It’s nearly impossible to turn on the radio or listen to the news without hearing a story about mental illness. But at its most basic form, what is mental illness? Mental illness refers to any condition that affects our mood, our thinking, and our behavior. However, considering that a bad meal can affect our mood, and not getting a good night’s sleep can affect our thinking, we need to drill down deeper than that.
Lacking a pre-existing mental health concern, situational triggers that cause a change in mood are not mental illnesses. Though it’s important to note that triggering events in someone who is already living with depression, anxiety, or trauma, are exceptions. However, without those issues, a bad meal or one night’s lack of sleep does not constitute an illness. Obviously, our mood, thinking, and behavior is affected by any number of events throughout the day. But our immediate responses to those are not mental illnesses. Where a therapist might begin to propose a diagnosis is when our moods and behaviors persist well beyond a proportionate amount of time after a triggering event, or where there is no triggering event.
Some illnesses have quantifiable diagnostic thresholds. When at least five symptoms persist for two weeks or more, for instance. Or when our responses take up more than one hour a day. But even then, mental health diagnosis and treatment needs to be left up to qualified mental health professionals. Just as you would not set your own broken arm – and cannot prescribe your own antibiotics – therapists and psychiatrists are educated, trained practitioners who need to be involved in the conversation.
