What Is Mental Health?

Stress Management

A dictionary defines mental health as our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It impacts how people think, feel, act, how to handle stress, and make healthy choices. Mental health is an integral part of health and you can't have good health without mental health.

Mental health is more than the absence of mental disorders. Although the terms (mental health and mental illness) are often used interchangeably they're not the same. A person can experience poor mental health and not have any diagnosed mental illness.

What causes mental illness?

Many factors contribute to mental health problems such as biological factors (genes or brain chemistry), Life experiences (trauma or abuse), or Family history of mental health problems. For example, various types of violence and socio-economic pressures are common risks to mental health. Deterioration in mental health is also associated with fast-paced social change, stressful workplaces, alcohol, loneliness, isolation, discrimination, unhealthy lifestyle, ill-health, and human rights violations. Also, a person's mental health can change over time depending on various factors. When life's demands placed on a person exceed their resources or coping abilities, their mental health will be impacted. For example, people working long hours in toxic workplaces, health problems of relatives, economic hardship, etc., will lead to rapid mental health issues.

Warning Signs of Mental Health

The following feelings and behaviors are early warning signs that you or someone is living with mental health problems.