The lie of mental health

Why I'm no longer talking about mental health

Over the past few years, and particularly since March 2020, we’ve been talking more often and more openly about mental health. It’s becoming easier to say, “I’m not okay.”

But during that time, I’ve noticed my thoughts and feelings around the term, mental health shift from acceptance to tolerance to discomfort. As a counsellor, I witness the power words have to shape perception and reality and try to choose mine with care. I’ve stopped talking about mental health wherever possible because I believe the term is misleading and unhelpful.

Mental means, “relating to the mind”, or even “relating to disorders of the mind”. But the vast majority of experiences we describe as “mental health issues” are not cognitive at all, but emotional. They don’t happen in the mind, but we use the word mental because our awareness happens in our mind - it can only happen in the mind.

Health, while not inaccurate, tends to direct us towards the medical profession and to time-pressed GPs who are largely ill-equipped to deal with emotional distress. The medications at their disposal can’t resolve emotional uncertainty or pain, they can only numb our sentient awareness.

None of this is to deny in any way that people have difficulties - acute and chronic difficulties that can mildly unsettle or entirely devastate; but they’re not mental health difficulties.

Does it matter what we call mental health?

Yes, I believe it does. How can we begin to address something when we’re not properly saying what it is? The mind is where we think, not where we feel, and though our minds are incredibly powerful, we can’t reason with feelings.

Emotional wellbeing: a more useful term

When we talk about mental health, we’re really talking about emotional wellbeing. The term emotional wellbeing refers to our many and multifaceted feelings, how we experience them and whether they are conducive to our physical, emotional and, yes, mental, wellbeing.

By replacing the term mental health with emotional wellbeing we start asking useful questions: how are you feeling? what emotions am I experiencing? what is it like to have that feeling? is this feeling enabling or disabling? can I change how I feel about this? if not, can I accept it?

If you’re experiencing any difficult thoughts and feelings and would like to talk, please contact us here

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