Mental Health

Mental health is how we think, feel and act as we cope with life. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others and make choices. Like physical health, mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.

Everyone feels worried, anxious, sad or stressed sometimes. But with a mental illness, these feelings do not go away and are severe enough to interfere with your daily life. It can make it hard to meet and keep friends, hold a job or enjoy your life.

Mental illnesses are common – they affect about one in five families in the U.S. It is not your fault if you have one. These disorders – depression, phobias, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and many others - are real diseases that you cannot will or wish away. Fortunately, they are often treatable. Medicines and therapy can improve the life of most people with mental illnesses.

Mental Health on Wikipedia

'''Mental health''', '''mental hygiene''' and '''mental wellness''' are all terms used to describe the absence of mental illness. By this definition, mental status has two possibilities: either health '''or''' illness. Mental health is more than the absence of mental illness. Mental Health includes [http://mentalhealth.about.com/cs/stressmanagement/a/whatismental.htm the ability to enjoy life, resilience, balance, flexibility and self-actualization.] Some experts consider mental health as a continuum. Thus an individual's mental health may have many different possible values. Using this model, it has been suggested that mental wellness can be a positive attribute, such that a person can become more "mentally healthy", even if they do not have any diagnosable mental illness. This definition of mental health includes emotional well being, having the capacity to live a full and creative life and also the flexibility to deal with its problems. Many therapies and self-help books claim to be able to increase the mental wellness of otherwise healthy people. Dr. William Glasser, M.D. and psychiatrist, a recognized authority in therapy and counseling, wrote his first book, ''Mental Health or Mental Illness'' (1961), referred to in that book as ''Mental Hygiene.'' In using that term he was following the dictionary definition of hygiene which is the establishment and maintenance of health, ie. mental health. Currently, many mental health professionals, focus more on medications than on mental health. Mental Health as a concept completely separate from mental illness plays no part in what most mental health professionals actually do, relying almost completely on the ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'' (DSM-IV) using the medical model to diagnose and treat what they call mental illnesses and disorders. For an informed discussion of this topic, Dr. Glasser has published ''Treating Mental Health as a Public Health Problem -- A New Leadership ...   [ Read More ]

External Resources

Origami and Mental Health Therapy - This page is about the use of origami as a choice of therapeutic tool relating to mental health. Origami links to benefits, history and pictures also included.

BBC News: Beatle's Attacker "Was Failed" - Health managers apologize to George Harrison over failures in the care of the mentally ill man who attacked him.

Planet, Marcus - Official site of the American progressive "mental" solo artist; music downloads, pictures, commentary, lyrics, mental health art links, a mental illness quiz and quotations.

Movie-Shrink.com - Psychiatrist offers technical advice for screenwriters, directors and producers, regarding psychiatric treatment, patients and general mental health issues, to contribute to the accuracy of the content and depictions.

Reynolds, Kyle - Portraits and figure studies by this Canadian artist as shown at the CMHA Niagara Mental Health Week Art Show.

National Association for Poetry Therapy - Members of this organization represent a wide range of expertise and training in both mental and physical health disciplines. Advocates use of poetry and other forms of literature to achieve therapeutic goals and personal goals.

Metapsychology - Thoughtful and informed book reviews on mental health, psychology, ethics, and philosophy. Updated every month.

Short Stories from my life in Mental Health and from my personal life - A site containing short stories based upon the writers experiences in psychiatry, and in his personal life.

Phileas' Sanity Protection Society - Members are dedicated to preserving Phileas Fogg's mental health.

History of South Carolina DMH - Illustrated history of South Carolina State Hospital and the State Department of Mental Health.