How Mental Health and Emotional Health Affect Behavior
Mental health affects reasoning; emotional health affects mood. Different brain regions and circuits are involved with emotional vs. mental health.
Table of Contents
Mental Health and Emotional Health: What’s the Difference?
Do you wonder what people mean when they talk about their mental health? Does mental health have more than one meaning? Is emotional health the same as mental health?
If so, you are not alone. The term mental health can have different meanings. And the terms mental health and emotional health are often conflated and misunderstood.
Let’s clarify a few things right away.
At Amen Clinics, we define mental health in a broad sense. Mental health is the overarching term that includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects every area of your life including how you think, feel, and act.
But there’s a more specific use of the term “mental health,” which is likely the source of some confusion.
Mental health, in this specific sense, refers to cognitive functions like thinking, reasoning, judgment, attention, memory, decision-making, and problem-solving, This specific aspect of mental health plays an important role in your overall mental health.
On the other hand, emotional health is the feeling aspect of your greater mental health. It refers to awareness, expression, empathy, and emotional regulation.
When you have good emotional health, you can recognize, understand, and manage your feelings and reactions to life events in a relatively healthy and balanced manner. Emotional health is a major component of your greater mental health.
Thoughts (mental health) and feelings (emotional health) also strongly influence each other, and brain function affects both, but in different ways. Through decades of performing brain SPECT scans and working with thousands of clients, Amen Clinics has studied each of these facets.
This blog will compare and contrast mental health (the thinking definition) and emotional health, including their differences, overlaps, and how they intersect with brain health and behavior.
Mental health is tied to thought patterns; emotional health relates to feeling patterns. Mental health affects reasoning; emotional health affects mood. Different brain regions and circuits are involved with emotional vs. mental health.
What Is Mental Health?
In the broad sense, mental health is the term used to describe your overall psychological well-being. It is determines how you think, feel, and act when faced with life challenges.
Good mental health includes sound judgment, clear thinking, emotional well-being, healthy behavior, freedom from disabling symptoms, strong relationships, and the ability to handle everyday life demands and stressors.
Your mental health is essential for leading a healthy, balanced life, and brain health is the foundation of good mental health.
The brain’s interconnected regions and related networks contribute to its daily functioning and your overall mental health.
Some of the brain’s crucial parts and their associated tasks include:
| Brain Region | Responsible For: |
|---|---|
| Prefrontal Cortex | Judgment, forethought, planning, and impulse control |
| Temporal Lobes | Memory, mood stability, and temper issues |
| Parietal Lobes | Sensory processing and direction sense |
| Occipital Lobes | Vision and visual processing |
| Cerebellum | Motor and thought coordination, processing speed, and judgment |
| Basal Ganglia | Integrates thoughts, feelings, and movements; involved with pleasure |
| Anterior Cingulate Gyrus | Shifting attention |
| Amygdala and Limbic Areas | Sets emotional tone; involved with mood and bonding |
As mentioned, especially in academia and research, mental health also refers to the thinking aspect of your brain functioning. For the remainder of this blog, we will primarily be referring to mental health in this specific way.
When this aspect of mental health is compromised, thinking-related symptoms may arise. These include challenges with concentration, negative thinking cycles, impulsivity, or cognitive fatigue.
What Is Emotional Health, and How Does It Differ from Mental Health?
In simple terms, emotional health is the ability to name, understand, and respond to emotions. As noted above, the limbic system (including the amygdala and hippocampus) influences emotional intensity.
Functions such as emotional resilience, emotional expression, and recovery after stress are governed by emotional health. When it is compromised, an individual might feel overwhelmed by small triggers or have difficulty calming down. Alternatively, they may emotionally “shut down” altogether.
In other words, emotional health involves how a person feels, while the cognitive aspect of mental health involves how a person thinks. Both are necessary aspects of well-being, and they interact with each other in both subtle and obvious ways every day.
How Do You Compare and Contrast Mental Health and Emotional Health?
While mental and emotional health are different, they also share overlaps. Here are some key ways in which they differ:
- Mental health is tied to thought patterns; emotional health relates to feeling patterns.
- Mental health affects reasoning; emotional health affects mood.
- Different brain regions and circuits are involved with emotional vs. mental health.
Here are areas in which they overlap:
- Each influences the other. Thoughts trigger emotions, while emotions influence thinking.
- Many conditions, such as anxiety, depression, and trauma, affect both mental and emotional health.
- Brain SPECT imaging often shows patterns that affect both cognitive and emotional centers.
Therefore, though the two can intersect, they function independently. For example, a person may be thinking clearly (mental health) yet feel overwhelmed emotionally (emotional health), or vice versa.
1. Educate yourself about HPD.
How Can Mental and Emotional Health Affect Behavior?
Mental and emotional health have a strong impact on behavior. Here are three examples based on thousands of patients treated at Amen Clinics:
- Racing Thoughts Leading to Avoidance
Racing thoughts, also called “overthinking,” affect a large percentage of the population. This symptom may appear alongside anxiety disorders, or as a result of major life changes or lifestyle habits.
Racing thoughts can interrupt sleep, destroy focus, and erode peace of mind. A person with mental overload or worry cycles may avoid tasks, appear distracted, or procrastinate. This can create problems with work, school, or relationships.
Related: 5 Natural Ways to Calm Racing Thoughts
- Emotional Overwhelm Leading to Withdrawal
Occasionally feeling strained by life’s demands and stressors is normal. But people with particularly high stress levels can experience symptoms of anxiety and/or depression, as well as weight changes and problems with sleep.
These conditions, as well as others, often accompany emotional overwhelm. In prolonged or severe cases, someone experiencing strong emotional reactions may withdraw from social situations or become irritable.
- A Combined Pattern
Combinations of emotional and mental health symptoms are common among patients who visit Amen Clinics. Because these symptoms are so closely related, clients often struggle with both, and one easily impacts the other.
Symptoms of a combined pattern include difficulty managing both thoughts and emotions. This can lead to impulsive decisions, conflict with loved ones, or trouble completing daily responsibilities.
How Does Brain Function Influence Both Mental and Emotional Health?
Amen Clinics uses brain SPECT imaging to determine the underlying brain patterns that correspond with mental and emotional health symptoms. Because many conditions and symptoms overlap, brain imaging can help pinpoint root causes, thereby optimizing treatment and recovery.
Among its many possibilities, SPECT imaging can reveal:
- Overactivity in the limbic system in people who struggle with intense emotions
- Underactivity or overstimulation in the prefrontal cortex, which affects concentration, planning, and decisions
- Trauma, chronic stress, and sleep problems, any of which can change brain patterns that impact both thinking and emotional balance
What Causes Imbalance in Mental or Emotional Health?
Various factors may influence emotional health, mental health, or both. Here are some common culprits behind imbalances in these areas:
- Stress: Excess stress is associated with a number of physical, psychological, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms. These include persistent worry, trouble concentrating, difficulty regulating emotions, and impulsive decision-making.
- Sleep disruption: Ongoing lack of sleep increases risk for mental health disorders, relationship problems, memory and cognitive issues, a compromised immune system, and decreased productivity.
- Trauma or chronic overwhelm: Repeated exposure to traumatic events, as well as the body’s associated stress response, can significantly impact mental health and lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Hormonal shifts: When the hormones that affect your brain neurohormones are “off,” the resulting symptoms can negatively affect the way you think, feel, and act. You are also more vulnerable to conditions such as anxiety, depression, and even psychosis.
- Poor nutrition: The standard American diet triggers inflammation and impairs brain function. Underlying brain issues can then make following a healthy diet more difficult, creating a vicious cycle that can lead to obesity.
- Brain injuries: Head injuries are often overlooked, but they can trigger a wide range of mental and emotional problems. These include confusion, difficulty concentrating, memory issues, moodiness, angry outbursts, balance issues, increased anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts.
- Inflammation: A top risk factor for memory and cognitive issues, chronic inflammation is like a fire inside your body. Over time, its insidious, low-grade burn can damage your organs, including your brain.
- Substance use: Brain health is the primary factor that determines an individual’s vulnerability to addiction. However, using drugs (including alcohol) destroys brain health, creating symptoms like anxiety, depression, irritability, and social withdrawal.
- Social isolation: Labeled a modern-day epidemic, according to a U.S. Surgeon General report in 2023, loneliness can alter brain function, raise the risk of depression, and accelerate cognitive decline.
How Does Mental and Emotional Health Shape Daily Behavior?
Mental and emotional health significantly influence thoughts and actions. When an individual’s emotional or mental health is compromised, they can experience:
- Trouble completing tasks
- Emotional outbursts
- Shutting down emotionally
- Difficulty connecting with others
- Loss of motivation
- Overthinking
- Avoidance
- Self-soothing through unhealthy strategies, such as overeating or excess screen time
- Feeling “checked out” or unfocused
Maintaining optimal mental and emotional health, both byproducts of optimizing brain health, are crucial to maximizing your daily life, well-being, and relationships. Without a solid foundation in these areas, it’s very challenging to perform at your best.
When Does Someone Need Support from a Professional?
When emotional and/or cognitive mental health symptoms arise, seeking professional help is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. Because mental and emotional health relate to brain health, they must be treated as legitimate medical problems, not moral failings.
If you are experiencing any of the signs below, it’s a strong indication to seek evaluation from a professional:
- Persistent mood swings
- Difficulty managing emotions
- Ongoing worry or rumination
- Behavior changes affecting relationships or work
- Feeling unlike yourself
- Loss of interest or motivation
- Thoughts of self-harm
If you or a loved one is experiencing any of these mental or emotional health symptoms, seeking help from a qualified mental health professional can help. Our clinicians at Amen Clinics conduct a comprehensive evaluation, which includes brain SPECT imaging, clinical assessments, and diagnostics as part of holistic, brain-based approach.
However, if you are in immediate need of assistance, go to your local emergency room or call 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Hotline, a national hotline that offers one-on-one mental health support for anyone in crisis at any time of day or night.
Remember that reaching out is a positive step. Many basic lifestyle changes can improve outcomes, and seeking help can pinpoint or rule out specific root causes so that symptoms don’t worsen over time. Being proactive about your brain health will benefit both your mental and emotional health, as well as every area of your life.
How Does Amen Clinics Help Improve Both Mental and Emotional Health?
Amen Clinics’ brain SPECT imaging helps reveal brain function and patterns and, importantly, how those patterns affect mental and emotional health. It allows clinicians to see three critical things:
- Areas of the brain that are working well
- Areas that are overactive
- Areas that are underactive
Traditional psychiatry too often treats mental health without directly examining the organ involved: the brain. Without objective insight into brain function, diagnoses are frequently based on clusters of symptoms, and treatment decisions may rely on trial and error, especially when medication is involved.
Related: SPECT Research Overview
At Amen Clinics, brain SPECT imaging adds a deeper level of clarity. Along with a thorough evaluation of lifestyle factors, personal history, and symptoms, SPECT scans reveal brain activity patterns that influence thoughts, emotions, and behavior. This information helps guide more precise, personalized treatment.
Rather than relying on opinion or guesswork, treatment plans are built around how an individual’s brain is functioning. These plans may include targeted lifestyle strategies (such as nutrition, sleep, exercise, and stress management), evidence-based therapies and interventions, nutritional supplements, and medication when appropriate, which are all tailored to the person.
Over the decades, brain SPECT imaging at Amen Clinics has helped uncover underlying issues that might otherwise go unnoticed, including past brain injuries, infections such as Lyme disease, and the lasting effects of emotional trauma. For many people, seeing these patterns helps them finally make sense of long-standing symptoms, such as difficulty regulating emotions or persistent mood struggles.
Mental and Emotional Health Are Connected, but Not the Same
While emotional and mental health (related to cognition) are closely linked, and both intersect with brain health, understanding the difference between them helps people recognize what they’re experiencing.
Whether you’re dealing with brain fog or attention issues, emotional outbursts or mood swings, it’s also important to examine the brain patterns underlying your symptoms.
As both mental and emotional health influence behavior in meaningful ways, taking steps to optimize them will ensure you feel your best as you carry out your daily tasks. If needed, seeking the help of a qualified mental health professional can help create lasting change in these areas.
To learn more about your mental, emotional, and brain health, explore the evaluations and imaging options available at Amen Clinics. Being proactive about your mental and emotional health is one of the best ways to improve your overall well-being and life satisfaction, which positively impacts everyone around you.
FAQ About Mental vs. Emotional Health
What’s the difference between mental and emotional health?
While both are related to brain health and function, mental health relates to thoughts and cognitive performance. Emotional health relates to feelings and emotions. Both are closely interrelated, however, and each one can affect the other.
How can I improve my mental and emotional health?
At Amen Clinics, a brain SPECT scan determines the underlying brain patterns associated with different mental and emotional health symptoms. Then a targeted treatment plan is designed to treat the whole person, from diet and exercise to sleep hygiene and stress-reducing practices, as well as appropriate therapy, medication when necessary, and other integrative interventions. A holistic strategy promotes lasting results for greater overall well-being.
When should I seek help for my mental or emotional health?
If your mental or emotional health symptoms are interfering with your daily functioning, including work and relationships, consider seeking professional help. Many all-natural, non-pharmaceutical interventions will boost brain health, making a positive impact on both mental and physical health.
Amen Clinics
Founded in 1989 by double-board certified psychiatrist and neuroscientist Daniel G. Amen, MD, Amen Clinics Inc. (ACI) is known as the best brain and mental health company in the world. Our clinical staff includes over 50 healthcare specialists, including adult and child psychiatrists, integrative (functional) medicine physicians, naturopaths, addiction specialists, forensic psychiatrists, geriatric psychiatrists, nutritionists, licensed therapists, and more. Our clinicians have all been hand-selected and personally trained by Dr. Amen, whose mission is to end mental illness by creating a revolution in brain health. Over the last 35-plus years, ACI has built the world’s largest database of functional brain scans—over 250,000 SPECT scans on patients from 155 countries—related to how people think, feel, and behave.
References
Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community, 2023. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf
