What is the difference between mental health and behavioral health?
The terms “behavioral health” and “mental health” are often used interchangeably, but they don’t always mean the same thing.1 Mental health concerns a person’s overall psychological and social wellbeing and affects people’s thoughts, feelings, and actions.2 Behavioral health, on the other hand, entails the emotions and behaviors that affect overall wellbeing.3
Mental health conditions include anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder,4 among others. Contributing factors to these types of conditions include biological, life experiences, and family history.5 Behavioral health conditions include substance dependence, gambling addiction, self-injury, and eating disorders.6
Footnotes
1. Tufts Health Plan (2022, 30 September). Do you need help for a behavioral health (mental health and substance use disoroder) issue? https://bit.ly/3Wvf2yG
2. MentalHealth.gov (2022, 28 February). What is Mental Health? US Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-health
3. CMS.gov (2022, November 15). Behavioral Health. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. https://bit.ly/3YVpKQU
4. University of Massachusetts Global (n.d.). Behavioral health vs. mental health: Breaking down the differences. https://bit.ly/3voFyy6
5. MentalHealth.gov (2022, 28 February). What is Mental Health? US Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-health
6. University of Massachusetts Global (n.d.). Behavioral health vs. mental health: Breaking down the differences. https://bit.ly/3hWZ29O