ATTRIBUTES OF MENTAL HEALTH

The majority of people, including mental health professionals, consider a person to be mentally healthy as long as there is an absence of psychopathology, but there is more to mental health than this assumption. Not all people are alike. People differ in term of their values, attributes, emotional reactions and intelligence. As long as these differences do not affect the person's ability to live happily, make harmonious personal and social relationships and work efficiently, the person is considered healthy and normal. There cannot be just a single definition of mental health that fits all. However, there are some traits that mentally healthy people share and these contribute to a happy life.

Thinking
            A mentally healthy person exhibits the ability to think clearly and realistically. He is creative and positive. He can reason logically, use good judgement and reach insightful conclusions. The person also shows good problem-solving capacity.

Behaviour
              The person has good control over his behavior and takes responsibility for his actions. His behavior and actions reflects an accurate appraisal of reality. He also engages in constructive activities.

Interpersonal Relationships
                                       A mentally healthy person has the ability to form and sustain close, loving and adaptive relationships. He is not too demanding and has the ability to feel emphatically for others. The person is able to work amicably with others. He can also manage interpersonal conflicts constructively.

Self-esteem
                 The person is able to negotiate each developmental stage successfully and maintain a healthy self-esteem. There is a realistic sense of self-worth. The person is able to attain and maintain a self-defined spirituality. During the times of stress and conflict, doubts do not erode this self-esteem, rather it helps to deal with the stress.

Emotions 
            A healthy person is happy most of the time and has the ability to enjoy life. He does not carry undue fear, guilt and anxiety and has the ability to love and to be loved. He can also deal with conflicting emotions without much stress.
   
         Mental health and illness can be conceptualized as a continuum with ideal mental health on one end and severe mental illnesses on the other end with shades of both in between.

Posted in: Mental Health Nursing