Understanding mental health
Mental health is not the absence of difficulty: it is the ability to live, feel, work and connect with others despite hardship.
Understanding mental health
Reliable guidance to understand what you are going through and to know when to ask for help.
This information is provided for general guidance and does not constitute a medical diagnosis.
REFUJ provides information, a listening ear, guidance and support. The information on this website does not replace a consultation with a doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist or other qualified health professional.
REFUJ provides information, a listening ear, guidance and support. The information on this website does not replace a consultation with a doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist or other qualified health professional.
Mental health
Understanding
Mental health
Common difficulties
Stress
Stress is a normal bodily reaction. It becomes concerning when it settles in and never lets up.
Anxiety
Anxiety is worry that anticipates danger. When it becomes overwhelming, it gradually narrows daily life.
Depression
Depression is not passing sadness or a lack of willpower. It is a common condition, and it can be treated.
Burnout
Burnout builds slowly, often in people deeply committed to their work.
Trauma
After an overwhelming event, body and mind can stay on alert for a long time. This is not weakness.
Grief
Grief is not an illness. It is a personal path that follows no imposed timetable or order.
Loneliness
You can feel deeply alone in a crowd. Involuntary loneliness weakens both mental and physical health.
Addiction
Addiction is neither a vice nor a lack of willpower. It is a loss of control that can be treated, without judgement.
Eating disorders
Eating disorders are serious illnesses. Early care changes the outlook.
Mental health
By situation
Young people
Adolescence and early adulthood concentrate upheaval. It is not "just a phase".
Women
Mental load, violence, perinatal periods, precarity: some factors weigh specifically on women’s mental health.
Mental health at work
Work can protect mental health as much as undermine it. Organisation matters as much as the individual.
Family
When a loved one struggles, the whole family is affected. Carers need support too.
Mental health
Helping others
Helping a loved one
You do not have to become a therapist. Listening, staying present and guiding already helps a great deal.
You do not have to go through this alone.
Simply tell us what you need. We will get back to you.