Let's Talk About Mental Health: a Crash Course

What is mental health? When we think about health, we almost always default to thinking about physical health. According to the World Health Organization, “Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.”24 Put simply, mental health is how we feel about ourselves, our life, our family, friends, and the world around us.

Why is it so important? Mental health directly relates to our physical health. If we are stressed or depressed, our poor mental health can impact our physical health. While in a depressive state, people are often distracted from their physical well-being.39 This can be exacerbated by things like stress and anxiety, which can give rise to adverse health outcomes such as panic attacks and even heart attacks. Indeed, mental health disorders (e.g., depression) can have serious consequences (e.g., suicide). In 2019, suicide was the second leading cause of death among children and adolescents ages 13 to 19, and the leading cause of death among 13-year-olds.40  Thus, the health and well-being of our own minds is just as important as (maybe even more important than) our physical fitness.