Common with Mental Illness

Certain thoughts, behaviors, symptoms and conditions are directly related to mental illness. We often don’t examine how we might excessively use alcohol, for example, to calm our anxious minds after a long day. Or how a loved one’s refusal to enter therapy might not just be personal preference.

The other components of mental illness listed below are important to consider when looking holistically at your, or another’s, mental health. Knowing these different factors — and how they can contribute to making a mental health condition more severe — can help shape treatment plans. Please note that this list does not, and could never, include everything that connects to mental illness. But we will do our best to continue adding more information.