Mental health vs. behavioral health: What’s the difference?

Taking care of your whole health means caring for both your body and mind. You may come across terms like “mental health” and “behavioral health,” which are sometimes used interchangeably. These two ideas are closely connected, but they are not the same.

What is mental health?

Mental health is what’s happening on the inside — your thoughts, feelings, and how your brain works to make sense of the world around you. Your mental health includes things like your:

Identity
Emotions
Personality
Empathy
Resilience
Morality

There are many things that can shape your mental health, including your life experiences, family history, stress or trauma, relationships, and environment.

Every person has mental health, just like everyone has physical health. And it’s normal for your mental health to change over time. You can have times when you feel calm and confident and times when you feel sad, stressed, or unsure.

What is behavioral health?

Behavioral health is the outside expression of your inner world. It is about what you do, including your:

Reactions to stress and other factors
Habits
Interactions with others
Coping skills (i.e., how you cope with your feelings)
Daily behaviors that affect your health

Behavioral health can involve mental health conditions, but it also includes conditions like substance use disorders, eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and stress‑linked physical health issues.

How mental and behavioral health are related

These two areas are deeply connected. Your thoughts and feelings (mental health) often shape your habits and reactions (behavioral health). And your habits and reactions can shape how you feel over time.

For example, if someone feels anxious (mental health), they might avoid social activities or use substances to cope (behavioral health). Or if someone is not sleeping well (behavioral health), they may feel irritable or sad during the day (mental health).

When one needs care, the other often does too. Getting support can help you break unhelpful patterns and build stronger, healthier ones.

IBX is here to support you

It may feel overwhelming to figure out how to get started with mental or behavioral health care. That’s why Independence Blue Cross (IBX) offers one-on-one support.

IBX members can reach our Behavioral Health Care Navigation team at 1-800-688-1911, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Our team can guide you to the right in-network care for your needs, and they can even directly schedule your first appointment for you, often in as quickly as 1 – 2 days.

Visit ibx.com/bhcare to learn more about our behavioral health benefits, provider network, and care navigation team.

Taking care of your mental and behavioral health is an important part of caring for yourself, and you don’t have to do it alone.