What is mental health?

Mental health refers to our emotional and cognitive wellbeing and is just as important as physical health.

Someone with good mental health is able to cope with the stresses of normal life and carry out the activities necessary to look after themselves. If you are mentally healthy you are also able to realise your potential and contribute to your local community.

What are mental health problems?

Mental health problems affect the way you think, feel and behave and range from the worries we all experience as part of everyday life to serious long-term conditions.

1 in 4 people are affected by mental health problems in any given year.

Problems are often defined and classified to enable professionals to give appropriate care and treatment, although it is important to know that everyone’s experiences of such problems are different. Common problems include:

• Anxiety
• Bipolar disorder
• Depression
• Eating disorders
• Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Schizophrenia

Mental health problems are common...

... but nearly nine out of ten people who experience them say they face stigma and discrimination as a result. This can be even worse than the symptoms themselves.

This is why the University is launching our Time to Change campaign in December- to tackle the stigma surrounding mental health.