Mental Health
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.
Over the course of your life, if you experience mental health problems, your thinking, mood, and behavior could be affected. Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including: Biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry, life experiences, such as trauma or abuse, family history of mental health problems. Mental health problems are common but help is available. People with mental health problems can get better and many recover completely.
The term mental health is commonly used in reference to mental illness. However, knowledge in the field has progressed to a level that appropriately differentiates the two. Although mental health and mental illness are related, they represent different psychological states.
Mental health is a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.
Mental health is a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community. There is emerging evidence that positive mental health is associated with improved health outcomes.
Mental illness is defined as collectively all diagnosable mental disorders or health conditions that are characterized by alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior (or some combination thereof) associated with distress and/or impaired functioning. Depression is the most common type of mental illness. It has been estimated that by the year 2020, depression will be the second leading cause of disability throughout the world, trailing only ischemic heart disease.
Evidence has shown that mental disorders, especially depressive disorders, are strongly related to the occurrence, successful treatment, and course of many chronic diseases including diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and obesity and many risk behaviors for chronic disease; such as, physical inactivity, smoking, excessive drinking, and insufficient sleep.
In the health care and public health arena, more emphasis and resources have been devoted to screening, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illness than mental health. Little has been done to protect the mental health of those free of mental illness.
Researchers suggest that there are indicators of mental health, representing three domains. These include the following:
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Emotional well-being (such as perceived life satisfaction, happiness, cheerfulness, peacefulness)
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Psychological well-being (such as self-acceptance, personal growth including openness to new experiences, optimism, hopefulness, purpose in life, control of one’s environment, spirituality, self- direction, and positive relationships.
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Social well-being (social acceptance, beliefs in the potential of people and society as a whole, personal self- worth and usefulness to society, sense of community)
Not sure if you or someone you know is living with mental health problems? Experiencing one or more of the following feelings or behaviors can be an early warning sign of a problem:
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Eating or sleeping too much or too little
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Pulling away from people and usual activities
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Having low or no energy
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Feeling helpless or hopeless
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Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual
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Yelling or fighting with family and friends
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Having persistent thoughts and memories you can’t get out of your head
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Hearing voices or believing things that are not true
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Thinking of harming yourself or others
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Inability to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or school
People can experience different types of mental health problems. These problems can affect your thinking, mood, and behavior.
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People with anxiety disorders respond to certain objects or situations with fear and dread. Anxiety disorders can include obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorders, phobias, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
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Behavioral disorders involve a pattern of disruptive behaviors in children that last for at least 6 months and cause problems in school, at home and in social situations. An example of a behavioral disorder is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
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Eating disorders involve extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors involving weight and food. Eating disorders can include anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating.
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Mood disorders involve persistent feelings of sadness or periods of feeling overly happy, or fluctuating between extreme happiness and extreme sadness. Mood disorders can include depression, bipolar disorder, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and self-harm.
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People with personality disorders have extreme and inflexible personality traits that are distressing to the person and may cause problems in work, school, or social relationships. Personality disorders can include antisocial personality disorder and borderline personality disorder.
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People with psychotic disorders experience a range of symptoms, including hallucinations and delusions. An example of a psychotic disorder is schizophrenia
Ways to maintain positive mental health include: Getting professional help if you need it, connecting with others, staying positive, getting physically active, helping others, getting enough sleep, developing coping skills. People often don’t get the mental health help they need because they don’t know where to start. Use our resources to find the help you, your friends, or family need.
By SASS Center