This information is about mental health.

It has information on

• What mental health is

• What good mental health is

• What a mental health problem is

• What can lead to mental health problems and mental illness

• What is not a mental health problem

• Mental health and intellectual disability

Mental health is about

• How you think

• How you feel

You have different types of feelings.

You can spot different feelings by noticing

• changes in how you think

• changes in how your body feels

Feelings can make you feel good.

You can be

• Happy

• Calm

Feelings can make you feel bad.

You can be

• Upset

• Sad

• Worried

Good mental health can mean different things.

Good mental health is when you feel OK about having different kinds of feelings.

Good mental health is being able to do everyday things like making breakfast.

Good mental health is having people you enjoy spending time with.

Good mental health is when you do things you like.

To have good mental health you need to take care of different parts of your life.

Below are some examples of some ways you can take care of these different parts.

• A safe place to live

• Healthy food

• Time to relax

• Exercise

• Enough sleep

• Time with family and friends

• Time to do things you enjoy

There are different words used to talk about mental health.

A mental health problem is when your feelings start to worry you.

It can be when you cannot control your feelings.

You might not be able to calm your feelings to think clearly.

You might feel different to the way you usually do.

A mental illness is when your feelings and thoughts make it hard to do things.

Sometimes mental illness is also called a mental disorder.

A serious mental illness is when your feelings and thoughts make you feel so bad that you cannot do things.

Below are some names for mental health problems and mental illness.

Anxiety is when people feel worried about what is going to happen in the future.

Depression is when people

• Feel very sad or down for a long time

• Might not feel like doing the things you usually do

Bipolar disorder is when people feel very down sometimes and have lots of energy at other times.

Psychosis is when people might find it hard to tell what is real

People with psychosis might

• Hear voices when no one is there

• See things that are not there

• Believe things that are not true

Schizophrenia is a type of psychosis.

For more information about types of mental health problems and mental illness go to https://www.beyondblue.org.au/
the-facts

The NDIS may be able to help people who need support because they have a mental health problem.

NDIS is short for National Disability Insurance Scheme.

The NDIS calls disabilities that happen because of mental illness a psychosocial disability.

For more information about what support you can get from the NDIS discuss with your support coordinator.

A support coordinator is a person who helps plan and organise

• Your care

• Other services you will get

If you think you may have a mental health problem or mental illness, go to  

• When to get help https://www.idmhconnect.health/when-get-help/ER

• Where to start to get help https://www.idmhconnect.health/where-start-get-help/ER

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