Mental Health

Mental Health

Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. It is an integral component of health and well-being that underpins our individual and collective abilities to make decisions, build relationships and shape the world we live in. Mental health is a basic human right. And it is crucial to personal, community and socio-economic development.

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 healthy choices.¹ Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.

It’s important to remember that a person’s mental health can change over time, depending on many factors.  When the demands placed on a person exceed their resources and coping abilities, their mental health could be impacted. For example, if someone is working long hours, caring for a relative, or experiencing economic hardship, they may experience poor mental health.

Although the terms are often used interchangeably, poor mental health and mental illness are not the same. A person can experience poor mental health and not be diagnosed with a mental illness. Likewise, a person diagnosed with a mental illness can experience periods of physical, mental, and social well-being.

Well-being is a positive outcome that is meaningful for people and for many sectors of society, because it tells us that people perceive that their lives are going well. Good living conditions (e.g., housing, employment) are fundamental to well-being. Tracking these conditions is important for public policy. However, many indicators that measure living conditions fail to measure what people think and feel about their lives, such as the quality of their relationships, their positive emotions and resilience, the realization of their potential, or their overall satisfaction with life—i.e., their “well-being.” generally includes global judgments of life satisfaction and feelings ranging from depression to joy.

Throughout our lives, multiple individual, social and structural determinants may combine to protect or undermine our mental health and shift our position on the mental health continuum.

Individual psychological and biological factors such as emotional skills, substance use and genetics can make people more vulnerable to mental health problems.

Exposure to unfavourable social, economic, geopolitical and environmental circumstances – including poverty, violence, inequality and environmental deprivation – also increases people’s risk of experiencing mental health conditions.

 

There is no single cause for mental illness. A number of factors can contribute to risk for mental illness, such as

• Early adverse life experiences, such as trauma or a history of abuse (for example, child abuse, sexual assault, witnessing violence, etc.)
• Experiences related to other ongoing (chronic) medical conditions, such as cancer or diabetes
• Biological factors or chemical imbalances in the brain
• Use of alcohol or drugs
• Having feelings of loneliness or isolation

 

Why is mental health important?

Mental health is important because it can help you to:

• Cope with the stresses of life
• Be physically healthy
• Have good relationships
• Make meaningful contributions to your community
• Work productively
• Realize your full potential

 

When it comes to your emotions, it can be hard to know what is normal and what is not. There are warning signs that you may have a mental health problem, including:

• A change in your eating or sleeping habits
• Withdrawing from the people and activities you enjoy
• 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, angry, upset, worried, or scared
• Having severe mood swings that cause problems in your relationships
• Having thoughts and memories that you can’t get out of your head
• Hearing voices or believing things that are not true
• Thinking of harming yourself or others
• Not being able to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or school

 

Mental Health and Social Relationships

Poor mental health influences people’s relationships with their children, spouses, relatives, friends, and co-workers. Often, poor mental health leads to problems such as social isolation, which disrupts a person’s communication and interactions with others. This can have particularly harmful effects on children and adolescents whose development depends on forming bonds with their family members and peers. In adulthood, this social isolation can lead to family breakdown, divorce, or even childhood neglect.

Mental health problems frequently put financial and emotional strain on families. For example, a family trying to address a child’s mental illness may exhaust untold funds in search of treatment. Individual family members may also struggle to cope with their own symptoms that require support, such as depression or sleeping problems.

Children who have family members experiencing mental health problems may blame themselves. This can result in loneliness and feelings of being different. It may also lead to future behavioral or social problems. Additionally, as families address their loved ones’ mental health problems, they may socially isolate out of fear of judgment from others, further disrupting their emotional well-being.

Mental Health and Substance Misuse

A clear relationship exists between mental health issues and substance misuse. Each can lead to the other. In fact, one in four people with a serious mental illness also has a substance use disorder, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows that people with mental health issues are also at greater risk of using nonprescription opioids.

People with mental illness consume substances that harm their health at higher rates than people without mental health issues, according to the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Consider the following statistics: 37 percent of individuals with severe mental health issues smoke cigarettes, while only 16 percent of people without mental health issues smoke; nearly a third of adults with severe mental health issues are binge drinkers, compared to a quarter of people without mental health issues who report binge drinking.

Additionally, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reports an increased risk for the development of substance use disorders among children and adolescents with mental disorders. The research shows that children develop mental health issues such as depression and anxiety before they develop substance use disorders, suggesting mental health issues lead to problems with alcohol and drugs.

Mental Health and School

Evidence suggests that poor mental health affects people’s educational success. Many students experiencing mental health issues struggle to form positive relationships with their teachers. They may also find it difficult to concentrate, feel motivated, or follow school rules. This often results in disciplinary measures that can interrupt their learning process.

According to the Child Mind Institute, the suspension/expulsion rate for students with emotional disturbances, for example, is 64 percent. Additionally, every year nearly 28,000 students with mental health issues and other health issues drop out of school. These individuals who drop out are 63 times more likely to end up in jail than college graduates. People with no high school diploma also live 9.2 years less than high school graduates.

Public health professionals know that education levels play an important role in many aspects of a person’s wellness and quality of life. In fact, greater levels of health correlate with higher levels of education. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the mortality rates of people with some colleges are half of those of people who never attend college. Rates of diabetes and asthma are also lower for people who attain higher levels of education.

Mental Health and Work

Mental health issues can also lead to struggles at work. Mental health issues often reduce concentration, which can compromise a person’s productivity. The National Alliance on Mental Illness reports that difficulty focusing often accompanies depression. Reduced productivity can limit one’s ability to earn promotions, excel, and build successful relationships with supervisors and co-workers, which ultimately affects job satisfaction. Mental health issues can also lead to increased absenteeism at work. This can result in job loss or reduced hours, which affects a person’s ability to earn a living.

Job loss can result in the loss of health insurance, and the loss of health insurance reduces people’s access to health care, which can result in untreated health conditions and the inability to receive preventive care. A diminished ability to earn a living can also led to poverty, which affects people’s ability to find housing and receive a quality education, among other things.

Mental Health and Physical Wellness

Mental health issues influence the onset, development, and effects of physical illnesses. Often, high-risk behaviors such as substance misuse and physical inactivity correlate with poor mental health. Research also indicates that mental illness could reduce life expectancy by 20 years, according to a 2019 study published in The Lancet Psychiatry. The study found people with depression have a 40 percent higher chance of developing cardiac disease, hypertension, stroke, and diabetes than the general population. In addition, the study found that mental illness can reduce life expectancy by up to 20 years. Such statistics highlight that public health and mental health are two sides of the same coin.

Having solid mental health doesn’t mean that you never go through bad times or experience emotional problems. We all go through disappointments, loss, and change. And while these are normal parts of life, they can still cause sadness, anxiety, and stress. But just as physically healthy people are better able to bounce back from illness or injury, people with strong mental health are better able to bounce back from adversity, trauma, and stress. This ability is called resilience.

People who are emotionally and mentally resilient have the tools for coping with difficult situations and maintaining a positive outlook. They remain focused, flexible, and productive, in bad times as well as good. Their resilience also makes them less afraid of new experiences or an uncertain future. Even when they don’t immediately know how a problem will get resolved, they are hopeful that a solution will eventually be found.

If you’ve made consistent efforts to improve your mental and emotional health and still aren’t functioning optimally at home, work, or in your relationships, it may be time to seek professional help. Following these self-help steps will still benefit you, though. In fact, input from a caring professional can often help motivate us to take better care of ourselves.

Mental health is very important and paramount. For you to stay good and healthy, you must be emotional, physical, psychological, spiritually and mentally balance.