Mental Health: Definition According To Psychology

Mental health: definition according to psychology

Nowadays and thanks to advances in medical research, the concept of health has been redefined: it is no longer only a physical construct but terms such as social health and mental health are now included. Mental health is that which refers to our psychological well-being and the emotional stability that we possess.

Defining mental health is very important to be able to correctly treat psychological disorders, mental illnesses and to be able to maintain a correct state of health in general. For that same reason, in this PsychologyFor article, we want to make an approach to the mental health and its definition according to psychology.

Characteristics of mental health

First of all, it is important to know the main characteristics of this concept and how it has evolved throughout history:

  • From the classic era In philosophy there have been various theorists who have treated the relationship between the body and non-material things (the soul, the mind, the essence…) in various ways within their ideas.
  • Centuries later, Descartes He defined the dualism between mind and body, thus forming the bases of psychological study.
  • However, it would not be until the beginning of the 19th century that an important German anatomist named Ernst Heinrich Weber stated that our senses influence the way we perceive the world and that this perception formed our personality and emotions.
  • Finally, the famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud He set the tone for psychology by proposing a mental and verbal therapy to alleviate and treat the various problems that the psyche and the subconscious had and that did not seem to have a physical origin.

The characteristics of mental health therefore lie in its nature. introspective, personal and emotional. This concept ends up becoming (almost) completely independent of physical health, although today the close relationship between both disciplines has been discovered.

Mental health: definition according to psychology - Characteristics of mental health

Definition of mental health according to psychology

As we have observed, there are several points of view that can define mental health, however, we are going to use two large and important axes: American Psychological Association (APA) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

  • According to APA, Mental health is conceived as the way in which our thoughts, feelings and behaviors affect our lives. Good mental health leads us to have a positive image of ourselves and, at the same time, fosters satisfying relationships with friends and others.
  • On the other hand, the WHO defines mental health as a welfare state in which the person is enabled to face the various challenges that life proposes, thus being an individual who works productively and makes contributions to his or her community.

Mental and emotional health: examples

As we have seen in these definitions of mental health according to psychology, a person with good mental health will be one who:

  • Be able to lead a stable life and control your emotional ups and downs in a correct way
  • Contribute positively to your community whether through studies, working, taking care of your loved ones…
  • can overcome an obstacle in their life in a satisfactory way, developing correct coping strategies
  • keep up healthy relationships with others and be able to communicate your needs in a clear and assertive way

We can see that mental health is a very important aspect that we sometimes neglect because it is more complicated to observe than physical health. However, it is essential to pay attention to the warning signs that can warn us of a possible emotional downturn, otherwise we may develop a mental illness or mental disorder.

Mental health: definition according to psychology - Mental and emotional health: examples

What is mental illness?

Now that we know mental health and its definition according to psychology, we should ask ourselves one thing:What is mental illness ?

Today, there is a wide debate that questions the use of that term; some experts prefer to address this issue by talking about neurodivergences (differences in mental structures). Be that as it may, there is no doubt that there are people who are not capable of developing proper mental health.

Following again the regulations of the APA and its diagnostic manual (the DSM-V(1)) we will refer to the mental disorder in the following way:

“A mental disorder It is a syndrome or a remarkably destabilizing behavioral or psychological pattern, which appears related to pain or discomfort, a disability or a high risk of dying or suffering pain, developing a disability or losing freedom. Furthermore, such a syndrome or pattern cannot be a culturally accepted response to a particular isolated phenomenon (such as the death of a loved one).”

Mental illness: examples

Psychosis, schizophrenia, eating disorders, anxiety, depression and different personality disorders are some examples of mental illness that psychology deals with. The objective of this discipline is, ultimately, to be able to achieve a correct state of mental health for those people who come for consultation.

Mental health: definition according to psychology - What is a mental illness?

The importance of mental and emotional health

Today, the lack of mental health is a problem that seriously affects the population. Suicide has become one of the main causes of violent death throughout the world and problems such as anxiety or depression have been related to various physical diseases especially heart disease.

The importance of mental health lies in the close relationship with our well-being and survival. Living happily and stable increases our life expectancy and allows us to be people capable of facing the challenges that life proposes to us.

Mental health and psychology

In order to promote mental health, there are promotion programs that invite people to develop skills to prevent future mental illnesses. These programs recommend us:

  • Promote positive attitudes
  • Improve communication with others
  • Establish an exercise and healthy lifestyle routine
  • Learn relaxation techniques

We can also find other types of strategies aimed at treat disorders from different psychotherapeutic and psychiatric focuses to recover that state of mental health already mentioned.

This article is merely informative, at PsychologyFor we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Mental health: definition according to psychology we recommend that you enter our Clinical Psychology category.

References
  1. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5. Pan-American Medical Editorial, 2014

Bibliography

  • Weber, E.H., Fechner, G.T., von Helmholtz, H., Spencer, H., & Galton, F. (2017). 12 Nineteenth-Century Bases of Psychology. History and Systems of Psychology182.

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