WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH?

Last week I was invited to participate in a health awareness show and one of the principal tasks was to define mental health which will be the basis of today’s discussion.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines mental health as “a state of well-being in which an individual realises his/her own abilities, can cope with normal stresses of life, and is able to make a contribution in community.” A team of researchers from European Psychiatric Association led by Silvana Galderisi coined another definition in 2015; stating that “mental health is a dynamic state of internal equilibrium which enables individuals to use their abilities in harmony with universal values of the society.” The two definitions points to the fact that individuals experience stressors and should be able to deal with them and that they should contribute to societies they live in. This disputes the worldwide view that mental health is the absence of mental illness!

Individuals should be able to deal with many of the challenges that they come across ranging from transitional periods like adolescence crises, parenthood and marriage to name but a few. Many people endure mental health challenges when they go through these phases and failure to navigate through can result in adverse mental health complications; thus successfully dealing with these phases is a positive mental health trait.

For one to be deemed to be mentally healthy, they should be convey respect to self and others, create and maintain relationships with others and value the world of others including their freedom. This highlights that one’s value system is reflective of the state of one’s mental health! Furthermore, individuals should be able to empathise with others; a trait seen to contribute positively to mental health. The ability to solve problems, make decisions, pay attention and remember things make up the cognitive abilities. These constitute an integral part of good mental health as deficiency can impact on day to day functioning hence poor mental health. As an example, poor decision making regarding finances has facilitated many mental health problems. Mental health is determined by socio-economic, biological and environmental factors and thus for one to maintain mental health this should be addressed. It must be noted that there is no specific cause of mental illness hence a multi-sectorial approach that addresses the afore-mentioned factors should be adopted.