One of the biggest concerns in today’s fast paced modern world is people’s health particularly mental health. Possessing good mental health has been always considered important since time immemorial. It refers to a term which outlines the adequacy of an individual’s adjustment to changing demands and opportunities of life. Mental health can be defined as ‘behavioural characteristics’ of personality. The term mental health is made up of two words: (mental) which means occurring or experiencing in the mind and (health) a sense of overall wellbeing. Good mental health is a sense of wellbeing, confident and positive self-concept. Mental health plays a significant role in the lives of people. There is no area in human life which is untouched by the range of mental health.
Mental health does not refer to one aspect of mental life and human personality instead it covers all aspects of individual ways of adjustment with oneself and others. Adjustment is characterized by wholesome personal, intellectual, social, emotional and philosophical orientations. If all these criteria’s of adjustment is met, the individual is deemed to have good mental health. Mental health is a parameter or checklist which shows the extent to which the person has been able to meet his social, emotional or physical environment demands. It also encompasses the extent to which he gets himself mentally strained. This mental strain is generally characterized in the form of symptoms like anxiety, tension, restlessness or hopelessness.
Mental health gradation targets mainly on building up of strengths and competencies. Elevating mental health not merely deals with preventing mental disorders but in its broad sense, it enhances personal and social development. It also further assists in preventing a range of behaviourally related diseases. Thus sound mental health is observed as an attribute which when inculcated by an individual can extend him to an enhanced level of mental health.
The science of positive psychology prospects, mental health involves the ability of a person enjoying life to the highest, expressing of emotions, successful adaptation to a range of needs, demands and eventually bringing coordination between life routine and possible efforts to achieve psychological resilience. Good mental health is a prerequisite to lead long, healthy and prosperous life. It contributes to the well-founded quality of life whereas poor mental health condition hinders a normal life.
Verma, Nehra and Puri (1998) “proposed a dual theory of mental health which regards mental health as an absence of mental illness and a presence of certain factors of positive mental health. The positive mental health factors include the following sense of well-being, satisfaction, hope, adjustment, ego-strength, super-ego, creativity, ability to enjoy, happiness, humour, quality of life, self-realization and social support”.
According to (WHO, 2004) “Mental health is an easily interpretable and fundamental indicator of wellbeing. It is a positive sense or state of wellbeing in which the individual realizes his/her abilities, can cope with the normal stressor of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make an involvement to his/her community”.
The importance of mental health has been documented by WHO since the very beginning, and so it’s reflected by the definition of health which is quoted by WHO as “not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” but rather, “state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing.”
Components of mental health
Mental health is comprised of the absence of psychological diseases and ailments along with the equilibration and development of certain dimensions. It may be bifurcated into four main components: physical, mental, social, and emotional.
- Physical- physical health is referred to as the way that one’s body functions. This includes eating healthy, doing regular exercises, maintaining proper body weight, maintaining skin and continuously using home remedies for skin tightening. It also involves avoiding drugs, alcohol and freedom from diseases and sickness.
- Cognitive – cognitive health is associated with the mind and the absence of mental infirmity along with the viability of assured ingredients of positive mental health.
- Social- social health implies maintaining a quality relationship with friends, family, teachers and others in contact with.
- Emotional- emotional health is related to expressing one’s emotions in a positive and healthy way.
Determinants of mental health
Mental health has been a subject of continuous debate among the researchers. Although different societies have formed their own definition and determinants contributing towards sound mental health. Some of the ingredients of positive mental health are as follows:
- Emotional stability- it refers to the standard of emotional soundness which enables a person to develop an integrated and balanced way of perceiving one’s emotions in a healthy and positive way. It is the capacity to balance one’s own emotions under various stressful circumstances.
- Overall adjustment- it applies to an individual’s behaviour process through which he makes an inclusive congruous balance between the ever and again rising various demands and needs of environmental involving physical, psychological and social aspects.
- Autonomy- related to a stage of freedom, self-determination and exemption from both personal and by others in making personal boundaries that hinder one’s meaningful choices. It implies one’s own free will in making decisions and thinking.
- Security/insecurity- pertains to person’s higher or lower sense of safeness, self-assurance, and freedom from anxiety, fear and worries particularly with reference to meet his immediate and future needs. Probably it is a person’s feeling of confidence, certainty, safety, sense of fear and freedom about oneself.
- Self-concept- it encompasses the summation of a person’s knowledge, attitude, belief, thoughts and evaluation about himself. It’s like an idea or a mental image one has in his mind regarding his strengths, weaknesses, status and accomplishments.
- Intelligence- is referred to general mental capacity helping the person to think and behave objectively in their environment. It comprises of thinking, reasoning, gathering, organizing and distribution of information and facts.
Beside above characteristics a person with positive mental health may also incorporate attributes like- life satisfaction, positive self-esteem, a zest for living, adaptability, flexibility in thoughts, self-confidence, environment mastery, positive relations with others, self-acceptance, independence, self-reliance, self-actualization and tenacity which refers the ability to return back to normal condition after facing difficult situations or conditions.