2. CONTENT
• What is mental health?
• Criteria of mental health
• positive mental health
• What is mental illness?
• Factors influencing Mental health
3. A. MENTAL
HEALTH
I. Definition of mental health:
The World Health Organization defines mental health
as:
• “... a state of well-being in which the individual
realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the
normal stresses of life, can work productively and
fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or
her community” (WHO 2001).
• Mental health doesn't mean the absence of mental
illness but rather the presence of something
positive.
• We say that someone is mentally healthy when we
observe in the person a balance between the
integrated body, mind and spirit and the
environment.
• Mental health; is the adjustment of human beings
through his interaction with the environment to
maintain satisfactory equilibrium.
4. NORMALITY
OR POSITIVE
MENTAL
HEALTH?
• While normality implies the absence of
psychopathology, positive mental health goes
beyond normality.
• Researchers agree that positive mental health
is more than the absence of mental illness; it
represents the enhancement of human
potential.
• Although a person may not have symptoms
of mental illness, he or she may not have
positive mental health, especially in the
absence of self-confidence, self-actualization,
integration, autonomy, reality perception, and
environmental mastery.
5. II. HEALTH -
ILLNESS
CONTINUUM
Health is a dynamic state that fluctuates
as a person adapts to changes in the
internal and external environments to
maintain a state of wellbeing. As health
and illness are relative qualities existing in
varying degrees, it is more accurate to
consider health and illness in terms of a
scale or continuum, rather than an
absolute state.
6. III.
CRITERIA
FOR
MENTAL
HEALTH
• Adequate contact with reality
• Control of thoughts and
imagination
• Efficiency in work and play
• Social acceptance
• Positive self-concept
• A healthy emotional life
7. IV. POSITIVE
MENTAL
HEALTH/
INDICATION
FOR MENTAL
HEALTH
The concept of positive mental health was developed
by Marie Jahoda. In her classic book, Current Concepts
of Positive Mental Health (1958), Jahoda identified the
following six approaches to the definition of positive
mental health and works as an indication of mental
health:
1) positive attitude toward own self;
2) growth, development, and self-actualization;
3) integration;
4) autonomy;
5) perception of reality; and
6) environmental mastery.
8. 1) POSITIVE AT TITUDE TOWARD OWN SELF:
• Acceptance of self, self-confidence, and self-reliance
characterizes the mentally healthy person.
• An important attribute of positive mental health includes the
understanding of one’s strengths and weaknesses, coupled
with the conviction that one’s positive characteristics
outweigh the negative traits. Independence, initiative, and
self-esteem are other indicators of positive mental health.
9. 2) growth, development, and self-actualization;
This indicator correlates with whether the individual
successfully achieves the tasks associated with each level of
development .
3) integration:
The focus here is on maintaining equilibrium or balance
among various life processes.
10. 4) autonomy;
• This is related to the individual’s ability to make his own decision without
external influence and accept responsibility for the outcomes.
5) perception of reality;
• accurate reality perception is a positive indicator of mental health. This includes
the perception of the environment without distortion.
6)environmental mastery.
• the ability to adapt, adjust and behave according to culturally approved
standards. It also includes the ability to solve problems.
11. B.
MENTAL
ILLNESS
I. Definition of mental illness:
• Mental illness is a medical condition that disrupts a
person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to
others and, daily functioning.
• Mental illness can occur when the brain (or part of
the brain) is not working well or is working in the
wrong way.
• The American Psychiatric Association defined
mental illness or disorder as: an illness with
psychologic or behavioral manifestations and/or
impairment in functioning due to social,
psychological, genetic, physical or biological
disturbance.
12. II.
CHARACTERI
STICS OF
MENTAL
ILLNESS
• Changes in one’s thinking, memory,
perception, feeling & judgment
resulting in changes in talk & behavior
which appear to be deviant from the
previous personality or from the norms
of the community.
• These changes in behavior cause
distress & suffering to the individual or
others or both.
• Changes & the consequent distress
cause disturbance in day-to-day
activities, work & relationships with
important others (social & vocational
dysfunction).
13. C. FACTORS
INFLUENCING
MENTAL
HEALTH/
CAUSES :
• Genetic factors often play an important role in the
development of mental disorders.
• Physical factors – brain injuries/ trauma, accidents, birth
injuries/ developmental disorders.
• Psychological factors – These events are so traumatic
that the person feels incapable of handling the events
• Social factors- Social problems especially those that
cause stress are recognized as a cause of mental health
eg poverty, failure in school, abuse, unemployment,
violence , high incidence of HIV (human
immunodeficiency virus).
14. D. MENTAL
HEALTH
PROMOTION IS
CONCERNED
WITH ACHIEVING
POSITIVE MENTAL
HEALTH AND
QUALITY OF LIFE.
GENERAL
INTERVENTIONS
COULD BE:
• Early childhood interventions eg
home visiting for pregnant women,
pre-school psychosocial
interventions, etc.
• Support to children (eg skills-
building programs, child and youth
development programs).
• Socio-economic empowerment (
eg improving access to education).
• Social support to old age
populations.
• Programs targeted at vulnerable
groups .
15. • Mental health promotion activities in schools.
• Mental health interventions at work eg stress prevention
programs.
• Housing policies eg house improvements.
• Violence prevention programs eg community policing
initiatives المجتمعية الشرطة مبادرات
• Community development programs.
