2. Mental health refers to our positive characteristics and overall psychological well-
being. It includes emotional, psychological and social well-being.
Mental Health and Wellness
An individual possessing positive mental health realize his/her full potential;
cope with the stresses of life; work productively; and make meaningful contributions
to the family and community.
Positive mental Health include:
Connecting with others Getting enough sleep
Staying physically active Getting professional help if you need it
Helping others Developing coping skills
Factors that Contribute to Mental Health Problems
Over the course of your life, if you experience mental health problems, your
thinking, mood, and behaviour could be affected.
3. Biological Factors – these are microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and
other microscopic parasites, cell cultures, human endoparasites and components
can cause damage to health in humans.
Life Experiences – Circumstances and situations like the feeling of insecurity;
loss of love one; birth trauma, brain injury, or drug abuse, etc. can also cause
damage to mental health.
Family History of Mental health Problems – Most psychiatric disorders are
highly heritable or transmissible from parent to offspring.
What Biological Factors are involved in Mental Illness?
Some mental illness have been linked to abnormal functioning of nerve cell
circuits or pathways that connect particular brain regions. Nerve cells within these
brain circuits communicate through chemicals called neurotransmitters.
4. Common Mental Illness
1. Anxiety - it is a nervous disorder characterized by a state of excessive
uneasiness and apprehension with compulsive behaviour or panic attacks.
2. Bipolar Affective Disorder – formerly called manic depression, is a
mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional
highs ( mania or hypomania ) and lows (depression )
3. Schizophrenia – it is a mental disorder of a type involving a breakdown
in the relation between thought, emotion, and behaviour, leading to faulty perception,
inappropriate actions and feelings, withdrawal from reality and personal relationships
into fantasy and delusion, and a sense of mental fragmentation.
4. Dementia – it is general term for a decline in mental ability severe
enough to interfere with daily life. It is not a specific disease. It is characterized by
memory loss.
