Many different things can define health. The most commonly used to determine health are physical and mental health. There is a term, however, that is not used very often. Many times, behavioral health can be mistaken for mental health. While the two go hand in hand, they are distinctly different. Behavioral health and mental health vary in different signs and symptoms.
Behavioral Health Definition
Behavioral health is the difference between behaviors and the health of the body, mind, and spirit. It refers to daily cognitive habits that affect someone’s overall well-being, emotions, biology, and behavior. Someone with good behavioral health will engage in behaviors that promote the ideal mental and physical balance. This ideal balance is exercise, a healthy diet, and managing an existing disease or injury.
Mental Health Definition
Mental health refers to someone’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being, and is essential at every stage of life from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Mental health can affect thoughts, emotions, and actions. It can also determine how individuals cope with stress, relate or interact with others, and making decisions. Mental health issues can affect ways of thinking, mood, and behavior.
Examples of Behavioral Health
Behavioral health issues stem from destructive behaviors and can lead to disorders such as eating disorders, social isolation, substance abuse, and gambling addiction. Behavioral health disorders in children can also include ADHD, Asperger’s syndrome, and autism. When an individual experiences a pattern of disruptive or destructive behavior, it can be a behavioral health issue that lasts several months or more. Rather than it being a spontaneous action, it is a pattern that builds up over a period of time.
Examples of Mental Health
Mental illness or mental health conditions refer to Disorders of an individual’s emotions, behavior, or way of thinking are referred to as mental illness or mental health conditions. These conditions or disorders can be depression, anxiety, addictive behaviors, schizophrenia, and eating disorders.
Behavioral Health vs. Mental Health
While both are very similar, they’re not exactly interchangeable. Behavioral health is more of a blanket term that includes mental health. Mental disorders are behavioral disorders, but not all behavioral issues are mental illnesses. Internal psychological or physiological factors will determine mental disorders or illnesses, while external or sociological factors determine behavioral health conditions.
This article was originally published on MichaelCandelario.info