Neil Beckwith, Senior Claims Executive, UK P&I Club answered this question for us:

Mental health problems can involve changes in the way you think and behave. They can be brought on by distress or certain issues surrounding work or perhaps your social and family environment. It is estimated that two thirds of people will experience some form of mental health problems throughout their life.

It ranges from the more common types of illnesses such as anxiety and depression, through to sort of more rare conditions such as bipolar disorder. Symptoms may include changes in mood and the way that you behave.

But above all, the problem with it is, it’s not the same as a physical condition. And the reason why that is, is with mental health conditions, you can’t see it.

Read more on Mental Health and why it is receiving a lot of media coverage , How important is mental health to seafarers and What are the issues that seafarers face today that could lead them to suffering from poor mental health, by clicking on the links.