"Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community" [WHO (2023). URL: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response].
I am a family doctor and I work in the public health system in Catalonia. In my environment, I often encounter the paradox that the concept of "mental health" has been generalized in reference to clinical care for psychiatric (or emotional) disorders, but the system and procedures remain focused on "mental illness"
Mental health may be a complex matter, but it does not exclude that a simple rules of thumb may help to clarify matters.
For instance, Freud related mental health to being capable of working and loving.
Another example that I want to higlight here is Czapinski’s concept of “Will-to-live” operationalized as a positive attitude towards life and absence of suicide thoughts. Czapinsli found this a better criterion to differentiate between mental patients and presumed healthy people than particular established diagnostic instruments.
A research article is added in which Czapinski’s will-to-live is shown to be associated with absence of “unrealistic pessimism”, which means: with optimism (even unrealistic optimism when it can without harm) and with realism rather than pessimism (wen facing misfortune).
I am researching the topic of mental health promotion in the pharmaceutical industry. Once I asked myself: where do Ukrainians go after the nightly and daily bombings? And the idea came that Ukrainians are the last to go to first-line doctors, our people mostly engage in self-medication or first turn to pharmacies. The conducted survey of pharmacists confirmed my guesses. Therefore, the issue of promoting mental health through the pharmaceutical industry in the European Union is of interest. Is it regulated by any documents? Do pharmacy workers provide psychosocial support? In addition to dispensing potent psychotropic drugs and antidepressants; over-the-counter medicines prescribed in the GPP standards.
I think physical health is more easily understood. Mental health may relate to illness that can be explained by physical brain changes, e.g. those in Alzheimer's dementia or it also seems to be used fairly generally; as Dr António José Rodrigues Rebelo
wrote 'a person's emotional, psychological and social well-being'.
I think, mental health is a kind of state at which you have to balance your day to day life including your personal as well as professional life. For balancing your mental health, you may be interact with people, just talk and share your thoughts or stories, do some exercise, listen some music, do some work for humanity etc.
Dear doctor
Mental health is safe when one judges himself/herself upon all deeds he/she does and continue do the righteous works and dismiss the ugly ones.
Ill mind is when there is confusion and not able to discriminate between good and bad.
Dear doctor
"What are the types of mental illness?
There are many different types of mental illness. Some of the main groups of mental health disorders are:
- mood disorders (such as depression or bipolar disorder)
- anxiety disorders
- personality disorders
- psychotic disorders (such as schizophrenia)
- eating disorders
- trauma-related disorders (such as post-traumatic stress disorder)
- substance abuse disorders
Here are some signs of mental illness to look out for:
- unusual or illogical thoughts
- unreasonable anger or irritability
- poor concentration and memory, not being able to follow a conversation
- hearing voices that no one else can hear
- increased or decreased sleep
- increased or low appetite, or preoccupation with control over food, calories or excessive exercise
- lack of motivation
- withdrawing from people
- drug use
- feelings that life is not worth living or suicidal thoughts
- becoming obsessed with a topic, like death or religion
- not looking after personal hygiene or other responsibilities
- not doing as well as usual at school or work"
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