Many people are now calling for the awareness of mental health, but what is it, truly? Here are the key facts that you need to know about mental health and well-being. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to contribute to her or his community.”

To determine if you have a flourishing, positive mental health or a poor state of mind, there are several factors to consider.

Determinants of mental health

Social, psychological, and biological factors come into play when it comes to determining the status of your mental health. Studies have shown that socio-economic factors, such as poverty or and level of education, may affect that state of one’s mental health.

Psychological and biological factors are also significant as well. It has been a well-proven fact that some people are genetically predisposed to certain mental illnesses. Some personality types have also been shown to be more vulnerable to mental illnesses than others.

But, most importantly, mental illnesses have been found to be linked to certain chemicals in the brain. One of the contributing factors to mental illnesses is the chemical imbalances that are happening in the brain. These imbalances can be thoroughly seen in brain scans.

Knowing these, how can we say if one has a flourishing, positive mental health, or the opposite?

Positive mental health vs. poor mental health 

Positive mental health is a state of mind when a person has a high level of well-being. A person with positive mental health has better learning, better relationships, greater productivity, and better health. They are also more social, optimistic, tolerant, and inclusive.

Felicia Huppert, director of the WellBeing Institute at the University of Cambridge, has given 10 attributes that define positive mental health. If you feel most of them, then you are most likely to have a positive state of mental health.

• Positive emotions: how happy do you feel?
• Engagement: having interest in your work and activities
• Relationships: keeping in touch with people who you care for and care about you
• Meaning and purpose: feeling that you are doing something valuable in life
• Accomplishment: feeling that you feel accomplished and competent
• Emotional stability: feeling calm and peaceful
• Optimism: feeling positive about your life and your future
• Resilience: being able to stand back up in the face of adversity
• Self-esteem: feeling positive about yourself
• Vitality: feeling energetic

On the other hand, poor mental health is the opposite of positive mental health. Poor mental health is associated with the emotional distress and psychosocial impairment. If you feel these things instead of the 10 attributes of positive mental health, then perhaps you have a poor mental health. 

However, it does not mean that having poor mental health is equivalent to having a mental illness. A person can have positive mental health with a mental illness or have a poor mental health without a mental illness. This is because mental health well-being and mental illness are found in separate, but intersecting continuum as explained by the figure above.

Source:

http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/mental_health/en/
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs220/en/
http://www.abc.net.au/health/features/stories/2014/09/11/4085497.htm
http://wmhp.cmhaontario.ca/workplace-mental-health-core-concepts-issues/what-is-mental-health-and-mental-illness

Contributed by: Allison Julianne Macasaet
She is a freelance writer on the side, a student of international relations on the other. Interests include fantasy books, international relations, and lifestyle.