The Mental Health Continuum Self-Check

As we move from the green (healthy) towards the red (ill) on the Mental Health Continuum, we may notice different changes in different areas of our lives. The table below shows possible progressions from healthy to ill across five areas. Not everyone will experience the same progression, this is not a one-size-fits-all tool. We can all experience these changes differently, the Mental Health Continuum Tool is meant to be used as a general guide.

Your task: Take a moment and review the signs and indicators in the table below asking yourself, “How am I doing?”. Click on the signs and indicators that you feel apply to you today. As you click, the pattern of colours that emerges is meant to help you better understand where you are on the Continuum, and help you talk about any changes in yourself with friends and family.

To reset this tool, refresh the page. This tool is not intended for diagnostic purposes.

	Healthy	Reacting	Injured	Ill
Changes in Mood	Calmness Confidence/optimism Healthy mood fluctuations	Nervousness Occasional self-doubt/pessimism Irritability/impatience	Feelings of Anxiety Loss of self-confidence, apathy, frequent pessimism Anger	Feelings of excessive anxiety Feelings of depression, numbness, hopelessness Excessive anger or rage

Changes in Thinking and Attitude	Good sense of humour and optimistic Healthy attitude and thinking patterns Ability to concentrate and/or focus on tasks Occasional inability to cope and/or handle competing demands	Displaced sarcasm Occasional negative intrusive thoughts Occasional distraction and/ or loss of focus on tasks Some difficulty and/or procrastination	Cynicism Frequent negative intrusive thoughts/suicidal ideation Frequent distraction and/or loss of focus on tasks Frequent inability to cope and/or handle competing demands	Humourless Obsessive negative intrusive thoughts/suicidal intent Inability to concentrate and/or complete loss of memory or cognitive abilities Pervasive sense of incompetence and/or feeling completely overwhelmed

Changes in Behaviour and Performance	Healthy physical/social activity Good performance Occasional performance issues Physically present and engaged Mentally present and alert	Occasional avoidance of physical/social activity Occasional performance issues and/or procrastination Occasional presenteeism Occasionally distant/distracted	Frequent avoidance of physical/social activity Frequent performance issues and/or procrastination Frequent presenteeism/absenteeism Frequently distant/distracted and/or pulling away from others	Isolation and/or complete withdrawal from physical/social activity Inability to perform duties and/or complete tasks Constant and prolonged absenteeism Not mentally present

Physical Changes	Healthy sleep patterns Healthy appetite Feeling energetic Healthy and stable weight	Occasional trouble sleeping Occasional gain/loss of appetite Occasional lack of energy Occasional weight fluctuations	Frequently distant/distracted and/or pulling away from others Frequent trouble sleeping/restlessness Frequent gain/loss of appetite Frequent tiredness Frequent weight fluctuations	Inability to fall/stay asleep and/or insomnia Excessive food intake or complete loss of appetite Constant and prolonged physical exhaustion Extreme weight fluctuationse

Changes in Substance Use and Addictive Behaviours	Limited/no alcohol consumption and/or binge drinking Limited/no addictive behaviours (i.e., gaming, social media use, etc.) No trouble/impact due to substance use (i.e., smoking, vaping, etc.)	Occasional alcohol consumption and/or binge drinking Occasional addictive behaviours (i.e., gaming, social media use, etc.) Limited trouble/impact due to substance use (i.e., smoking, vaping, etc.)	Frequent alcohol consumption and/or binge drinking Struggle to control addictive behaviours (i.e., gaming, social media use, etc.) Frequent trouble/impact due to substance use (i.e., smoking, vaping, etc.)	Excessive alcohol consumption and/or binge drinking Inability to control addictive behaviours (i.e., gaming, social media use, etc.) Severe trouble/impact due to substance use (i.e., smoking, vaping, etc.)