Health and wellness is important to all of us. Mental health is a significant part of overall wellbeing and is arguably more and more of a concern and an issue in our modern world. Indeed, mental health is not a stand-alone consideration: there is strong evidence that our mental state influences our physical health, and vice-versa. So, all-in-all, our state of mind is important. This, we know. What is sometimes less clear is the use of terminology. A lot of jargon and technical language is used in this field. And not always consistently or correctly either. It can get pretty confusing. Let us consider and clarify some of the most common and important terminology around mental health…

Anxiety – a symptom of nervousness and concern, usually focussed on possible future events and or uncertainties. Anxiety is something we all experience but it can become a major problem when it becomes severe and or ongoing. Conditions such as Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder are forms of anxiety.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) – these conditions are what they say they are really. The key features are difficulty remaining focussed (paying attention) and a tendency to distraction and agitation and hyper-activity. Typically these conditions present as learning challenges in schoolchildren but adult-onset or first-diagnosed-in-adulthood ADHD and ADD are also seen. Severity varies from mild and manageable to severe and very limiting. Treatment is challenging and a combination of lifestyle changes, family counselling, learning support, and medication, is currently used.

Bipolar disorder – this is a type of mood disorder that sees patients swing from bouts of depression to periods of mania (agitation). Bipolar disorder can be challenging to treat and is generally the realm of specialist care and specialised medications.

Depression – a condition characterised by low mood, low energy, and unhappiness. Depression can be severe enough to lead to thoughts of suicide. Depression usually responds quite well to a combination of lifestyle changes, counselling, and medication.

Life Balance (work life balance) – this notion relates to the relative priorities in our lives. It is sometimes taken to be simply a matter of work vs everything else, but a more holistic approach considers work, physical health, mental health, finances, learning and growth, spirituality and purpose, family, social, environmental and other dimensions. The subtle but important point is that the goal is really satisfaction and contentment with the balance we choose, rather than perfect balance per se (think about it). Life balance can be a useful concept in a training and life-skills context.

Narcissism – this is a widely used term today. It describes a personality type that is extremely self-focussed and or self-centred. Narcissism is really a spectrum that ranges from minor personality-trait (slightly selfish) through to full-blown psychiatric personality disorder (inability to have or show any concern for others). It is perhaps an overused and therefore somewhat imprecise term currently.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) – a condition characterised by obsessive behaviours that the person feels they cannot control (hand washing and door locking are common examples). OCD is often used in connection with people who are probably just highly organised and tidy and efficient, but it is, in more severe forms, a genuine mental health condition.

Psychosis (psychotic people) – this refers to a range of mental health disorders where the person loses touch with reality in some way. This may include hallucinations, paranoia, delusions, and more. These are serious psychiatric conditions that almost always require specialist care.

Resilience – this is a word used to describe the ability to cope with life and its challenges. It has been widely used in various training and life-skills contexts. Resilience is the key to coping with stress, and arguably, with life in general. Resilience is a skill and an asset we can develop and or learn and or optimise in our lives.

Stress – this is the uncomfortable feeling of persistent anxiety and concern, usually relating to fears of what the future may bring. It is something that we all experience at various times but when it becomes severe and ongoing it can be a very real problem.

Substance Abuse (including alcohol abuse, alcoholism, drug abuse, and drug addiction) – this is a broad category of conditions (with quite a bit of variation) where the common theme is the use of substances in an excessive and or unhealthy manner. It usually reflects an underlying psychological condition (anxiety, depression, extreme stress, etc.) and the best treatment approaches look to understand this and to treat the underlying cause wherever possible.

Science, and healthcare, evolves as we learn more over time. This is never more true than in the field of mental health, which is especially challenging since much cannot be confirmed with certainty through truly objective measurement and tests – because it is unavoidably subjective to a degree, this is an area of healthcare prone to misunderstandings and confusion. This list is not comprehensive of course but hopefully helps to demystify some of the more common terms used in this area of health and wellness.

Written by Dr Colin Burns