By Parker (@The_Good_Slytherin)

Mental health and mental illness are terms used interchangeably but they're not the same thing, and it's possible to have both, although having poor mental health can make mental illness worse. Mental health is coping with normal levels of stress. But stress is also a symptom of mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Someone can be mentally healthy with a mental illness, or have poor mental health and no mental illness.

As I go to a private school, my workload is increased. I'm lucky to have less than three hours of homework each night. And as I already have Depression, Anxiety, and ADD, it's harder for me to focus on one thing at a time. And since I have an increased workload, I also have poor mental health. I often spend hours awake at night stressing about when my next english paper is due or how much more work I have to put into my science project in order to pass. I often have less than an hour to myself when I can mentally recharge.

Saying that someone has mental health is hypocritical. One, it's not a negative trait. Two, we all have it. It's like making fun of someone because their hair is the same color as yours. But it's not bad to have poor mental health, it just means you need time to recharge your batteries.

So, to recap: bad mental health usually means stress.