Mental health is an integral part and essential component of health. The WHO Constitution states: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” An important implication of this definition is that mental health is not only the absence of mental disorders and disabilities.
Mental health is a state of well-being in which a person realizes his or her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively, and contribute to their community. In this positive sense, mental health is fundamental to individual well-being and the effective functioning of communities.
Mental health is essential to our collective and individual ability as sentient beings to think, express emotions, communicate with each other, earn a living and enjoy life. Given this fact, promoting, protecting and restoring mental health can be seen as vital action by individuals, communities and communities around the world.
Determinants of mental health
The level of mental health of a person at any given time is determined by numerous social, psychological and biological factors. For example, violence and persistent socio-economic pressure are recognized as risk factors for mental health. The clear evidence relates to sexual violence.
Poor mental health is also associated with rapid social change, stressful work conditions, gender discrimination, social exclusion, unhealthy lifestyles, physical ill health, and human rights violations.
There are also specific psychological and personality factors that make people vulnerable to mental health problems. Biological risks include genetic factors.
Portrait of the desired result
Thus, if you draw up a highly generalized portrait of the inner world of a healthy person based on the characteristics highlighted above, then you can see a person who is creative, spontaneous, enjoying his life, cheerful, open to something new, who never stops learning about himself and his surrounding world, not only using reason, but also using your intuition and sensuality.
Such a person fully accepts his own personality, while realizing the value and absolute uniqueness of the people that surround him. He is also in constant self-improvement and helps other people with this.
Such a person first of all takes responsibility for his own life and learns useful lessons from unsuccessful situations. His life, of course, is filled with meaning, which he himself found.
They usually say about such people that “he is in harmony” both with himself and with the world that surrounds him. From this we can identify a key word to describe the term “mental health”. That word would be “harmony.”
Promoting and protecting mental health
Mental health promotion includes activities that promote psychological health. These may include creating an environment that supports mental health.
An environment in which fundamental civil, political, socio-economic and cultural rights are respected and protected is the foundation of mental health. Without the security and freedom provided by these rights, maintaining a high level of mental health is difficult.
National mental health policies should focus on mental disorders and broader aspects that promote mental health. Mental health promotion needs to be integrated into policies and programmes. In addition to the health sector, sectors such as education, employment, justice, transport, environment, housing and social welfare need to be involved in addressing these issues.
Specific ways to promote mental health include:
- early childhood interventions (for example, creating a stable environment that meets children's health and nutritional needs, provides protection from hazards, and opportunities for early learning and interaction with others in a responsive, emotionally supportive, and developmentally stimulating manner);
- child support (eg skills programmes, child and young people development programmes);
- providing socio-economic opportunities to women (for example, improving access to education and microcredit schemes);
- social support for older people (eg matchmaking initiative, local day centers for older people);
- programs targeting vulnerable people, including minorities, indigenous peoples, migrants and people affected by conflict and natural disasters (for example, psychosocial interventions after natural disasters);
- interventions to promote mental health in schools (eg programs supporting environmental change in schools);
- interventions to promote mental health in the workplace (eg stress prevention programmes);
- housing policies (eg improving housing conditions);
- violence prevention programs (for example, limiting access to alcohol and weapons);
- community development programs (e.g., Communities that Care initiatives, integrated rural development);
- poverty reduction and social protection of the poor;
- anti-discrimination laws and campaigns;
- Strengthening the empowerment and care of people with mental disorders.
Various states
The state of a person’s psychological health has several levels. First comes the creative (high) level. This is stable adaptability to the environment and the presence of a reserve of strength to overcome stress, plus an active life position.
Next comes the adaptive (medium level). It includes people who are normally adapted to society, but at the same time feel some anxiety. They are not adapted to situations beyond their understanding.
The last level (low) is called maladaptive. People of this level are characterized by a desire to adapt to circumstances, but at the same time they do not pay attention to their capabilities and desires. Or, on the contrary, they take an “attacking” position, wanting to subordinate the world to their desires. Such people, as a rule, need individual lessons and psychological help.
There is a favorite expression of psychiatrists that there are no completely healthy people, there are only underexamined ones. Data from E. Shaposhnikov indicate that only twenty-five or thirty percent of the population has the full range of normal psychological indicators. Moreover, in certain life situations, even the most “normal” people can react somewhat unusually.
Approximately fifty percent of people balance on the edge of mental norms and certain deviations. With all this, approximately five percent are considered mentally abnormal and require qualified help. These indicators vary slightly in different countries.
Mental health care and treatment
In the context of national efforts to develop and implement mental health policies, it is critical not only to protect and promote the mental well-being of citizens, but also to address the needs of persons with specific mental disorders.
Over the past decade, understanding of what needs to be done to address the growing burden of mental disorders has improved significantly. There is growing evidence that key interventions for priority mental disorders are effective and cost-effective in countries at different levels of economic development. Examples of such actions that are cost effective, feasible and affordable include:
- treating depression with psychotherapy and, in cases of moderate or severe depression, antidepressants;
- treatment of psychosis with antipsychotic drugs in combination with psychosocial support;
- taxation of alcoholic beverages and restrictions on their sale and advertising.
In addition, there are a number of effective interventions for suicide prevention, prevention and treatment of mental disorders in children, prevention and treatment of dementia, and treatment of substance use disorders. The WHO Mental Health Gap Action Program (mhGAP) has developed evidence-based guidelines for lay people to identify and manage a range of priority mental health disorders.
Agreement with yourself
A psychologically normal person has various aspects in harmony, which include mental, intellectual, physical and emotional. The criteria by which one can determine how healthy a certain person is are actually quite vague.
The very concepts of mental and psychological health of the individual and their norms are mostly determined by customs, traditions, moral principles, cultural and social characteristics of the community.
The ancient Vikings had such warriors, they were called “berserkers”. During the battle, they were able to fall into a state of some kind of combat trance. Such a person was simply irreplaceable on the battlefield, but outside this field the behavior of such a warrior can hardly be called adequate.
A not too sensitive and even cynical pathologist in his profession is able to realize his potential more than fully, while outside of his working atmosphere he may look somewhat strange in the eyes of other people.
The norm itself is a balance between adaptation to reality and reality itself, this is the task of developing one’s personality and self-affirmation, along with a sense of responsibility and some mental energy potential and activity. The norm is also the ability to overcome difficulties on the path of life and accept the challenge of the world around us.
WHO activities
WHO supports governments in their efforts to improve mental health. WHO analyzes evidence on promoting mental health and works with governments to disseminate this information and incorporate effective strategies into policies and plans.
In 2013, the World Health Assembly approved the Comprehensive Action Plan for Mental Health for the period 2013–2020. The plan reflects the commitment of all WHO Member States to take concrete action to improve mental health and contribute to achieving global goals.
The overarching goals of the Action Plan are to promote mental well-being, prevent mental disorders, provide health care, promote recovery, strengthen human rights and reduce mortality, morbidity and disability of people with mental disorders. This plan aims to achieve 4 objectives:
- strengthen effective leadership and governance in mental health;
- provide comprehensive, integrated and responsive health and social care at the primary level;
- implement mental health promotion and mental health prevention strategies; And
- Strengthen mental health information systems, evidence and research.
The action plan places particular emphasis on the protection and promotion of human rights, the strengthening and empowerment of civil society, and the centrality of health care at primary level.
To achieve the plan's objectives, the Action Plan proposes and requires controversial actions on the part of governments, international partners and WHO. Ministries of health will need to take leadership, and WHO will work with them and international and national partners, including civil society, to implement the plan. Since there is no one-size-fits-all action, each country's government will have to tailor the Action Plan to its specific national circumstances.
