Mental health

Definition

• Health is defined as a state of complete physical,

mental, and social well being and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity.

• Acc to WHO- mental health is “a state of well-

being in which the individual realizes his or her
own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses
of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is
able to make a contribution to his or her
community”
 Few facts according to WHO
• Around 20 per cent of the world’s children and adolescents
have mental disorders or problems.
• Mental and substance use disorders are the leading cause
of disability worldwide.
• About 800,000 people commit suicide every year.
• War and disasters have a large impact on mental health and
psychosocial well-being.
• Mental disorders are important risk factors for other
diseases, as well as unintentional and intentional injury.
• Stigma and discrimination against patients and families
prevent people from seeking mental health care
 History
• Mentally ill were considered to be possesed
by devils.
• Patients were locked up in tall jail like
buildings, far removed from the centre of
population, alienated from the rest of the
society.
• During the 20th century,, psychiatry began to
make scientific advance.
• Mental health is thus the balanced
development of the individual's personality
and emotional attitude which enables him to
live harmoniously with his fellow men.
• Mental health is not exclusively a matter of
relation between persons.
• It is also a matter of relation of the individual
towards the community he lives in, towards
the society of which the community is a part.
 Magnitude of mental disorders
• Today, about 450 million people suffer from a mental
or behavioural disorder. According to WHO’s Global
Burden of Disease 2001, 33% of the years lived with
disability (YLD) are due to neuropsychiatric disorders, a
further 2.1% to intentional injuries
• Unipolar depressive disorders alone lead to 12.15% of
years lived with disability, and rank as the third leading
contributor to the global burden of diseases.
• Four of the six leading causes of years lived with
disability are due to neuropsychiatric disorders
(depression, alcohol-use disorders, schizophrenia and
bipolar disorder).
• Neuropsychiatric conditions account for 13% of disability adjusted
life years (DALYs), intentional injuries for 3.3% and HIV/AIDS for
another 6% (Figure 2). These latter two have a behavioural
component linked to mental health. Moreover, behind these oft-
repeated figures lies enormous human suffering.
• • More than 150 million persons suffer from depression at any
point in time;
• • Nearly 1 million commit suicide every year;
• • About 25 million suffer from schizophrenia;
• • 38 million suffer from epilepsy; and
• • More than 90 million suffer from an alcohol- or drug-use disorder.
• The number of individuals with disorders is likely to increase further
in view of the ageing of the population, worsening social problems
and civil unrest.
 Characteristics of mentally healthy
person
• 1. A mentally healthy person feels contented, satisfied, happy, calm and cheerful.
He does not condemn himself and there are no conflicts within him. He has self
respect. He neither underestimates nor over-estimates his own ability.
• 2. A mentally healthy person is able to think for himself and lake his own decisions.
He does not shirk his responsibilities and is able to meet the demands of life.
• ADVERTISEMENTS:
• 3. He has firm determination and self control. He faces problems and tries to solve
them intelligently. He is not dominated by fear, anger, love, jealousy, stress and
worries.
• 4. A mentally healthy person is able to adjust with other people, make sincere and
long-lasting friends and does not feel isolated. He understands problems and
emotional needs of others and tries to be considerate and courteous in his
dealings with others. He accepts criticism and does not get easily upset and tries
to overcome emotions.
• 5. A mentally healthy person adjusts himself successfully to the changing situations
and does not get upset when things go wrong, whereas some people react sharply,
lose their temper, talk loudly and make everybody around uncomfortable
 Factors Leading to Mental III Health:
• 1. Heredity: It is well known that certain mental diseases (e.g.
schizophrenia) run in families.
• 2. Physical Health: Sickness and/or disability affect mental health.
• 3. Social Factors: Worries, anxieties, emotional stress, tension,
frustration, unhappy marriages, broken homes, poverty, cruelty,
neglect etc. all lead to mental illness.
• 4. The use of alcohol and other narcotics is one of the major causes
of mental ill health and has ruined many homes.
• 5. Irritability over trifles, fluctuation of mood, insomnia, depression,
and disturbed state of mind, state of fear and feeling of various
non- existing complaints also lead to mental ill health.
Warning signs of poor mental health