How people think and the ways they act are clearly intertwined. But are they so closely related that they’re part of the one clinical classification? In other words, is behavioral health the same as mental health?
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What Are Mental & Behavioral Health?
If you ask a group of people what the word “healthy” means to them, the most common responses will probably focus on aspects of physical well-being such as strength, stamina, injuries, and illnesses.
While these issues are clearly important, your health isn’t limited to the state of your body. A truly comprehensive health assessment must also consider factors such as your thought processes and emotions, your ability to cope with stress, and how well you interact with others.
These non-physical concerns are often referred to as mental health or behavioral health. The two terms are frequently used interchangeably, which can sometimes be a source of confusion. Is behavioral health the same as mental health?
This looks like a simple yes/no question. But as we’ll explain in the next section, it’s actually a bit more complex than that.
Is Behavioral Health the Same as Mental Health?
Are behavioral health and mental health exactly the same? No, they’re not – but there’s enough of an overlap that it’s not always easy to see where one ends and the other begins.
What the experts say
This overlap can be seen in the ways that three respected health organizations define mental health:
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) says that mental health includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being, which affect how people “think, feel, act.”
- The World Health Organization (WHO) describes mental health as a state of well-being that allows people to “cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn and work well, and contribute to their community.”
- The American Psychiatric Association (APA) explains that mental health includes “emotional well-being, good behavioral adjustment, relative freedom from anxiety and disabling symptoms, and a capacity to establish constructive relationships and cope with the ordinary demands and stresses of life.”
Eagle-eyed readers may have noted that each of these definitions include behaviors. SAMHSA’s definition of mental health includes acting, WHO’s features working and contributing, and the APA’s highlights behavioral adjustments and constructive relationships.
A question of scope and influence
If behaviors are part of mental health, doesn’t that mean that behavioral health and mental health are identical? Not exactly.
One way to understand the difference is to consider the scope of each category.
- Mental health is the larger category, encompassing the thoughts and feelings that influence many of our actions, as well as the actions themselves
- Behavioral health is a subset of mental health that focuses on certain actions that can affect or be influenced by our thoughts and feelings
It’s not an accident that the word “influence” shows up in each of the descriptions above. Mental health issues can have an impact on behavioral health matters and vice versa. For example:
- If you are extremely sad, that is a mental health issue.
- If you attempt to alleviate your sadness by abusing drugs, that is a behavioral health matter.
- If frequent drug use pushes you into a state of despair, we’re back to a mental health concern.
- If that despair exacerbates your drug use, you may develop an addiction, which is a behavioral health disorder.
Common Mental & Behavioral Health Disorders
To better understand the distinction between mental health and behavioral health, it can help to look at the types of disorders that fall within each category.
Mental health disorders
Examples of relatively common mental health disorders include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Bipolar disorder
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Personality disorders
- Schizophrenia
These are disorders that are characterized primarily by concerns such as sadness, mood swings, distractibility, altered perceptions, and overwhelming urges. Though the symptoms of these disorders include behaviors, their core features are psychological or cognitive.
Behavioral health disorders
Conditions that are frequently described as behavioral health disorders include:
- Substance use disorders (addictions)
- Eating disorders
- Gambling disorder
- Sex/love addiction
For each of these disorders, aberrant behaviors are at the forefront. Are psychological factors also involved? Absolutely.
An essential differentiator between drug use and addiction is loss of control. A key difference between a diet and an eating disorder is compulsion.
If you have sex or play cards because you want to, that’s not necessarily a problem. If you do so because you’re unable to resist your urges, even if you want to stop, you may be dealing with a behavioral health condition.
Treatment for Behavioral & Mental Health Disorders
Treatment for both mental and behavioral health disorders can vary from one individual to the next depending on factors such as:
- Their age, gender, and developmental level
- Which disorder they have
- The type and intensity of their symptoms
- How their life has been impacted by their symptoms
- If they are dealing with one disorder or multiple conditions
In general, treatment often involves a combination of medication and therapy.
Prescription medications may alleviate some symptoms, while therapy can help people learn to manage their emotions more effectively, resist self-defeating urges and compulsions, and regain control of their behaviors.
There’s no single type of treatment or course of care that’s ideal for everyone. Even two people with the same disorder may need different services. This highlights the importance of choosing a treatment provider who will develop a customized plan that reflects your unique needs and goals..
Find Mental & Behavioral Health Treatment in Atlanta
North Atlanta Behavioral Health offers personalized outpatient care for adults whose lives have been disrupted by mental health disorders and/or behavioral health concerns.
Treatment at our center in Atlanta, GA, is provided at both the partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient levels. We’ll discuss the features and benefits of each option with you and help you determine which one is best for you. In either program, you can expect to receive individualized services and comprehensive support from a team of highly skilled professionals.
To learn more about how we can help you or a loved one, or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Admissions page or call us today.
