The terms behavioral health and mental health are often used interchangeably, and they are closely related, but there are differences. They each have different implications and treatments, so it’s important to understand how both are defined.
Mental Health Defined
Mental health refers to emotional and psychological well-being, which affects how people handle challenges and stress and even daily life. It also affects relationships, decision making, and even physical health. Mental health disorders are often caused by imbalances of certain chemicals in the brain, family history, and trauma, particularly childhood trauma.
Behavioral Health Defined
Behavioral health is a broader term that refers to how our mental and physical well-being are related to our behaviors. This includes both positive behaviors, such as being physically active, and negative behaviors, like substance abuse. Behavioral health disorders can include mental health disorders because of the broader definition.
The Difference Between Mental and Behavioral Health
In a nutshell, behavioral health is inclusive of mental health but also includes behaviors that impact our physical health. Mental health refers only to our psychological and emotional well-being.
Common Mental Health Disorders
The most common mental health disorders include anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder.
- Anxiety: Characterized by excessive fear and worry which can be intense.
- Depression: Persistent sadness, often with a lack of interest in activities.
- Bipolar Disorder: Extreme changes in mood and mood and energy. Also known as manic-depressive disorder.
All of these disorders can seriously impact a person’s daily life and overall well-being.
Common Behavioral Health Disorders
Again, mental health disorders fall under the category of behavioral health disorders. Other behavioral health disorders include substance use disorders, eating disorders, and any other behavioral disorders that impact physical well-being.
Co-Occurring Disorders
Co-occurring disorders refers to a dual diagnosis of a behavioral health disorder and another mental health disorder. Usually, it refers to a substance use disorder and a mental health disorder that occur at the same time.
Co-occurring disorders affect about 21.5 million people in the United States, and roughly half of all people who have a serious mental health disorder struggle with substance abuse. This is in part due to people with mental health disorders “self-medicating” to relieve their mental health disorder symptoms. However, some people with SUDs develop mental health disorder symptoms during active substance use, but symptoms go away when they become abstinent.
Treatment for Behavioral and Mental Health Disorders
Treatment for behavioral and mental health disorders is often similar. The most common therapy for both is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
In CBT, people learn to recognize negative or irrational thoughts, and to challenge those thoughts with reason. They also learn healthy coping mechanisms to deal with symptoms of their disorder. For example, if someone has anxiety, they may worry about a catastrophic event. In CBT, they learn to logically challenge that worry with a reasonable thought, such as the odds of such an event actually happening. They may also learn to turn to a healthy coping mechanism, such as meditation.
Similarly, if someone has a substance use disorder, they may have temptation to try to use substances only on the weekends. In CBT, they learn to challenge that thought by considering how they have not been able to control their substance use in the past and how it negatively impacted their life.
The difference is that the CBT for the mental health disorder focused on the psychological state of anxiety, while the CBT for the substance use disorder, which is a behavioral health disorder, focused on preventing the negative behavior.
Another difference in mental health and behavioral health disorder treatment is that mental health disorders are often also treated with medication, such as anti-depressants, that rebalance chemicals in the brain. Behavioral health disorders alone are typically not treated with medication.
People with co-occurring disorders, however, should be treated for both, so they may need a variety of treatment types, including CBT that focuses on both their psychological state and their behavior, as well as medication.
Behavioral and Mental Health and Lifestyle Changes
Sometimes behavioral and mental health issues require learning to make lifestyle changes, meaning behaving in ways that are good for both physical and mental well-being. Behavioral health, mental health, and physical health are all closely related. If you improve one, you improve the others.
Changing your eating behavior, for example, can improve your physical health, and better physical health means better mental health. That means that eating a healthy diet of fresh foods, whole grains, and lean proteins and cutting out sugar, high-fat foods, and processed foods, can improve your overall well-being.
The same is true of adding exercise to your day. Exercise has many benefits for both physical and mental health and improves your overall well-being.
In Closing
Mental health and behavioral health are closely related, and both need to be cared for. At Health Service Alliance we can help you if you have challenges with either or both. We are dedicated to providing compassionate, personalized, and accessible care regardless of your ability to pay. Reach out today to learn more.
