Mental Health Services

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Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. However, poor mental health and mental illness are not the same. 

For example, a person can experience poor mental health and not be diagnosed with a mental illness. Likewise, a person diagnosed with a mental illness can experience periods o  physical, mental, and social well-being.  

Mental and physical health are equally important components of overall health. For instance, depression increases the risk of many physical health problems, particularly long-lasting conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke (CDC, 2021). Similarly, chronic conditions can increase the risk of mental illness. 

Mental health changes over time, depending on many factors. Changes can occur when life demands exceed resources and coping abilities. For example, mental health changes may happen when working long hours, caring for a relative, or experiencing economic hardship.

Behavioral health can be understood as the behaviors that affect physical and mental health. Positive health behaviors result in behavioral adjustment, the absence of disabling symptoms, the capacity to establish constructive relationships, and coping with life's ordinary demands and stresses.

Achieving and maintaining behavioral health requires flexibility, understanding, and managing emotions, engaging in healthy behaviors, awareness of relationships with others, recognition of responses, and effectively employing strategies to deal with the demands of living.

 Integrated behavioral health blends care in one setting for medical conditions and related behavioral health factors that affect health and well-being. The advantage is better coordination and communication while working toward one set of overall health goals.