mental health and mental hygiene

3.  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.”
 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.  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.

5.  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:

6.  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.
 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.

7.  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

8.  Mental Illness
 An illness with psychological or behavioral
manifestation and/or impairment in
functioning, due to social, psychological,
genetic, physical or biological
disturbances.” (American Psychiatric
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

9.  Mental Hygiene
 Developing, maintaining and promoting necessary
behavioral, emotional and social skills to sustain good,
effective and efficient mental health.
 Mentalhygiene is
The branch of psychiatry that deals with the science and prac
tice of
maintaining and restoring mental health, and of preventing m
ental disorder
through education, early treatment, and public health measur
es.
 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.

10.  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 sometime
called"preventive psychiatry". It is concerned with the
detection and correction of serious but curative
behavioural maladjustments.

11.  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.

12. Life philosophy.
 The individual should posses a definite lie 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.

13.  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. The individuals lacking
in this capability, come to possess the

14.  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

15.  From the school
 Develop Student self discipline in the students.
 The curriculum should be balanced, extensive,
flexible and interesting.
 Provide limited home work only
 Arrangement of games and means of
entertainment should made in the schools.
 Arrangement of different programmes like
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

16.  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.