The Mental Health Umbrella: What does it consist of?

 by Brian Warriner

            An umbrella term is used to encompass the various parts of an industry. The mental health umbrella covers both psychological and psychiatric disorders. This also includes care, wellness, treatment, and research of the disorders. These disorders include emotional, mental, behavioral, educational, Sexual dysfunction, Stress, Eating disorder, Neurodivergent, Personality, Gender Dysphoria, Somatic, Dissociative, Depression, Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive, Bipolar.

            These disorders significantly impact the daily lives of individuals, causing them to struggle with their identity, and can lead to difficulties in navigating life. For example, when I was in the third grade, I was diagnosed with specific learning disability in reading and math. I struggled with math and reading, and as a result, my reading comprehension was challenging, and math was also difficult for me. To this day, it's more than just simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Later in life, I was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder. In between, I was showing signs of grief-induced depression.

            The care of mental health disorders includes medication, therapies, and research into how we can improve these disorders. But new theories and many other ways of treatment are all under the mental health umbrella, which is under the medical/ healthcare umbrella. Some medical doctors are psychiatrists who operate and treat people in hospital settings. According to NAMI, the National Alliance of Mental Illness, they break down the careers within the mental healthcare umbrella.

            It’s the reason why I followed my path, and it led me to mental health, besides my journey with mental illness. With my family’s history with addiction, trauma, and my issues with grief. Everything conspired in my life to lead me to pursue a master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. With a specialty in grief, addiction, and trauma. When I am done with my education and I am licensed, I will be titled Brian Warriner, LCMHC. Which stands for Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor. There will be other titles that will be added in time.