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Understanding what is considered “normal” mental health can be difficult. For example, when does nervousness become a phobia? When does “just feeling sad” become depression, which is a serious condition? A mental health professional can help you figure out whether you have a mental health condition. If you do, treatment can help you feel better. People can and do recover from mental health conditions.
If you’re experiencing a change in your thoughts, behaviors, or moods that is interfering with your work or relationships for longer than 2 weeks, you may have a mental health condition. It can be difficult to tell whether you have a mental health condition if you feel sadness, anxiety, or other intense emotions most of the time. Many mental health conditions first appear early in life, usually before 25 years old.
Symptoms of a mental health condition can include extreme anxiety most of the time, feelings of hopelessness about everything, or drug or alcohol abuse.
If you are in any doubt about your mental health, reach out to your doctor or nurse, a mental health professional, or a trusted loved one for help. If you have health insurance, this type of health care might be called “behavioral health” by your insurance plan. Many insurance plans call problems with drug or alcohol misuse “substance abuse” services.
Yes. Mental health conditions are medical problems and can have just as big an effect on your life as physical problems. Researchers know that the brains of people with mental health conditions often work differently from others. Some mental health conditions are related to higher or lower levels of certain brain chemicals. Events such as violence, abuse, and other traumatic experiences can make mental health conditions worse or more difficult to manage.
Many people with mental health conditions may be embarrassed to talk to a counselor or doctor or nurse about mental health or may think it’s a sign of weakness. But mental health conditions are health problems just like physical illnesses, and getting help when you need it is actually a sign of strength. If you are concerned about your mental health, do not hesitate to talk to someone or get help.
Talk to a mental health professional if you are experiencing:
There is no one test for mental health conditions. Your doctor, nurse, or a mental health professional may ask you about your symptoms and experiences and how long you’ve had them and talk with you about ways to deal with them.
Treatment for a mental health condition depends on the specific condition and how severe it is. Your doctor, nurse, or therapist may give you medicine, or your doctor or nurse may refer you for therapy, or do both. In very rare but serious cases when your life is in danger, such as a suicide attempt, you may need to stay at a hospital or other treatment facility.
There are also different types of therapy for different types of mental health conditions. For example, phobias (fears of specific things or situations that make a person avoid everyday activities) are treated differently from depression. Certain types of therapy can teach you skills to retrain how you think or act.
Other types of support that can help include building life skills (such as how to find a job or a place to live), learning how to manage your thoughts, eating healthy and exercising, finding a new community (such as a place of worship or a hobby group), and joining support groups.
Yes, people can get better with treatment and other types of support. Different types of supports and treatments might work for different people. Try different types of treatment and support until you find what works for you. You may need to try different approaches at different times in life.
If you have been diagnosed with a mental health condition, it’s important that you follow the advice of your mental health professional. You may need more than one treatment or a different treatment if your symptoms do not get better.
Maybe. Some medicines that doctors prescribe for mental health conditions can make women more likely to gain weight than other types of medicine. This may be due to how your body processes the medicine. It may also be because getting treatment for a mental health condition can improve your appetite if you weren’t eating well before treatment.1
The most common medicines linked to weight gain are a type of medicine called antipsychotics, often used to treat schizophrenia (a serious mental health condition). Some antidepressants and mood stabilizers, which can be used to treat depression and bipolar disorder, can also increase the chances of gaining weight.2
All medicines have risks. Talk to your doctor or nurse about the benefits and risks of your medicines. If you’re concerned about gaining weight from your medicine, talk to your doctor or nurse about whether a different medicine or treatment method may work better.
Most health insurance plans cover mental health treatment in the same ways they cover medical or surgical treatments. There is not a different copay, coinsurance, or deductible for mental health treatment.
If you do not have insurance, use the mental health services locator on this page to find free or low-cost care on a sliding scale according to your income.
For more information about knowing whether you have a mental health condition, call the OWH Helpline at 1-800-994-9662 or check out the following resources from other organizations:
Enter a city, ZIP code (such as 20002), address, state, or place
Embed this widget on your web site
To receive Mental Health email updates
The Office on Women's Health is grateful for the medical review in 2017 by:
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Danielle Johnson, M.D., FAPA, Psychiatrist, Medical Staff President, Chief of Adult Psychiatry, Director, Women’s Mental Health Program, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati
Cassidy Gutner, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine; National Center for PTSD, Women’s Health Sciences Division, VA Boston Healthcare System, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Mark A. Lumley, Ph.D., Professor and Director of Clinical Psychology Training, Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, and his Stress and Health Laboratory team: Jennifer Carty, Heather Doherty, Hannah Holmes, Nancy Lockhart, and Sheri Pegram
Mark Chavez, Ph.D., Chief, Eating Disorders Research Program, NIMH
Kamryn T. Eddy, Ph.D., and Jennifer J. Thomas, Ph.D., Associate Professors of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Co-Directors of the Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital
Kendra Becker, M.S., Clinical Fellow in Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital
Michael Kozak, Ph.D., Division of Adult Translational Research and Treatment Development, NIMH
Alicia Kaplan, M.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Temple University School of Medicine and Drexel University College of Medicine, and Staff Psychiatrist, Division of Adult Services, Department of Psychiatry, Allegheny Health Network, Allegheny General Hospital
All material contained on these pages are free of copyright restrictions and may be copied, reproduced, or duplicated without permission of the Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Citation of the source is appreciated.
Page last updated: August 28, 2018.
Understanding what is considered “normal” mental health can be difficult. For example, when does nervousness become a phobia? When does “just feeling sad” become depression, which is a serious condition? A mental health professional can help you figure out whether you have a mental health condition. If you do, treatment can help you feel better. People can and do recover from mental health conditions.
If you’re experiencing a change in your thoughts, behaviors, or moods that is interfering with your work or relationships for longer than 2 weeks, you may have a mental health condition. It can be difficult to tell whether you have a mental health condition if you feel sadness, anxiety, or other intense emotions most of the time. Many mental health conditions first appear early in life, usually before 25 years old.
Symptoms of a mental health condition can include extreme anxiety most of the time, feelings of hopelessness about everything, or drug or alcohol abuse.
If you are in any doubt about your mental health, reach out to your doctor or nurse, a mental health professional, or a trusted loved one for help. If you have health insurance, this type of health care might be called “behavioral health” by your insurance plan. Many insurance plans call problems with drug or alcohol misuse “substance abuse” services.
Yes. Mental health conditions are medical problems and can have just as big an effect on your life as physical problems. Researchers know that the brains of people with mental health conditions often work differently from others. Some mental health conditions are related to higher or lower levels of certain brain chemicals. Events such as violence, abuse, and other traumatic experiences can make mental health conditions worse or more difficult to manage.
Many people with mental health conditions may be embarrassed to talk to a counselor or doctor or nurse about mental health or may think it’s a sign of weakness. But mental health conditions are health problems just like physical illnesses, and getting help when you need it is actually a sign of strength. If you are concerned about your mental health, do not hesitate to talk to someone or get help.
Talk to a mental health professional if you are experiencing:
There is no one test for mental health conditions. Your doctor, nurse, or a mental health professional may ask you about your symptoms and experiences and how long you’ve had them and talk with you about ways to deal with them.
Treatment for a mental health condition depends on the specific condition and how severe it is. Your doctor, nurse, or therapist may give you medicine, or your doctor or nurse may refer you for therapy, or do both. In very rare but serious cases when your life is in danger, such as a suicide attempt, you may need to stay at a hospital or other treatment facility.
There are also different types of therapy for different types of mental health conditions. For example, phobias (fears of specific things or situations that make a person avoid everyday activities) are treated differently from depression. Certain types of therapy can teach you skills to retrain how you think or act.
Other types of support that can help include building life skills (such as how to find a job or a place to live), learning how to manage your thoughts, eating healthy and exercising, finding a new community (such as a place of worship or a hobby group), and joining support groups.
Yes, people can get better with treatment and other types of support. Different types of supports and treatments might work for different people. Try different types of treatment and support until you find what works for you. You may need to try different approaches at different times in life.
If you have been diagnosed with a mental health condition, it’s important that you follow the advice of your mental health professional. You may need more than one treatment or a different treatment if your symptoms do not get better.
Maybe. Some medicines that doctors prescribe for mental health conditions can make women more likely to gain weight than other types of medicine. This may be due to how your body processes the medicine. It may also be because getting treatment for a mental health condition can improve your appetite if you weren’t eating well before treatment.1
The most common medicines linked to weight gain are a type of medicine called antipsychotics, often used to treat schizophrenia (a serious mental health condition). Some antidepressants and mood stabilizers, which can be used to treat depression and bipolar disorder, can also increase the chances of gaining weight.2
All medicines have risks. Talk to your doctor or nurse about the benefits and risks of your medicines. If you’re concerned about gaining weight from your medicine, talk to your doctor or nurse about whether a different medicine or treatment method may work better.
Most health insurance plans cover mental health treatment in the same ways they cover medical or surgical treatments. There is not a different copay, coinsurance, or deductible for mental health treatment.
If you do not have insurance, use the mental health services locator on this page to find free or low-cost care on a sliding scale according to your income.
For more information about knowing whether you have a mental health condition, call the OWH Helpline at 1-800-994-9662 or check out the following resources from other organizations:
This content is provided by the Office on Women's Health.
A federal government website managed by the Office on Women's Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20201
1-800-994-9662 • Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET (closed on federal holidays).