Mental health

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This article is about mental health or well-being. For mental illness see Mental disorder.
Mental health and disorders

The state of mental health is generally understood to be a state of well-being, with the ability to cope with the stresses of life, and function as a productive member of society. Cultural differences, subjective assessments, and competing professional theories all affect how one defines mental health. From the perspective of positive psychology, mental health includes the ability to enjoy life.

Definitions

In general terms, mental health, involves the successful performance of mental functions resulting in productive activities, fulfilling relationships with other people, and the ability to adapt to change and cope with adversity. As defined by the World Health Organization (WHO): "Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community."[1] The WHO emphasizes that mental health is not just the absence of mental disorders, noting that its constitution states that "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."[1]

Cultural differences, subjective assessments, and competing professional theories all affect how one defines mental health:

Views of mental health include a wide range of attributes derived from various academic fields: Concepts of mental health include subjective well-being, perceived self-efficacy, autonomy, competence, intergenerational dependence, and self-actualization of one’s intellectual and emotional potential, among others.[2]

In 1958, Marie Jahoda described six major, fundamental categories that can be used to categorize mentally healthy individuals. Known as the characteristics of Ideal Mental Health,[3] these are:

  • Efficient self perception
  • Realistic self esteem and acceptance
  • Voluntary control of behavior
  • True perception of the world
  • Sustaining relationships and giving affection
  • Self-direction and productivity

Mental wellness is generally viewed as a positive attribute. Many therapeutic systems and self-help books offer methods and philosophies espousing strategies and techniques vaunted as effective for further improving mental wellness. From the perspectives of positive psychology or of holism, mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and to create a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience.[4] This definition of mental health highlights emotional well-being, the capacity to live a full and creative life, and the flexibility to deal with life's inevitable challenges. Some discussions are formulated in terms of contentment or happiness.[5]

A holistic model of mental health generally includes concepts based upon anthropological, educational, psychological, religious, and sociological perspectives. There are also models as theoretical perspectives from personality, social, clinical, health and developmental psychology.[6] [7]

Mental health can be seen as an unstable continuum, where an individual's mental health may have many different possible values.[8]

The tripartite model of mental well-being views mental well-being as encompassing three components of emotional well-being, social well-being, and psychological well-being.[8] Emotional well-being is defined as having high levels of positive emotions, whereas social and psychological well-being are defined as the presence of psychological and social skills and abilities that contribute to optimal functioning in daily life. The model has received empirical support across cultures.[9]

Distinguishing mental health from mental illness

The term "mental illness," mental disorders or psychiatric disorders, refers to a wide range of mental health conditions: "disorders that affect a person's mood, thinking, and behavior."[10] Mental disorders include depression, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, eating disorders, personality disorders, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and addictive behaviors.[11]

Mental health has long been defined as the absence of psychopathologies, such as depression and anxiety. The absence of mental illness, however, is a minimal outcome from a psychological perspective on lifespan development.[12]

In many cases, there appears to be a continuum between mental health and mental illness, making diagnosis complex.[13]

The two continua model of mental illness and health holds that both are related, but on distinct dimensions: One continuum indicates the presence or absence of mental health, the other the presence or absence of mental illness.[12] For example, people with optimal mental health can also have a mental illness, and people who have no mental illness can also have poor mental health.[14] As noted above, the World Health Organization regards mental health as having attributes other than the absence of mental illness, supporting the idea of two distinct dimensions.

History

The recognition and understanding of mental health conditions have changed over time and across cultures and there are still variations in definition, assessment, and classification.

In American history, mentally ill patients were thought to be religiously punished. This response persisted through the 1700s, along with inhumane confinement and stigmatization of such individuals.[15]

In the mid-nineteenth century, William Sweetser was the first to coin the term mental hygiene, which can be seen as the precursor to contemporary approaches to work on promoting positive mental health.[16] Isaac Ray, the fourth president of the American Psychiatric Association and one of its founders, further defined mental hygiene as "the art of preserving the mind against all incidents and influences calculated to deteriorate its qualities, impair its energies, or derange its movements."[17]

Dorothea Dix (1802–1887) was an important figure in the development of the "mental hygiene" movement. Before this movement, it was not uncommon that people affected by mental illness would be considerably neglected, often left alone in deplorable conditions without sufficient clothing. Dix was a school teacher who endeavored to help people with mental disorders and to expose the sub-standard conditions into which they were put. This became known as the "mental hygiene movement."[18] From 1840-1880, Dix won over the support of the federal government to set up over 30 state psychiatric hospitals; however, they were understaffed, under-resourced, and were accused of violating human rights.[15]

In 1896, Emil Kraepelin developed the taxonomy of mental disorders which dominated the field for nearly 80 years.[19]

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Clifford Beers founded "Mental Health America – National Committee for Mental Hygiene," after the 1908 publication of his account as a patient in several lunatic asylums.[20] His experiences led him to work to change the treatment of the mentally ill, and he opened the first outpatient mental health clinic in the United States.[21]

In the post-World War II years, references to mental hygiene were gradually replaced by the term "mental health," reflected in the 1949 founding of the National Institute of Mental Health in the United States.[22]

Promoting and improving mental health

There are various methods that have been shown to improve mental health. Different people may find different activities more helpful than others.

Physical activity

For some people, physical exercise can improve mental as well as physical health. Playing sports, walking, cycling, or doing any form of physical activity triggers the production of various hormones, including endorphins, which can elevate a person's mood.[23]

Studies have shown that in some cases physical activity can have the same impact as antidepressants when treating depression and anxiety.[24] Moreover, cessation of physical exercise may have adverse effects on some mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety. This could lead to many different negative outcomes such as obesity, skewed body image, lower levels of certain hormones, and many more health risks associated with mental illnesses.[25]

Activity therapies

Activity therapies, also called recreation therapy and occupational therapy, promote wellness and healing through active engagement. Each of these therapies have proven to improve mental health and have resulted in healthier, happier individuals.

Occupational therapies involve promoting an activity that improves daily life, such as self-care or improving hobbies. Similarly, recreational therapy focuses on movement, such as walking, yoga, or riding a bike. Play is a powerful tool for increasing both physical and mental wellness.[26]

Expressive therapies

Expressive therapies or creative arts therapies are a form of psychotherapy that involves the arts or art-making. These therapies include art therapy, music therapy, drama therapy, dance therapy, and poetry therapy.

In recent years, coloring has been recognized as an activity that has been proven not only to significantly lower the levels of depressive symptoms and anxiety, but also may provide an effective, inexpensive, and highly accessible self-help tool for nonclinical samples.[27]

Psychotherapy

Main article: Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is the general term for the scientific based treatment of mental health issues based on modern medicine. It includes a number of schools, such as gestalt therapy, psychoanalysis, cognitive behavioral therapy, psychedelic therapy, transpersonal psychology/psychotherapy, and dialectical behavioral therapy. Group therapy involves any type of therapy that takes place in a setting involving multiple people. It can include psychodynamic groups, expressive therapy groups, support groups (including the Twelve-step program), problem-solving and psychoeducation groups.

Self-compassion

Compassion can be defined as experiencing kindness, a sense of common humanity, mindfulness, and lessened indifference toward the suffering of others. Self-compassion then consists of three main positive components and their negative counterparts: Self-Kindness versus Self-Judgement, Common Humanity versus Isolation and Mindfulness versus Over-Identification.[28] Furthermore, specific components of self-compassion can predict specific dimensions of positive mental health (emotional, social, and psychological well-being).[29]

Social-Emotional Learning

The Callaborative for academic, social, emotional learning (CASEL) addresses five broad and interrelated areas of competence and highlights examples for each: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.[30] A meta-analysis was done by Alexendru Boncu, Iuliana Costeau, & Mihaela Minulescu (2017) looking at Social-emotional learning (SEL) studies and the effects on emotional and behaviour outcomes. They found a small but significant effect size (across the studies looked into) for externalized problems and social-emotional skills.[31]

Meditation

Main article: Meditation

The practice of mindfulness meditation has several mental health benefits, such as bringing about reductions in depression, anxiety and stress.[32][33][34][35] Mindfulness meditation may also be effective in treating substance use disorders.[36][37] Further, mindfulness meditation appears to bring about favorable structural changes in the brain.[38][39][40]

The Heartfulness meditation program has proven to show significant improvements in the state of mind of health-care professionals.[41] A study posted on the US National Library of Medicine showed that these professionals of varied stress levels were able to improve their conditions after this meditation program was conducted. They benefited in aspects of burnouts and emotional wellness.

People with anxiety disorders participated in a stress-reduction program conducted by researchers from the Mental Health Service Line at the W.G. Hefner Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salisbury, North Carolina. The participants practiced mindfulness meditation. After the study was over, it was concluded that the "mindfulness meditation training program can effectively reduce symptoms of anxiety and panic and can help maintain these reductions in patients with generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, or panic disorder with agoraphobia."[42]

Mental fitness

Mental fitness is a mental health movement that encourages people to intentionally regulate and maintain their emotional wellbeing through friendship, regular human contact, and activities that include meditation, calming exercises, aerobic exercise, mindfulness, having a routine and maintaining adequate sleep. Mental fitness is intended to build resilience against every-day mental health challenges to prevent an escalation of anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation, and help them cope with the escalation of those feelings if they occur.[43]

Spiritual counseling

Spiritual counselors meet with people in need to offer comfort and support and to help them gain a better understanding of their issues and develop a problem-solving relation with spirituality. These types of counselors deliver care based on spiritual, psychological and theological principles.[44]

Challenges to mental health

Unemployment has been shown to hurt an individual's emotional well-being, self-esteem, and more broadly their mental health. Increasing unemployment has been shown to have a significant impact on mental health, predominantly depressive disorders.[45] This is an important consideration when reviewing the triggers for mental health disorders in any population survey.[46]

Emotional mental disorders are a leading cause of disabilities worldwide. Investigating the degree and severity of untreated emotional mental disorders throughout the world is a top priority of the World Mental Health (WMH) survey initiative,[47] which was created in 1998 by the World Health Organization (WHO).[48] "Neuropsychiatric disorders are the leading causes of disability worldwide, accounting for 37% of all healthy life years lost through disease.These disorders are most destructive to low and middle-income countries due to their inability to provide their citizens with proper aid. Despite modern treatment and rehabilitation for emotional mental health disorders, "even economically advantaged societies have competing priorities and budgetary constraints".

The World Mental Health survey initiative has suggested a plan for countries to redesign their mental health care systems to best allocate resources. "A first step is documentation of services being used and the extent and nature of unmet treatment needs. A second step could be to do a cross-national comparison of service use and unmet needs in countries with different mental health care systems. Such comparisons can help to uncover optimum financing, national policies, and delivery systems for mental health care."Template:Cite quote

Knowledge of how to provide effective emotional mental health care has become imperative worldwide. Unfortunately, most countries have insufficient data to guide decisions, absent or competing visions for resources, and near-constant pressures to cut insurance and entitlements. WMH surveys were done in Africa (Nigeria, South Africa), the Americas (Colombia, Mexico, United States), Asia and the Pacific (Japan, New Zealand, Beijing and Shanghai in the People's Republic of China), Europe (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Ukraine), and the middle east (Israel, Lebanon). Countries were classified with World Bank criteria as low-income (Nigeria), lower-middle-income (China, Colombia, South Africa, Ukraine), higher middle-income (Lebanon, Mexico), and high-income.

The coordinated surveys on emotional mental health disorders, their severity, and treatments were implemented in the aforementioned countries. These surveys assessed the frequency, types, and adequacy of mental health service use in 17 countries in which WMH surveys are complete. The WMH also examined unmet needs for treatment in strata defined by the seriousness of mental disorders. Their research showed that "the number of respondents using any 12-month mental health service was generally lower in developing than in developed countries, and the proportion receiving services tended to correspond to countries' percentages of gross domestic product spent on health care". "High levels of unmet need worldwide are not surprising, since WHO Project ATLAS' findings of much lower mental health expenditures than was suggested by the magnitude of burdens from mental illnesses. Generally, unmet needs in low-income and middle-income countries might be attributable to these nations spending reduced amounts (usually <1%) of already diminished health budgets on mental health care, and they rely heavily on out-of-pocket spending by citizens who are ill-equipped for it".

Stress

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health discuss how a certain amount of stress is a normal part of daily life. Small doses of stress help people meet deadlines, be prepared for presentations, be productive and arrive on time for important events. However, long-term stress can become harmful. When stress becomes overwhelming and prolonged, the risks for mental health problems and medical problems increase."[49]

Mental health problems

Main article: Mental disorder

Mental health problems may arise due to stress, loneliness, depression, anxiety, relationship problems, death of a loved one, suicidal thoughts, grief, addiction, ADHD, self-harm, various mood disorders, or other mental illnesses of varying degrees, as well as learning disabilities.[50][51] Therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurse practitioners, or family physicians can help manage mental illness with treatments such as therapy, counseling, or medication.

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mental health: strengthening our response World Health Organization, March 30, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  2. ↑ The World Health Report: 2001 - Mental Health: New Understanding, New Hope World Health Organization. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  3. ↑ Marie Jahoda, Current Concepts of Positive Mental Health (Isha Books, 2013, ISBN 978-9333154550).
  4. ↑ Shane J. Lopez, Jennifer Teramoto Pedrotti, and Charles Richard Snyder, Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths (SAGE Publications, 2018, ISBN 978-1506357355).
  5. ↑ Michael C. Graham, Facts of Life: Ten Issues of Contentment (Outskirts Press, 2014, ISBN 978-1478722595).
  6. ↑ J. Melvin Witmer and Thomas J. Sweeney, A holistic model for wellness and prevention over the lifespan Journal of Counseling and Development 71(2) (1992):140–148. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  7. ↑ John A. Hattie, Jane E. Myers, and Thomas J. Sweeney, A factor structure of wellness: Theory, assessment, analysis and practice Journal of Counseling and Development 82(3) (2004):354–364. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Corey L.M. Keyes, The mental health continuum: from languishing to flourishing in life Journal of Health and Social Behavior 43(2) (2002):207–222. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  9. ↑ Matthew W. Gallagher, Shane J. Lopez, and Kristopher J. Preacher. The Hierarchical Structure of Well-Being Journal of Personality 77(4) (2009):1025–1050. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  10. ↑ Mental illness Mayo Clinic. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  11. ↑ Mental Disorders MedLine Plus. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Gerben J. Westerhof and Corey L. M. Keyes, Mental Illness and Mental Health: The Two Continua Model Across the Lifespan Adult Development 17(2) (2010):110-119. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  13. ↑ Office of the Surgeon General, Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General (Department of Health and Human Services, 1999, ISBN 978-0160503009).
  14. ↑ What is Mental Health and Mental Illness? Workplace Mental Health Promotion. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 A Brief History of Mental Illness and the U.S. Mental Health Care System Unite for Sight. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  16. ↑ John R. Shook (ed.), Dictionary of Early American Philosophers (Continuum, 2012, ISBN 978-1843711827).
  17. ↑ Wallace Mandell, Origins of Mental Health Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 1995. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  18. ↑ David H. Barlow, Vincent Mark Durand, and Stefan G. Hofmann, Abnormal Psychology: An integrative approach (Cengage Learning, 2017, ISBN 978-1305950443).
  19. ↑ Andreas Ebert and Karl-Jürgen Bär, Emil Kraepelin: A pioneer of scientific understanding of psychiatry and psychopharmacology Indian Journal of Psychiatry 52(2) (2010): 191–192. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  20. ↑ Clifford Whittingham Beers, A Mind That Found Itself (Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2010, ISBN 978-1169262980).
  21. ↑ Mental Health America – Origins VCU Libraries Social Welfare History Project. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  22. ↑ José Bertolote, The roots of the concept of mental health World Psychiatry 7(2) (2008): 113–116. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  23. ↑ Ione Avila-Palencia et al., The effects of transport mode use on self-perceived health, mental health, and social contact measures: A cross-sectional and longitudinal study Environment International 120 (2018):199–206. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  24. ↑ Amanda L Rebar et al/., A meta-meta-analysis of the effect of physical activity on depression and anxiety in non-clinical adult populations Health Psychology Review 9(3) (July 2015):366–378. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  25. ↑ Ali A. Weinstein, Christine Koehmstedt, and Willem J. Kop, Mental health consequences of exercise withdrawal: A systematic review General Hospital Psychiatry 49 (November 2017):11–18. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  26. ↑ The Benefits of Recreational Therapy Healthline. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  27. ↑ Jayde A.M. Flett, Celia Lie, Benjamin C. Riordan, Laura M. Thompson, Tamlin S. Conner, and Harlene Hayne, Sharpen Your Pencils: Preliminary Evidence that Adult Coloring Reduces Depressive Symptoms and Anxiety Sharpen Your Pencils: Preliminary Evidence that Adult Coloring Reduces Depressive Symptoms and Anxiety | journal = Creativity Research Journal 29(4) (2017):409–416. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  28. ↑ Elizabeth Pommier, Kristin D. Neff, and István Tóth-Király, The Development and Validation of the Compassion Scale Assessment 27(1) (2019}:21–39. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  29. ↑ Na Young Shin and Young-Jin Lim, Contribution of self-compassion to positive mental health among Korean university students International Journal of Psychology 54(6) (2019):800–806. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  30. ↑ SEL: What Are the Core Competence Areas and Where are they Promoted?.
  31. ↑ (2017-12-31)A meta-analytic study investigating the efficiency of socio-emotional learning programs on the development of children and adolescents. Romanian Journal of Applied Psychology: 35–41.
  32. ↑ (1 March 2014) Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being. JAMA Internal Medicine 174 (3): 357–68.
  33. ↑ (September 2014) Community-Based mindfulness program for disease prevention and health promotion: Targeting stress reduction. American Journal of Health Promotion 30 (1): 36–41.
  34. ↑ (Jul 2014) Mindfulness-based stress reduction as a stress management intervention for healthy individuals: a systematic review. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med 19 (4): 271–86.
  35. ↑ (Aug 2013) Mindfulness-based therapy: a comprehensive meta-analysis. Clin Psychol Rev 33 (6): 763–71.
  36. ↑ Chiesa A (Apr 2014). Are mindfulness-based interventions effective for substance use disorders? A systematic review of the evidence. Subst Use Misuse 49 (5): 492–512.
  37. ↑ Garland EL (Jan 2014). Mindfulness training targets neurocognitive mechanisms of addiction at the attention-appraisal-emotion interface. Front Psychiatry 4 (173): 173. Template:Open access
  38. ↑ (Jan 2013) Special issue on mindfulness neuroscience. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience 8 (1): 1–3.
  39. ↑ (2014) Mechanisms of white matter change induced by meditation training. Frontiers in Psychology 5 (1220): 297–302. Template:Open access
  40. ↑ (Nov 2011) How does mindfulness meditation work? Proposing mechanisms of action from a conceptual and neural perspective. Perspectives on Psychological Science 6 (6): 537–559.
  41. ↑ (31 March 2017) Effect of heartfulness meditation on burnout, emotional wellness, and telomere length in health care professionals. Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives 7 (1): 21–27.
  42. ↑ (1992). Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry 149 (7): 936–943.
  43. ↑ Walkadean, Chad (22 June 2020). Mental fitness - a gamechanger.
  44. ↑ (July 2011) Incorporating spiritual beliefs into a cognitive model of worry. Journal of Clinical Psychology 67 (7): 691–700.
  45. ↑ (29 September 2016) Attenuating the Negative Impact of Unemployment: The Interactive Effects of Perceived Emotional Intelligence and Well-Being on Suicide Risk. PLOS ONE 11 (9): e0163656.
  46. ↑ Paul, Karsten (2009). Unemployment impairs mental health: Meta-analysis. Journal of Vocational Behavior 74 (3): 264–282.
  47. ↑ The World Mental Health Survey Initiative. Harvard Medical School.
  48. ↑ Thornicroft, G (2007). Use of mental health services for anxiety, mood, and substance disorders in 17 countries in the WHO world mental health surveys. The Lancet 370 (9590): 841–850.
  49. ↑ 20131 Stress (in en-CA).
  50. ↑ Practicing Effective Prevention. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (11 January 2016).
  51. ↑ (2002) Mental Health First Aid Manual, 1st, Canberra: Center for Mental Health Research, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-7315-4891-0. OCLC 62228904. 

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Barlow, David H., Vincent Mark Durand, and Stefan G. Hofmann. Abnormal Psychology: An integrative approach. Cengage Learning, 2017. ISBN 978-1305950443
  • Beers, Clifford Whittingham. A Mind That Found Itself. Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2010. ISBN 978-1169262980
  • Graham, Michael C. Facts of Life: Ten Issues of Contentment. Outskirts Press, 2014. ISBN 978-1478722595
  • Jahoda, Marie. Current Concepts of Positive Mental Health. Isha Books, 2013. ISBN 978-9333154550
  • Lopez, Shane J., Jennifer Teramoto Pedrotti, and Charles Richard Snyder. Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths. SAGE Publications, 2018. ISBN 978-1506357355
  • Office of the Surgeon General. Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999. ISBN 978-0160503009
  • Shook, John R. (ed.). Dictionary of Early American Philosophers. Continuum, 2012. ISBN 978-1843711827

External links

All links retrieved

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