WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH?

Mental Health is a term that has different connotations for different people as it cannot be defined in fairly clear terms as one may define Physical Health. With technological innovations and breaking down of barriers in various spheres, life has become very fast phased leading to a spurt in physical as well as mental ailments. In the early days, health exponents defined health as a state where there was an absence of any disease or illness. The World Health Organisation in 1948 defined health as “ A complete state of Physical, Mental and Social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.

This underlines the fact that people who in normal terms are defined as healthy without any ailments with normal blood pressure cholesterol etc may be unhealthy in the sense that the person may be suffering from depression or anxiety which makes him unhealthy in the real sense of the term. The reason why mental health is still an enigma and is not properly understood is due to the fact that it is very difficult to pinpoint and measure it in precise terms like say blood pressure, temperature or cholesterol.

The physical well being of a person can be assessed by health status measurements while mental well being is very difficult and a lot more challenging to assess. Thoughts, perception and feelings are subjective and difficult to quantify in absolute terms.

So then what exactly is mental health? The WHO defines Mental Health as "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” So one can fairly define Mental Health as a state of well being where every person realises his own potential and abilities and can cope with normal stresses of day to day life and work fruitfully and productively to achieve his goals and make some positive contribution or impact to the community or society in which he lives.

Mental illness can be generically defined as health conditions that involve disturbances of thought, perception and emotion causing difficulty in carrying out day to day activities, sustaining healthy relationships and earning ones livelihood. In some cases mental illnesses can lead to serious disorders like self destructive behavior and in chronic cases lead to serious disability are characterized by swings in mood, behavior, thinking or a combination of these factors

Lack of awareness remains a major barrier to people accepting the need for mental health interventions in a timely and effective manner. This leads to denial, non acceptance of the condition and a failure to recognize symptoms which could aggravate in the long run and cause serious disability in persons suffering from mental health issues. It is important to accept the situation and seek medical help as it will not only impact the life of the person but also those of who are in close contact with him.