This document defines concepts of mental health and mental illness. It provides definitions of mental health from experts like Meninger and the American Psychiatric Association. Mental illness is defined as clinically significant dysfunction causing distress or disability. Mental health and illness can be conceptualized based on criteria, models, and characteristics. Criteria include statistical norms, social conformity, and adjustment to environment. Models include the medical, statistical, utopian, and social models. Characteristics of mental health include adjustment abilities and satisfaction in life, while characteristics of mental illness include deviation from norms and maladaptive behaviors.

1. Concept of Mental Health and
Mental illness
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2. Introduction
• Definition of mental Health
Meninger defined mental health as … the
adjustment of human being to the world & to
each other with the maximum of effectiveness
and happiness. The chief characteristic of mental
health is the adjustment.
The American psychiatric association (APA) (2003)
defines mental health as … the successful
performance of mental functions shown by
productive activities, fulfilling relationships with
other People, and the ability to adapt to change
and to cope with adversity.
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3. MENTAL ILLNESS:
• In the DSM-IV (American psychiatric
association 2000),
• A mental disorder should be a manifestation
of behavioural, psychological and / or
biological dysfunction in that person.
• So, psychiatric disorder is defined as clinically
significant psychological or behavioural
syndrome that causes significant distress,
disability or loss of freedom and socially
deviant behaviour to a stressful life event.
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4. • Psychiatric disorder is defined as a disturbance
of (i) cognition (though) or (ii) conation
(action) or (iii) affect on any disequilibrium
between the three. - Niraj Ahuja (1994)
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5. CONCEPT OF NORMALITY & ABNORMALITY
• The term ‘normal’ seems to be derived from
the word “norma” which means a “carpenter”
square or rule. A norm therefore became a
rule, pattern or standard.
• The term “abnormal” with its prefix “ab”
(away from) thus came to signify the deviance
or variation from the normal.
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6. Concept of mental health
Concept of
mental health
and illness
Based on
Criteria
Based on
Models
Based on
Characteristics
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7. Based on Criteria
• A) Six Indicators for Mental health
• B) Normality and abnormality criteria
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8. • Maria Jahoda (1958) has identified a list of 6
indicators that she suggests are a reflection of
mental health.
• A Positive attitude towards self.
• Growth, Development and the ability to achieve
self-actualization (according to age).
• Integration.
• Autonomy.
• Perception of Reality.
• Environmental mastery.
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9. • 1. A positive attitude towards self:
• This includes an objective view of self, including
knowledge and acceptance of strengths and
limitations. The individual feels a strong sense of
personal identity and security within the environment.
• 2. Growth, development and the ability for self-
actualization:
• This indicator correlates whether the individual
successfully achieves the tasks associated with each
level of development.
• 3. Integration:
• Integration includes the ability to adaptively respond to
the environment and the development of a philosophy
of life, both of which help the individual maintain
anxiety at a manageable level in response to stressful
situations.
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10. • 4. Autonomy:
• Refers to the individual’s ability to perform in an
independent self-directed manner; the individual
makes choices and accepts responsibility for the
outcomes.
• 5. Perception of reality:
• This includes perception of the environment without
distortion as well as the capacity for empathy and
social sensitivity, a respect and concern for the wants
and needs of others.
• 6. Environmental mastery:
• This indicator suggests that the individual has achieved
a satisfactory role within the group, society and
environment. He is able to love and accept the love of
others.
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11. Normality and abnormality criteria
Criteria
Descriptive
Statistical criteria
Non Statistical
Explanatory
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12. Statistical Criteria:
• According to this criterion, ‘average’ is normal.
A person is abnormal when he or she deviates
from the ‘average’.
• E.g.: Average height & weight
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13. Non-Statistical Criteria
• Ethical (or) moral criteria:
• For being taken as normal, the behaviour
should be appropriate and desirable from the
view point or ethics or normality.
• Criteria for social conformity:
• Those who conform to societal norms are
considered normal and those who do not care
for them are labeled abnormal.
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14. • Criterion of ideal or perfection:
• Normal behaviour is equated with perfect or
ideal behaviour. Others called Abnormal
behaviour.
• Legal Criterion:
• A law abiding citizen is normal but the one
who violates the law is labeled abnormal.
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15. • Explanatory Criterion:
–Pathological criterion (medical)
–Psychological criterion
–Adjustment criterion
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16. • Pathological or Medical Criterion: It is based
upon a behaviour depends functioning of the
nervous system. In this way all abnormal
people are affected with some mental illness
or disease.
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17. • Psychological criterion: Psychological
functioning, whether defective or normal – is
deciding factor of abnormal / normal
behaviour  Higher mental functioning –
According to environment.
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18. • Adjustment Criterion: A person is said to be
normal or abnormal to extent he feels
adjusted or maladjusted with his self and his
environment. The normal people always
integrate or adjust their needs, motive,
interest and other cognitive aspects with
those but abnormal people not integrated.
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19. Based on Models
• 1. Medical models
• 2. Statistical model
• 3. Utopian model
• 4. Subjective model
• 5. Social model
• 6. Process model
• 7. Continuum model
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20. • Medical Model: Normal mental
health is conceptualized as
absence of disease or psycho
pathology
• Statistical Model: Statistically
normal mental health falls within
2 standard deviation (SDs) of the
normal distribution curve
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21. • Utopian Model:
• In this model, the focus in defining normality
is on “Optimal Functioning”.
• Subjective Model: (Individual)
• Here, says that absence disability or distress or
help – seeking behaviour thereof (i.e.)
individual not affected by any disturbance
through a causes.
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22. • Social Model:
• Normalcy believes that normal person is
expected to behave in a socially permissive
behaviour.
• Process Model:
• Normalcy as a dynamic and changing process
rather than as a static concept. Along with
this combined with any other model
mentioned here.
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23. • Continuum Model:
• Normality and abnormality as falling at the
two ends of a continuum, rather than being
disparate entities.
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24. Based on Characteristics
• Characteristics of mentally healthy individual:
• Has ability to make adjustment.
• He solves his problems.
• Decision making
• Has sense of personal worth
• Has a philosophy of living.
• Develop a capacity to tolerate frustrations.
• Shows emotional maturity.
• Enjoyment of play, leisure and spare time activities.
• Finds satisfaction
• He feels secure in a group
• The person has a variety of interests and generally lives
a well-balanced life of work, rest and recreation.DEBR's

25. Characteristics of mental illness
• Abnormal means ‘away from the normal’. The
terms used in abnormality will include;
• Abnormal as deviation from societal norms.
• Abnormal as mal adaptive.
• Abnormal behaviour.
• maladaptive behaviour.
• Emotional disturbance.
• Behavioural problems.
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