Is there a blueprint to health?

If mental illness is a departure from good mental health, then presumably we need to know what good mental health looks like. The World Health Organization de nes mental health as “a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.”

“I believe a mentally healthy person is generally satis ed with self and life, has a productive sense of purpose [work] and has a ful lling network of family and friends. Mental health can be hard to de ne because the grass is always greener on the other side. Individuals may think others are in better shape than they are,” said Dr. Mary Jo Fitz- Gerald, professor of clinic psychiatry at LSU Health Sciences Center. “The converse is equally true. An individual may minimize mental health problems as they occur, feel that they are a bad person because of the illness, think they can handle it on their own or that others will look down on them because of the illness. There is still a stigma to mental health problems, but hopefully it is decreasing.”

The Canadian Mental Health Association describes mental health as striking a balance in all aspects of life: social, physical, spiritual, economic and mental. To help strike that balance, it suggests people work on the following aspects of their daily lives:

• Building healthy self-esteem – accepting your abilities and weaknesses together, accepting them and doing your best with what you have,

• Seeing to your health – a balanced diet, exercise and rest can help you to reduce stress and enjoy life,

• Creating and nurturing positive, healthy relationships with family and friends,

• Being able to receive as well as give support, which together create strong healthy bonds,

• Making friends who count – people who will help share life’s challenges as well as joys,

• Figuring out one’s priorities – decide what is truly important to you and try to live a life congruent with those priorities rather than at odds with them,

• Becoming involved in things that really matter to you and provide a great feeling of purpose and satisfaction; volunteering,

• Creating a meaningful budget – nancial problems cause stress,

• Managing stress – everyone has stress, but learning how to deal with it when it threatens to overwhelm will help maintain mental health,

• Coping with changes that affect you,

• Sharing humor – “Laughter is the best medicine” and makes life’s dif culties easier to bear,

• Finding strength in numbers – sharing a problem with others who have had similar experiences may help nd solutions and avoid isolation,

• Identifying and dealing with moods – seek safe and constructive ways to express feelings of anger, sadness, joy and fear,

• Enjoying hobbies – do something that you like to do just because you want to do it. They also keep your mind active, and

• Learning to be at peace with yourself – getting to know who you are, what makes you happy, what you are really passionate about and spending quality time with yourself.

“There is no easy answer to the question of the primary cause of mental health problems. Genetic predisposition plays a role, stress, faulty thinking or cognitive distortions, drug and/or alcohol use and physical illness. Lack or perceived lack of social support also can contribute,” Fitz-Gerald. “People should look for signs of serious mental illness in themselves and others, such as suicidal or homicidal ideation, trouble eating, sleeping or concentrating, mood swings and hearing or seeing what others don’t hear or see.

“I’d like to emphasize that mental illnesses are as real as any physical illness. Mental illness can lead to disability, impaired work, impaired family and social relationships and even death. An individual with mental illness has not done anything wrong any more than an individual with cancer has done something wrong,” she said. “If you or your loved one is having changes (too much or too little) with sleep, appetite or energy, see a physician or a psychiatrist. If you or your loved one is having mood swings, problems with memory or concentration, seeing or hearing what others deny as happening, see a physician or psychiatrist. If you or your loved one is feeling that you’d be better off dead or having thoughts of hurting yourself or someone else, run, don’t walk to the nearest ER. Mental illnesses are real and can be effectively treated.”

– Michael Stone