Do I have a Mental Health Condition?

With all that’s going on, you may be finding yourself questioning your sanity.

Have you been asking yourself a question that may sound like one of the following:

• “What is wrong with me?”
• “Is this ’normal’?”
• “Am I ‘crazy’?”

Let’s start off by normalizing these types of questions. Clients often come to Áṣẹ Center for Stress and Trauma asking these types of questions. Sometimes (or maybe often)something feels off and you aren’t quite sure what it is. It can be difficult to figure out if what you’re experiencing is just part of being a living being or if there is something more serious going on.We are here to help you figure that out.

What is mental health?

Mental health refers to your emotional well-being and includes your ability to cope with difficult experiences, engage in everyday activities, and thrive. If you are experiencing issues in this area, then you may have a mental health condition or illness.

How can I think about the state of my mental health?

There are two ways you can think about your mental health and whether you have a mental health condition.

1. Categorical. Either you are well or you have a mental health illness. If you meet certain criteria, then yes, you are diagnosed with a mental health condition. If you don’t meet all the criteria, then you do not. Even if you are experiencing distress, you will not be diagnosed with a mental health condition if you don’t meet the criteria. Unfortunately, if there is no diagnosis, insurance may not cover your therapy.
2. Dimensional. This approach views mental health as a spectrum and recognizes the space between wellness and illness that can cause enough distress to need professional support. Instead of focusing on do you have a mental health condition or not, the question is how depressed, anxious, or stressed are you feeling.This approach may be used in combination with categorical but alone can not be used for insurance purposes.

Regardless, if you think you are struggling using either approach, then it is something that you should explore further. Below are some questions and tips to help you.

How are you feeling?

One thing I like to have my clients do at the beginning of each session is to rate and label how they are currently feeling on a scale of 0-10. Depending on the client’s response, I may also ask how they would rate how they’ve been feeling in general since the last session. This helps us keep track of their mood and how it feels for them.

Is how you’ve been feeling normal for you?

It’s normal for moods to fluctuate. You can compare how you are feeling to your set point or to others. Although both can be informative, it’s often more important to compare to your natural set point than to compare to others.

Think of your mental health as a rubber band. Based on your combination of genetics and experiences, your rubber band may be smaller or larger. Regardless of size, it may have a lot of flexibility or little flexibility. Some mental health conditions are genetic, which may affect the size or flexibility of your rubber band. But your experiences are also important. Positive experiences throughout your life have helped you figure out how to cope and accommodate the ups and downs of life. On the other hand, if you started with a larger or more flexible rubber band, negative experiences throughout your life may have made your rubber band less flexible.

For example, are you generally anxious but are finding that you are worrying more than usual? If so, ask yourself how long you’ve been feeling more anxious than usual. If it helps, consider rating how anxious you usually feel and how anxious you’ve been feeling recently. If you’ve been feeling like you are more anxious than your usual or if you feel like you are more anxious than most people, both should be examined further.

Was there a triggering event or situation causing you to feel how you are feeling?

Our mental health is influenced by the world around us, especially if you suffer from anxiety, depression, or PTSD. While it’s perfectly normal for your mood, feelings, and thoughts to fluctuate, or your rubber band to expand and contract day-to-day, sometimes these fluctuations can be too much.

Most days won’t create enough tension to stretch your rubber band, but some days will. What kind of experiences are so challenging that they cause your rubber band to feel like it’s being stretched beyond its limit? How often do these experiences occur? Are you finding that you have a lot of triggers or does it take something large to increase the tension on your band?

Whether it’s because your rubber band has been stretched for too long or because your rubber band was on the smaller side and was more susceptible to snapping, both situations can result in you feeling overwhelmed and like life is unmanageable.

Is how you feel negatively affecting your thoughts, behavior, or interaction with others?

You may be asking yourself if you have a mental health condition because how you’ve been feeling has been impacting your behavior, which has been affecting multiple areas of your life. Some examples of ways in which your mental health may be affecting your life: Are you struggling to maintain relationships? Were you previously very active but now you aren’t motivated to engage in any physical activity? Are you having a difficult time engaging in your parental role because of your mood?

How effective are your coping skills?

Clients often seek services at Áṣẹ Center for Stress and Trauma because they either have stopped using their coping skills or the skills that they usually use to manage their anxiety, depression, or stress are no longer working. If you have stopped using your coping skills or the coping skills you have used in the past are no longer working, then it might be time to talk to a professional. This is much easier to do if you know why you’ve been feeling how you’ve been feeling and know that whatever your trigger is temporary.

Are you feeling more anxious, depressed, or stressed but aren’t quite sure why?

Sometimes, you may not be able to figure out how you are feeling or why you are feeling how you’ve been feeling. One thing you can do to understand your mental health, if you are not ready to speak with a professional, is complete a mental health screener. Not only will it increase your insight, but it will also give you can share with your doctor or mental health provider. Keep in mind that a screener DOES NOT tell you if you have a diagnosis. A diagnosis requires an assessment. But a screener can tell you if you may have symptoms of a mental health condition that should be examined further. Below are a few screeners you can complete to help give you more information about your mental health.

• Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
• Social Anxiety
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Coping Skills Quiz

If your results are concerning OR if you disagree with the results and believe that they don’t accurately reflect what you are experiencing, discuss your results with your primary care physician or schedule an appointment with a mental health provider licensed in your state. Your primary care physician can refer you to a mental health provider. A mental health provider will complete an assessment to help determine where on the spectrum you fall and if you meet the criteria for a mental health diagnosis.

Looking for a therapist in North Carolina? ACST may be able to support you on your mental health journey. Complete the Áṣẹ Center for Stress and Trauma inquiry form today to schedule a free consultation.