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What Is the Difference Between Mental Health & Emotional Health?

Taking better care of your general wellbeing starts with learning about mental and emotional health issues, the differences between the two, and what behavioral treatment options are available that help you stay healthy and active. To find out more about managing your mental and emotional health and finding solutions for any problems you may be facing at home or work, call Online Psychiatrists. Our best rated psychiatrist near you Dr. Zlatin Ivanov is committed to providing compassionate and highest-quality treatment for mental and emotional health. He offers support for mental, and physical health as a part of the treatment plan and addresses your emotional needs most compassionately to ensure you feel better in the shortest possible time.

Mental health involves processing all the information we encounter, but emotional health is more about feelings inspired by the data processed. Emotional and mental health are related but markedly different.

Both mental and emotional health are essential for people experiencing a high amount of stress, anxiety, or depression symptoms or going through a major crisis or traumatic life event. While emotional health is the ability to cope with and manage emotions, mental health is the ability to think clearly and make good decisions. Emotional health is also the capacity to have positive relationships, but mental health is more focused on coping with stress and doing well in emotional circumstances.

Learning the difference between mental and emotional health can help you find the best treatment for the problems you are facing.

Difference Between Mental Health Emotional Health

What Is Mental Health?

Mental health is a commonly used phrase that pops up in casual conversation, but many of us do not actually know what it means or what it points to.

Mental health influences our thoughts and actions and covers three main types of well-being:

  • Psychological
  • Social
  • Emotional

Mental health is crucial at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Mental health condition has a significant impact on many areas of your life. From your ability to manage stress to how well you maintain your relationships with others, mental health affects how you think, feel, and act.

Mental health focuses on:

  • How you make decisions
  • How you interact with others
  • How you manage stress

An individual’s mental health can change over time, depending on many factors. When the demands placed on a person exceed their resources and coping abilities, their mental health suffers.

In the case of mental health issues, the ability to function normally is severely affected. Problems usually result from:

  • Your family history
  • Experiences you have had in the past, such as past abuse or trauma
  • Biological factors such as genes or brain chemistry
  • Economic hardships
  • Long work hours or too much stress at work
  • Caring for a loved one

Mental health problems can cause a wide range of symptoms that include:

  • Severe changes in mood
  • Lack of energy
  • Overeating or undereating
  • Insomnia
  • Excessive sleeping
  • Increased use of drugs and alcohol

Each mental health condition has its own signs and symptoms. It is essential to consult a mental healthcare professional for accurate diagnosis and treatment of your condition.

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What Is Emotional Health?

Emotional health is also a common phrase we hear, even if no one is really sure about what it means. Emotional health is having an awareness of your emotions as well as the ability to manage and express those feelings in an age-appropriate manner.

There are no instant fixes or solutions for altering your mental health, but there are many steps you can take to improve it. Identifying the positive aspects and working on developing your strengths is the most effective way to ease the strain on your mind and heart and live a better quality of life.

Elements that have a crucial role in constructing emotional health include:

  • Being aware of your emotions
  • Accepting your feelings
  • Processing and managing those feelings
  • Expressing your feelings
  • Appropriately doing all of the above

Emotional health blends emotional intelligence with emotional regulation. How you process so many thoughts and emotions is related to your mental health.

As an extension of your mental health, optimal emotional health enables you to:

  • Have a functioning inner world
  • Manage your emotions
  • Express your emotions
  • Enjoy a general sense of wellness
  • Appreciate abstract concepts like art, beauty, joy, and love

Good emotional health helps you handle tough situations with a clear vision and live a healthy life.

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Differences Between Mental Health and Emotional Health

While mental and emotional health are similar in some aspects, it is essential to note that they are ultimately very different. Some of the differences that distinguish mental health from emotional health include:

Difference #1 – Way of Working

Mental health is associated with overall mental well-being and includes rational thinking, good decision-making, and managing difficult situations. It determines on how well your mind is processing and understanding information and experiences.

In contrast, emotional health is concerned with your ability to manage and express your moods and feelings. It focuses on the emotions such as stress, anger, sadness, and joy that develop from what you have learned or experienced and help you enjoy healthy relationships.

Difference #2 – One Can Thrive While the Other Struggles

You can continue to experience mental health issues while maintaining good emotional health and vice versa. If you are struggling with a mental health problem, like having little energy for daily tasks, you can still exhibit emotional health by coming up with effective ways to manage that lack of energy.

Similarly, it is also possible for you to have excellent mental health but suffer from emotional breakdowns due to the experiences you have lived through, such as trauma.

Difference #3 – The Scope of the Two

Mental health is not only about how well you understand and process experiences. It also includes your ability to carefully reason through the decisions and keep up a steady, focused attention span. The wide scope of mental health is a sharp contrast to emotional health, which puts more emphasis on the understanding and management of emotions and their role in your life.

The Emotional and Mental Health Connection

Emotional and mental health are very different, but they are still intertwined and have a connection. Without mental health management or in some cases treatment, your emotions can run wild.

Focusing only on emotional health can lead to mental disorientation, making it hard to function normally. Both emotional and mental health treatments have a significant role when it comes to rehab and recovery.

If you are struggling with mental or emotional health issues or disorders, do not take it lightly. Call Online Psychiatrists to schedule an appointment with Dr. Zlatin Ivanov for specialist advice on behavioral health treatment. Dr. Ivanov uses the most advanced diagnostic tools to determine the emotional or mental problems you are facing and comes up with treatment plans that work for your specific needs. He focuses on the different symptoms you are experiencing to get to the root of the problem and recommends medications, therapies, and lifestyle changes to improve your mental and emotional well-being. His mode of treatment addresses the root cause of the experiences you are going through to ensure lasting relief.

Updated on Apr 1, 2024 by Dr. Zlatin Ivanov (Psychiatrist ) of Online Psychiatrists

Dr. Zlatin Ivanov, MD

Dr. Zlatin Ivanov, MD, is an adult psychiatrist specializing in addiction treatment, ADHD, anxiety, depression, and OCD. He offers exceptional talk therapy and medication management through online video conferencing.

Dr. Ivanov is double board certified in Psychiatry and Clinical Neurology and a member of the American Psychiatric Association. His medical career is colored by many outstanding contributions to medicine, including several publications, research, and scientific presentations. An attending psychiatrist at Woodhull Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY, and Bellevue Hospital Center in New York City, he takes the time to listen to patients and makes sure they know he is committed to their unique situation.

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