What is Mental Health?

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), mental health “includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being, and it affects how we think, feel, act, make choices, and relate to others”. They go on to say that “self-care can play a role in maintaining your mental health and help support your treatment and recovery if you have a mental illness.” More on this idea of self-care later.

Another prominent resource in the mental health field is the American Psychological Association (APA). They report that mental health is a “state of mind characterized by emotional well-being, good behavioral adjustment, relative freedom from anxiety and disabling symptoms, and a capacity to establish constructive relationships and cope with the ordinary demands and stresses of life.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that mental health is a “state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. It is an integral component of health and well-being that underpins our individual and collective abilities to make decisions, build relationships and shape the world we live in.” They continue on to say that “mental health is a basic human right; it is crucial to personal, community and socio-economic development and it is more than the absence of mental disorders. It exists on a complex continuum, which is experienced differently from one person to the next, with varying degrees of difficulty and distress and potentially very different social and clinical outcomes.”

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) “mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act, and helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. It is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.”

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that mental health “includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being, affects how we think, feel, and act, and it helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices.” 

It appears that mental health is highly predicted by our ability to manage daily life, particularly noticing that stress is a “normal” part of life. Mental health disorders are primarily defined by symptoms one is experiencing and their impact on one’s social, academic, and occupational functioning, meaning there must be indication of “clinically significant distress and impairment” and is often time limited, meaning “symptoms must be present for the last 6 or 12 months” depending on the diagnosis. 

Disorders happen when someone meets all the criteria for the disorder, indicating a decrease in their mental health. Notice that these definitions did not mention the “complete absence of stress,” but more importantly “an ability to adapt and respond well to the demands of daily living, on the individual and community level.” It is also important to note that medical conditions are ruled out as a potential impact on one’s mental functioning. A mental health professional is trained to use their clinical judgment through the assessment process to collaborate with the client to determine these things. 

So, what is good mental health, really? It seems that it could be defined as something that happens when we experience “well-being” and “quality of life” in multiple domains of functioning like our “social, emotional and psychological”, which basically means “in relationships with others, in relationship with our emotions, and in relationship to our thinking and how these impact our behaviors and choices.” 

This is a thinking model that came from a man named Albert Ellis, who pioneered the development of a type of psychotherapy called Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) which “helps individuals learn to navigate challenging situations, better control their emotions, and embrace change to promote improved mental health and a better quality of life.” 

The terms “well-being” and “quality of life” feel vague and abstract to me as I consider them. So I set out to define these terms further, finding a perspective from NIMH. They say “quality of life is a concept which aims to capture the well-being, whether of a population or individual, regarding both positive and negative elements within the entirety of their existence at a specific point in time and how much a person can enjoy the valued possibilities of their lives.” 

So is mental health just “a quality life” or is it the process of determining and defining our perspective of existence and how it matches our expectations? Can therapy help with this? Can therapy help improve our mental health? Do medications? What helps if you don’t have good mental health? Can you improve your mental health or can it be changed? How often do you need to manage your mental health, like your physical health or social health? Are they separate? Do they impact each other? 

Well, I don’t know. However, I have come to believe, through my experience as person with mental health and as a person in the position of a therapist, I believe we are a “whole” person that has many facets of our life that impact each other and it seems helpful to have some kind of process that assists in exploring how those facets are going to address or assist areas that may need my attention to support your overall “well-being” and “quality of life.” 

And I think having someone to come alongside you as you explore your own mental health seems to be helpful from my observations. If you think you may be struggling with your mental health, consider reaching out to one of us at Life Encounter!