ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Social determinants of mental health

Imagine a big puzzle. This puzzle is all about how healthy our minds are. It's called mental health. There are a lot of different pieces to this puzzle.

One piece of the puzzle is called social determinants. This means things that happen in our lives that can affect how healthy our minds are.

Some social determinants are good for our mental health. For example, having a family that loves us and takes care of us makes us feel safe and happy. Having a house to live in and healthy food to eat also helps our minds feel good.

But some social determinants can be bad for our mental health. For example, if we don't have enough money to pay for things like food or a place to live, it can make us feel worried and stressed out. If we don't have any friends or people to talk to, we might feel lonely and sad. If we are treated unfairly or unfairly judged because of our race, gender, sexual orientation or religion, it can make us feel angry, hurt and helpless.

All of these things can affect our mental health. Sometimes, we need extra help and support to deal with these challenges. It's important to know that it's okay to ask for help.

So social determinants are just like puzzle pieces that can either help us or make us feel worse. We all have different puzzle pieces in our lives, but we can all work together to create a happier and healthier puzzle.