What Is 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.
Early Warning Signs
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:
- Eating or sleeping too much or too little
- Pulling away from people and usual activities
- Having low or no energy
- Feeling numb or like nothing matters
- Having unexplained aches and pains
- Feeling helpless or hopeless
- Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual
- Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared
- Yelling or fighting with family and friends
- Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships
- Having persistent thoughts and memories you can’t get out of your head
- Hearing voices or believing things that are not true
- Thinking of harming yourself or others
- Inability to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or school
Mental Health and Wellness
Positive mental health allows people to:
- Realize their full potential
- Cope with the stresses of life
- Work productively
- Make meaningful contributions to their communities
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
''Mental health is about wellness rather than illness''
To make things a bit clearer, some experts have tried coming up with
different terms to explain the difference between ‘mental health’ and
‘mental health conditions’. Phrases such as ‘good mental health’,
‘positive mental health’, ‘mental wellbeing’, ‘subjective wellbeing’ and
even ‘happiness’ have been proposed by various people to emphasise that
mental health is about wellness rather than illness. While some say
this has been helpful, others argue that using more words to describe
the same thing just adds to the confusion.As a result, others have tried
to explain the difference by talking about a continuum where mental
health is at one end of the spectrum – represented by feeling good and
functioning well – while mental health conditions (or mental illness)
are at the other – represented by symptoms that affect people’s
thoughts, feelings or behaviour.
The benefits of staying well
Research shows that high levels of mental health are associated with
increased learning, creativity and productivity, more pro-social
behaviour and positive social relationships, and with improved physical
health and life expectancy. In contrast, mental health conditions can
cause distress, impact on day-to-day functioning and relationships, and
are associated with poor physical health and premature death from suicide.
But it’s important to remember that mental health is complex. The fact
that someone is not experiencing a mental health condition doesn’t
necessarily mean their mental health is flourishing. Likewise, it’s
possible to be diagnosed with a mental health condition while feeling
well in many aspects of life.
Ultimately, mental health is about being cognitively, emotionally and
socially healthy – the way we think, feel and develop relationships -
and not merely the absence of a mental health condition.
sources : beyondblue , mentalhealth