Mentalhygiene&mentalhealth

1. MENTAL HYGIENE
AND MENTAL
HEALTH
MRS U SREEVIDYA
MSC NURSING

2. MENTAL HEALTH
 Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social
well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps
determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make
choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from
childhood and adolescence through adulthood.
Definition
 Mental Health is defined as “A state of well-being in which every
individual realizes his or her own potential, 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.”

3. MENTAL HEALTH
I. Definition
♣ The successful performance of mental
function, resulting in productive activities,
fulfilling relationships with other people and
the ability to adapt to change and cope with
adversity;

4. MENTAL HEALTH MEANS…
♣ How a person:
looks at own’s self
looks at own’s life and the others
thinks, feels, and acts when faced with life's
situations
evaluates those challenges and problems, and
explore choices. i.e. handling stress, relating
to other people, and making decisions.

5. MENTAL HYGIENE
♣ Developing, maintaining and promoting
necessary behavioral, emotional and social
skills to sustain good, effective and efficient
mental health.

6. CHARACTERISTICS OF MENTALLY HEALTHY
PERSON
 They feel good about themselves:
 They are not overwhelmed by their own emotions,
fears, anger, love, jealousy, guilt or worries.
 They can take life’s disappointments in their
stride.
 They have a tolerant, easygoing attitude towards
themselves as well as others and they can laugh at
themselves.
 They neither underestimate nor overestimate their
abilities.

7.  They can accept their own shortcomings.
 They have self-respect.
 They feel able to deal with most situations.
 They can take pleasure in simple, everyday things.
 They feel comfortable with other people.
 They are able to give love and consider the interests of
others.
 They have personal relationships that are satisfying
and lasting
 They like and trust others, and feel that others will
like and trust them.

8.  They respect the many differences they find in
people.
 They do not take advantage of others nor allow
others to take advantage of them.
 They feel they can be part of a group.
 They feel a sense of responsibility to fellow human
beings.
 They are able to meet the demands of life:
 They do something about their problems as they
arise.

18. BASIC STRATEGIES
1. Reality Contact
• having a realistic appraisal of one’s own
reactions, emotions and abilities.
2. Impulse Control
• being in complete control over your impulse
behaviors.

19. BASIC STRATEGIES
3. Self-Esteem
• evaluative component of self
• also includes self-concept which is the
awareness about oneself
4. Positive Thoughts
• developing the power of positive thinking
which generates positive emotions

24. Mental Health
Mental Hygiene
Mental Wellness
Mental status has two possibilities:
either health or illness/disorder
are terms used to
describe the
absence of mental
illness

25.  In our life, if we experience mental health
problems, our thinking, mood, and behavior could
be affected.
 Many factors contribute to mental health
problems, including:
 Biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry
 Life experiences, such as trauma or abuse
 Family history of mental health problems

26. Mental Illness
 An illness with psychological or behavioral
manifestation and/or impairment in
functioning, dueto social, psychological,
biological
Psychiatric
genetic, physical or
disturbances.” (American
Association).
“Mentally ill person means a person who is in
need of treatment by reason of any mental
disorder other than mental
retardation”(Indian Mental Health Act, 1987

27. LACK OF MENTAL HEALTH AND HYGIENE AWARENESS WILL
LEAD PEOPLE TO:
1. Stress
2. Problems relating to
interpersonal relationships
3. Depression
4. Anxiety
5. Tension
6. Adjustment
7. Hassles (day to day
problems)
8. Family problems
9. Sexual problems

28. WARNING SIGNS OF POOR MENTAL HEALTH

31. EXAMPLES OF MENTAL DISORDERS
1. Depression/ Bipolar disorder
2. Anxiety Disorder
3. Schizophrenia
4. Obsessive-Compulsive disorder
5. Stress disorder
6. Social phobia
7. Eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia or
over eating)
8. Addiction

32.  Developing, maintaining and promoting necessary behavioral,
emotional and social skills to sustain good, effective and
efficient mental health.
 Mental hygiene is
The branch of psychiatry that deals with the science and practice of
maintaining and restoring mental health, and of preventing mental
disorder through education, early treatment, and public health
measures.
 Mental Hygiene is a branch of psychology which deals with the
mental, behavioral and emotional adjustment through the
application of principles and practices which have some
scientific foundation or truth.
Mental Hygiene

33. BETTER MENTAL HEALTH FOR ALL
1. To reduce stigma and discrimination against people with
mental illnesses
2. To achieve equity for mental health care
comparable to other health care
OBJECTIVES:
3. To advance promotion, prevention and early intervention
services for children and their families
4. To increase public awareness worldwide about mental
health and mental illness and to stimulate local actions to
address those issues

35. There are three known ways to which the principles and practices of mental
hygiene are done.
 1. The preventive approach - This is base on the principle that the best way to
insure a well-adjusted individual is to surround him with environmental
influences that will enable him to develop his full potentialities, to obtain
emotional stability, and achieve personal and social adequacy.
 2. The therapeutic method - concerned with the attempt to correct minor
behavioral adjustment through the various counselling and techniques of
psychotherapy, adjust to the social and/or physical environment of the person
in order to help him obtain the amount of emotional security and self-
confidence necessary.
 3.The curative approach - This is sometimes called "preventive psychiatry". It
is concerned with the detection and correction of serious but curative
behavioural maladjustments.
PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES OF MENTAL HYGIENE

36. PREVENTIVE APPROACH
BEHAVIORS WHICH SUSTAIN GOOD HEALTH
1. Right Food (Ahara)
2. Right Routine (Achara)
3. Right Recreation (Vihara)
4. Right Thinking (Vichara)
According to Ayurveda,
the Science of Indian Medicine

37. DEFENSE MECHANISMS
 Ways people deal with stresses in their
lives.
 Used to try to solve problems, hide or
counterbalance feelings or actions.
 do not usually get rid of the problem,
and are often negative or not a very
effective way to deal with stress.

38. Mental defence mechanism or ego
defence mechanism
INTRODUCTION:-
 Sigmund Freud in 1904 used this term “defence mechanism” to refer
to the unconscious process that defends or protects a person against
anxiety, shame, loss of self esteem, conflict or unacceptable feelings.
 According to Freud, when Id is in serious conflict with ego and
superego, the individual suffer from tension or anxiety.
 Defence mechanism enables a person to resolve
conflict and reduce the stress and anxiety.
 Usually all defence mechanisms are operated at
unconscious level.
 Most of defence mechanisms are self-deceptive in nature.

39. A defence
mechanism is the
act or technique of
coping
mechanisms that
reduce anxiety
generated by
threats from
unacceptable or
negative impulses.
The process is
usually
unconscious .
Meaning :-

40.  For example :- if you are faced with a particularly
unpleasant task our mind may choose to forget
your responsibility in order to avoid the dreaded
assignment . In addition to forgetting , other
defence mechanism include rationalization ,
denial , repression , rejection etc .

41. Definition:
- in Freudian Psychoanalytical theory,
Defence Mechanism are psychological
strategies brought into play by the
unconscious mind to manipulate , deny or
distort reality in order to defend against
feelings of anxiety & unacceptable
impulses to maintain one’s self schema .
 Defence Mechanism , in Psychoanalytical
theory , any of a group mental processes
that enables the mid to reach compromise
solutions to conflicts that is unable to
resolve .

42. DEFINITION:-
Defence mechanism is a pattern of adjustment through which an
individual relieves anxiety caused by an uncomfortable situation
that threaten self-esteem.
 When these defence mechanisms are used moderately are
harmless but excessive and persistent defence use is harmful.
CLASSIFICATION OF DEFENCE MECHANISM:-
These defence mechanisms are classified according to its results-
 Positive defence mechanism
 negative defence mechanism
POSITIVE DEFENCE MECHANISMS:-
1. Compensation
2. Substitution
3. Sublimation
4. Rationalization
5. Repression
6. Undoing

43. 7. Identification
8. Transference
9. Intellectualization
10. Introjection
11. Direct attack
NEGATIVE DEFENCE MECHANISMS:-
1. Suppression
2. Displacement
3. Projection
4. Regression
5. Fixation
6. Fantasy
7. Reaction formation
8. Conversion
9. Dissociation
10. Denial
11. Acting out

44. POSITIVE DEFENCE MECHANISMS
1. COMPENSATION:-
Compensation is a pattern
by which tension or
anxiety relieved by an
individual make up for
personal weakness.
 EXAMPLE:-
 A student who fails in his
studies may compensate
by becoming the college
champion in atheletics.
 a plain girl, who cannot
compete with her more
beautiful sisters, may
compensate by studying
hard and come 1st in her
class.

45. Compensation: people overachieve in one area
to compensate for failures in another
Ex. Becoming good at a sport to overcome
insecurities in other areas

46. 2. SUBSTITUTION:-
It is a mechanism by which
tension or anxiety reduced
by replacing the
unachievable goal with
achievable goal.
EXAMPLE:
 A student who has not been
able to get admission to the
MBBS course may try to
substitute it with a course of
physiotherapy or nursing.
 A person aspire to become a
national level cricket player
and not selected. He may
substitue this goal by being a
coach at college level.

47. 3. SUBLIMATION:-
It is a mechanism that causes
channelization of socially
unacceptable desires into
acceptable form.
In this mechanism primitive
impulses are transferred or
directed to a socially useful
goal.
EXAMPLE:-
A teenage boy with strong
competitive and aggressive
feelings becomes a football
player.
A young man who has lost his
lover may turn to write
poetry about love.
A person who has aggressive
feeling and cannot express
in society can become a
soldier or boxer.

48. Sublimation: redirecting bad or
unacceptable behavior/emotions
into positive behavior.
• We sublimate the desire to fight into the
ritualistic activities of formal competition.
Ex. When I’m angry, I box at the gym.

49. 4. RATIONALIZATION:-
It is a defence mechanism in
which an individual justifies
his failures and socially
unacceptable feelings and
behaviors by making
excuses or formulate
logical reasons / socially
approved reasons.
EXAMPLE:
 A husband does not enjoy
the company of wife outside
the home and usually leave
his wife at home. He gives
logic that his wife is social
shy.
 A girl fails to get admission
for the nursing course may
point out a number of
difficulties of nursing
profession.
 A person without a vehicle
says that he does not want
to risk his life by driving.

50. Rationalization: Creating false but
plausible excuses to justify unacceptable
behavior
Ex. A student stealing money from a wealthy
friend of his, telling himself “Well he is rich, he
can afford to lose it.”

51. 5. REPRESSION:-
Repression is a process of
unconscious forgetfulness of
our unpleasant experiences.
Repression is the involuntary
blocking of unpleasant
feelings and experiences
from one’s awareness.
6. UNDOING:-
Undoing is the act symbolically
cancelling or reversing out a
previous act which is
unaccetable.
EXAMPLE:-
A man is jealous of his good
friend’s success but is unaware
of his feeling of jealousy.
EXAMPLE:
A daughter shout at her father as
there is no petrol in the car and
is getting late for office, brings
a favourite film for her father to
watch.
This is an example of undoing
her behavior of shouting and
then bringing a film.

52.  Repression: Burying a painful
feeling or thoughts from your
awareness though it may
resurface in symbolic form
Ex. A little girl’s memory of being molested when
she was a toddler might become a repressed
memory. The little girl will completely forget
about this experience, until the memory
might resurface years later.

53. 7. IDENTIFICATION:-
Through this process, an
individual attempts to
increase self worth by
acquiring certain attributes
and characteristics of an
another individual one
admires.
It plays a large part in the
development of personality.
In this individual feels personal
satisfaction in the success
and achievement of other
group or person.
EXAMPLE:-
The young son of a famous
civil rights worker adopts his
father’s attitudes and
behavior with the intent of
pursuing similar aspirations.
An illiterate father often takes
his son’s higher education
as his own achievement.

54. 8. TRANSFERENCE:-
In transference, the image of
one person is unconsciously
identified with that of
another.
EXAMPLE:-
A patient who is fond of his
daughter finds the nurse of
the same age and height as
his daughter. So he transfer
his positive emotions to the
nurse as his daughter.
It is also possible that if he
dislikes his daughter he
transfers his negative
emotions to the nurse by
being rude, abusive, or
aggressive without any
cause.

55. 9. INTELLECTUALIZATION:-
Intellectualization is an attempt
to avoid expressing actual
emotions associated with a
stressful situation by using the
intellectual processes of logic,
reasoning and analysis.
10. INTROJECTION:-
In introjection the values and
characteristics of significant
persons are incorporated in
one’s personality.
EXAMPLE:-
a young professor receives a
letter from his fiancee
breaking off their
engagement. He shows no
emotion when discussing this
with his best friend.
Instead he analyzes his
fiancee’s behavior and tries to
reason why the relationship
failed
EXAMPLE:-
A women who likes to live in a
simple way introjects in her
the sophisticated way, of
living like her husband.

56. 11. Direct Attack: recognize the heart
of the problem
• Work to solve the problem
• The goals must be realistic
Ex. “If I look at this realistically,
I can set my goals and overcome this
problem”

57. NEGATIVE DEFENCE
MECHANISMS:-
some defence mechanisms have negative impact over relations or
development of person.
1. SUPPRESSION:-
Suppression is the voluntary
blocking of unpleasant
feelings and experiences
from one’s awareness to
avoid discomfort and
anxiety.
EXAMPLE:-
Student consciously decides
not to think about her insult
in examinations hall so that
he can study effectively.
A patient may refuse to
consider his difficulties by
saying that he does not want
to talk about it.

58. 2. DISPLACEMENT:-
In this defence mechanism an
unconsciously emotional feeling
is transferred to person or object
who are less dangerous than
those who initially aroused the
emotion.
An individual who is using
displacement is unaware of this
at that time, but later he can
realize it.
EXAMPLE:-
A person who is angry with his
boss but cannot show it for
fear of losing the job may
fight with his wife on return
from the office.

59. Displacement: the transfer of negative
emotions from one person or thing to
an unrelated person or thing.
Ex. “I did so poorly on my SAT,I’ll just go
home and kick my dog.”

60. 3. PROJECTION:-
Placing blame for own
difficulties upon others.
Here, others are seen as
responsible for own
mistakes.
One’s own unacceptable
feelings and thoughts are
expressed as they are due
to others.
EXAMPLE:-
A surgeon who did mistake in
operation may insist that it
happened because theatre
nurse and ward boy did their
task badly.
A businessperson who values
punctuality is late for a
meeting and states , “sorry
I’m late. My assistant forgot
to remind me of the time.

61. Projection: Blame other people
or things for your failure
• Use a scapegoat
Ex. “It’s my math teacher’s fault I failed the
test”

62. 4. REGRESSION:-
Regression means an immature
way of responding to a stress
or go backwards.
In this the adult revert back to an
earlier developmental level in
order to deal with reality.
An individual does less mature
form of behavior when faced
with difficulties, where he finds
less conflict hence less anxiety.
Adults too may regress to the
oral stage of development and
suck their thumb when life gets
stressful.
EXAMPLE:-
Nurse makes an error in giving
medication and starts crying.
A person who is depressed may
withdraw to his or her room,
curl up in a fetal position on the
bed.

63. Regression: using childlike ways for
expressing emotions.
Ex. Crying, name calling, throwing things,
swearing.

64. 5. FIXATION:-
Fixation refers to the point in
the individual’s
development at which
certain aspects of the
emotional development do
not advance.
6. FANTACY:-
Fantacy is used to gratify
frustrated desires by
imaginary achievements
and wishful thinking.
The tendency of day
dreaming is most common
during adolescence.
EXAMPLE:-
Thumb sucking continuously
till adult age.
An unmarried, middle aged
man still depends on his
mother to provide his basic
needs.
EXAMPLE:-
A young boy who could not
help his ailing father due to
shortage of money, day
dreams that he has got lot
of money from lottery ticket
and his father, mother and
family members has best of
the facilities for everything.

65. Daydreaming: escaping from an
unpleasant situation by
using your imagination.
• Living in a fantasy world
Ex. “I love animals so much, so even if I fail
biology, I can still be a veterinarian”

66. 7. REACTION
FORMATION:-
 In this defence
mechanism the
unacceptable real
feelings are repressed
and acceptable opposite
feelings are expressed.
 It is defined as
unconscious
transformation of
unacceptable impulse into
exactly opposite attitudes,
impulse, feelings or
behaviors.
EXAMPLE:-
Women who actually dislike
her mother in law hide her
feelings by being always
nice to her.

67.  Reaction Formation: is the
converting of unwanted or
dangerous thoughts, feelings or
impulses into their opposites.
Ex. A woman who is very angry with her boss and would
like to quit her job may instead be overly kind and
generous toward her boss and express a desire to
keep working there forever. She is incapable of
expressing the negative emotions of anger and
unhappiness with her job, and instead becomes
overly kind to publicly demonstrate her lack of
anger and unhappiness.

68. 8. CONVERSION:-
In this pattern of defence
mechanism strong
emotional conflicts which
are not expressed are
converted into physical
symptoms.
It has two benefit for person-
 It resolves the conflict
 It brings him a great deal of
attention and sympathy.
EXAMPLE:-
A student nurse, who is very
anxious about her
examination, may develop a
headache.

69. 9. DISSOCIATION:-
Dissociation is involuntary
suppression of a mental
function from rest of
personality in a manner that
allows expression of
forbidden unconscious
impulse without having any
sense of responsibility for
actions.
EXAMPLE:-
Partial amnesia.

70. 10. DENIAL:-
Any individual refuses to face
the reality.
It protect the individual from
shock of reality.
Person unconsciously use this
mechanism and this reaction
is for sometime.
Denial is quite harmless if
practiced in moderation but
can lead to serious
difficulties in health and life
style if practiced in excess.
EXAMPLE:-
When some very near and
dear one die in the family.
Some people say no, he is
still alive.

71. Denial: failure to accept reality.
Ex. “This is not happening. It
can’t happen to me.”

72. 11. Acting Out: performing an extreme
behavior in order to express
thoughts or feelings the person
feels incapable of otherwise
expressing.
Ex. Self-injury is expression
through physical pain of
what can’t be stand
to feel emotionally.

73. Essentials of good mental health
 Feeling of security.
The feeling of security is very essential for good mental
health. The environment in the family, school and group should
be such that the individual considers fully secure
 Feeling of self respect.
The feeling of self respect is necessary for good mental
health in an individual. He should posses self confidence that
he can solve his problems with his own efforts and can take
decisions after due consideration of his problems on his own
ability
 Satisfactory social adjustment.
The individual with good social relationships, who is
respected and honored in the society. So it is extremely
necessary to establish adjustment with the society for good
mental health.

74. Life philosophy.
 The individual should posses a definite life philosophy of his
own which provide meaning and purpose to his every day
task, on the basis of which he works to solve his problems
Emotional maturity.
 It is necessary for the individual to be emotionally mature for
good mental health. He should not be controlled by
emotions, rather he should command the capability of
controlling different emotions and express them in a
desirable ways.
Adjustment with work.
 It is necessary for good mental health that the individual
takes interest in his work. The individuals does not take
interest in his work remains sad, discouraged and pessimist,
due to which his mental health suffers.
 feeling of inferiority complex and their mental health is
destroyed.

75. Harmony in Thoughts, Emotions, and Desire.
 There should be a harmony in individuals Thoughts ,
Emotions, and Desire for good mental health. Excess of
anything is bad for mental health. Therefore the life of
individual should be balanced for maintaining mental health.
Capability of self evaluation.
 The individual should be aware of his thoughts, desire,
merits, and he should posses the courage to admit his faults
and to eliminate them.

78. Measures to keep good mental health of the
children
From family
 Parents mental health should be good
 The family should have an environment of peace and
cooperation
 Affectionate and compassionate towards children
 Parents behavior towards the children should be full of love
and sympathy
 Should provide the children with suitable opportunities for
the development of their interest and abilities.
 Should help and guide the children in solving their problems.
 Family environment should be democratic. It helps to develop
the feeling of freedom and self confidence in the children

79. From the school
 Develop Student self discipline in the students.
 The curriculum should be balanced, extensive,
flexible and interesting.
 Provide limited home work only
entertainment should made in the schools.
 Arrangement of games and means of
like
 Arrangement of different programmes
acting, dances, debates, cultural programmes
 Organize individual, educational and vocational guidance by
skilled and able workers.
 Arrangement for sex education should be made for
adolescence boys and girls.
 Guardian teacher council should be established through
which school parent contact is maintained

80. From the society
 The society should provide security to the
children.
 The society should run good educational
institution
 Arrangement of means of healthy entertainment
should be provided for the children.
 Should provide means for balanced emotional
development.

81. ROLE OF NURSE IN MENTAL
HEALTH & MENTAL HYGIENE

82. Qualities of nurse in providing
mental health