Behavioral health describes the connection between the health and well-being of the body and the mind. This can include a variety of areas everything from eating habits to drinking habits to exercise and various mental health challenges. Behavioral health can extend to psychiatric conditions, marriage and family counseling, and addiction treatments.

Mental illness impacts millions of American lives; however, many live without knowing that they can receive treatment or care for their conditions. Behavioral health is a vast field, meaning forms of treatment or behavioral health care can look different for each patient depending on what they need help with. It’s common for the term: ​“behavioral health” and “mental health” to be used interchangeably despite their distinct differences. When thinking about behavioral health in terms of insurance, it can be challenging to understand what is covered.

Behavioral health services focus on daily habits, behaviors, and actions that can be impacting a patient’s mental and/​or physical health. For example, when examining the behavioral health needs of a patient, a behavioral health provider may look at the patient’s daily exercise or eating habits to see how they are linked to their levels of anxiety or depression. Many in the medical field view behavioral healthcare as more holistic, calling it “better care and health for the whole person.”

Behavioral health describes the connection between behaviors and the health and well-being of the body, mind and spirit. This would include how behaviors like eating habits, drinking or exercising impact physical or mental health. However, during the 1970s and 1980s, behavioral health “almost entirely referred to behaviors that prevent illness or that promote health,” says the MEHAF. Later, the term began to include behaviors that help people manage disease. Most recently, behavioral health incorporated mental health.

When distinguishing between behavioral health and mental health, it is important to remember that behavioral health is a blanket term that includes mental health. Behavioral health looks at how behaviors impact someone’s health: physical and mental. This results in a noticeable difference between behavioral health and mental health. For instance, a behavioral health professional might look at behaviors that may have contributed to a person’s obesity. This is an issue that primarily affects someone’s physical health. Some behavioral health topics and issues do not fall into the category of mental health.

The terms "behavioral health" and “mental health” are often used interchangeably, but they don’t always mean the same thing. Mental health pertains entirely to a person’s psychological state, whereas behavioral health entails not just a person's state of mind but their physical condition as well. In simplest terms, behavioral health refers to the relationship between our daily habits (good and bad) and their effect on our physical and mental health. Ideally, good habits (healthy diet, exercise, and sleep routines) result in the best balance between good mental and physical health. Conversely, poor habits typically result in degrees of poor mental and physical wellness.

Journal of Healthcare Communications is a journal publishes Quarterly in English language. We welcome original research articles, review articles, editorials, case reports, and others from any part of the world. Manuscripts are reviewed by members of the international editorial board and our expert peer reviewers, then either accepted for publication or rejected by the chief editor. Shorter articles are particularly welcome.

Submit manuscript at www.imedpub.com/submissions/healthcare-communications.html or send as an e-mail attachment to the Editorial Office at editor@imedpub.com