Mental health is
a state of balance between the individual and the surrounding world, state of
harmony between oneself and others, a co-existence between the realities of the
self and that of other people and the environment.
Components of Mental
Health
1) The ability to accept self: A mentally
fit person feels comfortable about himself. He feels reasonably secure and
adequately accepts his shortcomings.
2) The Capacity to feels right towards others: An
individual who enjoys good mental health is able to be sincerely interested in
others welfare. He is able to feel a part of a group without being submerged by
it. He takes responsibility for his neighbours and his fellow members.
3) The ability to fulfil life's tasks:
It bestows on an individual the ability to meet the demand of life. A mentally
healthy person is able to think for himself, set a reasonable goal and to take
his own decisions. He does something about the problems as they arise. He takes
responsibilities and is not bowled over by his own emotions of fear, anger,
love or guilt.
The Criterion for Mental
Health
1) Adequate contact with reality
2) Control of thoughts and imagination
3) Efficiency in work and play
4) Social acceptance
5) Positive self-concept
6) A healthy emotional life
Indicators of Mental
Health
- Positive attitude towards self: This
includes an objective view of self, including knowledge and acceptance of
strengths and limitations. A person feels a strong sense of personal
identity and security within the environment.
- Growth, development and the ability for
self-actualization: It correlates with whether the individual successfully
achieves the tasks associated with each level of development.
- Integration: It includes the ability to
adaptively respond to the environment and the development of a philosophy of
life. They help individuals to maintain anxiety at a manageable level in
response to stressful situations.
- Autonomy: It refers to the individual's
ability to perform in an independent self-directed the manner where the
individual makes choices and accepts responsibility for the outcomes.
- Perception of reality: This includes a
perception of the environment without distortion as well as the capacity for
empathy and social sensitivity- respect and concern for the wants and needs of
others.
- Environmental mastery: It suggests that
the individual has achieved a satisfactory role within the group, society or
environment. He is able to love and accepts the love of others.
Qualities of a Mentally
Healthy Person
1) He has the ability to make adjustments.
2) He has a sense of personal worth feels worthwhile and
important.
3) He solves his problems by his own efforts and makes his
own decisions.
4) He has a sense of personal security and feels secure in
a group shows understanding of other people's problems and motives.
5) He has a sense of responsibility.
6) He can give and accept love.
7) He lives in a world of reality rather than fantasy.
8) He shows emotional maturity in his behaviour and develops
a capacity to tolerate frustration and disappointments in his daily life.
9) He has developed a philosophy of life that gives meaning
and purpose to his daily activities.
10) He has a variety of interests and generally lives a
well-balanced life of work, rest and recreation.
Thus mental health would include not only the absence of
diagnosis labels such as schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder but
also the ability to cope with the stressors of daily living, freedom from anxieties
and generally an optimistic outlook towards life vicissitudes and to cope with
those.
