HAPPY MINDS = HAPPY COMMUNITY
What is Mental Health?
Mental health describes our psychological, emotional and social states. Someone who experiences “good” mental health, therefore, has found balance between these states. A person with balance is generally content and happy with their performance in their lives.
How do I know if I have good mental health?
The Canadian Mental Health Association identifies 5 characteristics that make up “good” mental health which include:
Flexibility
Ability to enjoy life
Resiliency
Balance
Self-Actualization
To find out your level of mental health take the Mental Health Meter on the Canadian Mental Health Association's website: http://www.cmha.ca/bins/meter_page.asp?cid=2-267-1304&lang=1
Mental Illness Includes:
Anxiety Disorders
Mood Disorders
Eating Disorders
Attention Deficit Disorders
Schizophrenia
Psychosis
Suicide
Determinants of Mental Health
Many social, biological and psychological factors determine the level of mental health a person has. Socio-economic pressures are risks to mental health for individuals in communities. Poverty, low levels of education, rapid social change, stressful work conditions, gender and racial discrimination, social exclusion, risks of violence, unhealthy lifestyle, ill-health and human rights violations are all associated with mental health.
Personality and psychological factors also make people more vulnerable to mental illness. There are also biological factors such as genetic makeup or chemical imbalances in the brain that can cause mental disorders.
Let's build a better community!
When we are mentally healthy we enjoy our environment as well as the people in it. Psychologists suggest that most people need some level of social contact in order to find balance in their lives. A life that includes social connections with others helps us to create strategies for coping and living happily.
Socio-economic pressures are weakening our community and not all people have an understanding of mental health or the relationship between the two. Let's make some changes Thunder Bay!
Strategies and Education
Community action to mental health involves creating living conditions that support mental health and allow people to maintain healthy lifestyles.
The World Health Organization has come up with ways to promote mental health that include:
-early childhood intervention
-child and youth development programs
-programs for the elderly
-housing improvement
-programs for minority groups
-violence prevention
-mental health intervention at schools and at work
-community development initiatives
Can we take these ideas and use them to promote change? What are some of your ideas to make a mentally healthy community? Feel free to post your comments on the site!
