whose mental health is worse than mine, however this doesn’t change the reality of my condition or the fact that I need treatment and support.

And in exactly the same way, whilst people with milder mental health issues aren’t struggling as much as me, I can still see that they need and deserve help.

It is true that some people have minor and temporary problems with their mental health - due to fear of a pandemic, missing family, relationship breakdown etc - but just because it is minor or temporary, doesn’t make it any less real, valid or painful. Why shouldn’t they get the support and advice they need, to help them get over it?

I think it is good that people are more aware of the importance of good mental health, and that they can recognise when their mental health is suffering, and reach out for appropriate help and support. And I think it is bad for the individual and for society if we adopt a position that says the only people whose condition is valid and who should get support and treatment, are those with severe and permanent mental health problems.

I've never needed to seek help for mental ill health but I've worked hard to develop lots of healthy coping strategies over the years. I used to think most other people could just pull their socks up and get on with it too.

Not one of the things that keeps me right was accessible in lockdown 1. This had a massive impact on my ability to cope.

In addition, the situation and the excess of time and lack of support allowed past trauma to come to the fore.

Then there are confounding factors like the constant uncertainty of what was going to happen once things had reached a bit more 'normality'. Just as I felt my mental health was bouncing back came the constant threats of local lockdowns, firebreaks and new lockdowns, the constant threat of being separated from our support systems again. The way we've had a constant cycle of things being leaked to the press, then announced on twitter, then officially announced with no detail, so we didn't know to what extent we would be affected has been horrible.

Them there's a constant background of worry for my teenager who's mental health has also taken a massive dive.

If I'd chosen a stressful job, I'd have options. It would also presumably come with benefits too....but there's very little I can do about any of the circumstances that I've found myself in this year.

The outcome is that I get claustrophobic, have panic attacks when I've never had them before. Sleep badly. Have thought about ways to be able to not have to be here any more etc.

This has all coincided with the shit storm of perimenopause, which won't help.