Mental health

Mental health, defined as the World Health Organization’s International Mental Health Day, is “the state of mental well being in which an individual realizes his/her capacities, is able to cope effectively with the daily stresses of life, is able to work productively, and is able to contribute to his/her community.” The mental health of an individual includes all of the physical, emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and behavioral components. This includes having a positive attitude, feeling comfortable and confident in ones ability, having empathy for and respect for another person, managing stress, maintaining motivation, having realistic expectations, having realistic dreams and aspirations, maintaining personal relationships, having realistic goals and plans, having positive communication and interactions, learning new activities and skills, having an interest in and enjoyment of one’s hobbies, and having a sense of humor. These aspects are interrelated. When one experiences any of these components, he/she will be in a good mental health. It is also important to note that some of these components may be present in someone else, but this does not necessarily mean that these are the values that a person has towards being mentally healthy.

The state of mental health gives the individual the capacity to enjoy the world and take care of his/her self with dignity, which will in turn give them peace of mind. If a loved one is exhibiting any of these behaviors, it is imperative to get help for them before they do irreversible damage to themselves. This is because there are times when people with mental illnesses carry out self-harm, suicide attempts, destruction of property, and even criminal activities in order to get attention. There are times when they will even harm themselves to get attention, thus making the disease even more difficult to treat.

Psychologists and counselors, along with other mental health professionals, believe that there are two types of disorders, which are the psychological and the neurological. Since the former deals more on the thoughts or the attitudes of a person, while the latter is more on the physical aspect, we often refer to these as either mood disorders or psychological disorders. The more accurate term would be well-being rather than well-being.