The definition of mental illness as defined by the Australian Institute of Health and Wellness is the following: a clinically diagnosable disorder that significantly interferes with a person’s cognitive, emotional, or social abilities. 

1 in 5 adults in Australia experience a mental illness every year with it being estimated that 45% of Australians will be affected by mental illness at some time in their life. As with many diseases, there is a spectrum and, in some people, it can be severe and noticeable and in others mild and not noticeable. There are many different types of mental illnesses including depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Each illness can alter the persons’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviours in distinct ways with specific characteristics being related to a type of mental illness.

In 2020 Covid hit our shores with it bringing lockdowns, isolation, panic buying, masks, fear and uncertainty. It also brought a time for the world to heal, with it giving scientists a once in a lifetime opportunity to observe what happens when you take humans out of the world and see animals reclaim what was once theirs. 

David Attenborough was barely able to contain his excitement in his documentary The Year Earth Changed looked in-depth at the positive impact Covid had on the world due to all the lockdowns and reduced travel.

We’re slowly releasing more Mental Health Profiles and the aim of this series is to show people that there is no one size fits all approach to having a mental illness. Most recently we have had two profiles looking at people who experience what they considered high functioning mental illness and because of that they felt that they couldn’t get help.

Mental illnesses are on a spectrum on one end you have people who suffer with them but require minimal treatment or intervention in the middle you have people who will require ongoing treatment and interventions and on the other end you have people who will require major interventions and treatment (including hospitalisation). You can slide on the spectrum depending on various circumstances which is all apart of life.