CONCEPT OF

MENTAL HEALTH
AND WELL
BEING.
According to the US National Institute of
Health, Mental health includes our
emotional, Psychological and social
well being. It affects how we think ,
feel and act as we cope with life. It
also determine how we handle stress,
relate to others and makes choices.
The WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION’s (WHO) World Health
Report released in 2001 stated that mental health is defined
differently by different experts from different cultures.
Concepts of mental health includes the following:
1. SUBJECTIVE WELL- BEING
This may be defined as one’s personal (subjective)
thoughts and feelings about one’s overall state of being.
Mental health denotes positive and healthy interpretations of
a person’s self concept and how a person feels about himself.
A person with a healthy self concept or self identity exudes
charm and confidence , is usually sociable , productive and
can maintain healthy relationships.
1.SUBJECTIVE WELL- BEING
A negative self concept will have a negative effect on one’s
mental health and well being.
Example:
If a person perceives herself as unattractive, she will start
feeling inadequate and will compare herself with others. She will
feel jealous and anxious and might even end up having paranoid
thought that people are avoiding her or talking behind her back.
The anxiety and unhappiness this person experiences will then
affect her behavior such as having fits of anger, lost of interest
in her studies and ending up alone and miserable. This types of
thinking , feelings and behavior can trigger mental disorders if
not properly addressed immediately.
2. PERCEIVED SELF- EFFICACY
Self efficacy is one’s perception of one’s value and worth,
effectiveness and ability in performing a task or activity. Mental
health and well being is also anchored n one’s self worth and value
or self esteem. Low self esteem produces thoughts that say one is
not worthy of being loved or not adequate enough to be somebody’s
friend. This thoughts then produces emotions such as anger or
hopelessness. , pushing the person to a certain risky behaviors like
drug or alcohol addiction, sexual promiscuity and mental disorder.
On the other hand a person with healthy self-concept will move
toward self fulfillment and self actualization, have healthy
relationships and live happier and fulfilling lives.
3. AUTONOMY
Deals with one’s capacity to separate one’s identity from their
significant persons like parents, lovers and special friends. It is the
capacity to self direction and having clearly defined role identity.
Expectations are clarified and adjusted according to the role an
individual takes and this can result in better appreciation of the
individual in terms of relationships at work, play or with the family.
Lack of autonomy can lead to co dependence either emotionally,
physically, socially, spiritually or even financially. This can also lead
to relational conflicts as some people stay away from overly
dependent or “clingy, needy “ individuals.
4. COMPETENCE
Related to self esteem and self identity. It is the perception of
one’s capacity to effectively perform a function or activity using
specific skills and knowledge and achieving the desired result at a
given time. Responsibility is the major factor for competence. An
individual who is competent will always assume full responsibility for
the actions and results of his behavior, Because competent individual
produces trust with those he/she deals with. The ability to accept
changes is part of it. A competent person will adapt to the changes
that can happen while he is in the thick of things, understand why
such changes happen, and will adjust his actions and attitudes
according to the new demands that those changes bring.
5. INTERGENERATIONAL INDEPENDENCE
Refers to the relationships between individuals who belong to
generations but may be living separately as independent, autonomies
persons during specific period of time.
Example:
The relationship between parents and their grown up children. When
the children have all grown up, are pursuing their own dreams and
are forming their own “nest” their parents who may already be retired
by then are usually left at home. However with the healthy
relationships between the family members, older parents will often be
visited by their children (grandchildren ) during weekends or during
special occasions to celebrate and be in touch.
5. INTERGENERATIONAL INDEPENDENCE
Cultural differences will have different variations of how the
members of society practice intergenerational independence. In the
USA , sending old parents to retirement homes is still practiced.
However there is also a trend today of children providing care to their
ageing parents while maintaining their own independence.
Today’s technology has helped intergenerational independence thrive
a it closes the gap of time and space so that even physically
separated family members can still be in touch easily.
Another example of mental health and well being model is the
developed in 1991 by Witmer and Sweeny referred to as the
five life tasks.
1. Essence of spirituality
2. work and leisure
3. friendship
4. love
5. self direction
Related to these five tasks are twelve sub-tasks as major
components of wellness or well being that comprise the Wheel
of Wellness espoused by Myers, Witmer and Sweetney in 2000.
1. Sense of worth 9. self care
2. sense of control 10. stress management
3. realistic beliefs 11. gender identity
4. emotional awareness and coping 12. cultural identity
5. problem solving
6. sense of humor
7. nutrition
8. physical exercise
COMMON PROBLEMS
AMONG
ADOLESCENTS
1. PROBLEM WITH ATTENTION/ FOCUSING
example:
Aside from your studies , you will have other activities ( like sport,
music/band outreach weekend time with friends and family, past time
job etc, ) . How would you handle them all?
Inability to focus may be temporary. It may be due to certain life
events or situations. However , if it becomes chronic that it already
affects your normal functioning for quite a long time ( you get
repeatedly reprimanded for annoying behavior like “fooling around”
instead of listening to a class or you have restlessness and you do
not get to finish your work) it is then best that you consult people who
can help you.
2. ANXIETY
Anxiety disorder class of disorder marked by extreme worry and
apprehension. (panic, post traumatic, stress .It is normal to be
anxious . We worry, we feel nervous and this emotion is often
accompanied by a racing heart or trembling hands. It usually
happens when we are anticipating something we are fearful of or
when faced with difficult situations. It is serious when it already
affects your normal functioning , like when you start to experience
sleeplessness, feel scared for no reason or restlessness. Moreover ,
if it is baseless and occurs in disturbing regularity that you have
stopped doing your normal activities, it is already time to consult a
professional like a counselor or psychological to addressed it.
2. DEPRESSION
All of us experience feeling depressed once in a while . It is
normal especially when we faced with a lot of problems , difficulties or
frustrations. It becomes a cause of concern if the duration lasts a
number of weeks and may have already impaired you from doing
your normal activities. You probably miss classes, or experience low
or no energy to do your usual routine.
3. EATING PROBLEMS
Adolescents can be very conscious of their body, but if they
become overly conscious, then there is a problem. Becoming overly
conscious about one’s weight is usually caused by unhealthy body
image and over concern for one’s physical looks. If it reaches a point
of extreme obsession to lose weight, them it may result in some
psychological disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia.
ANOREXIA NERVOSA a psychological disorder where in the
person keeps his/ her weight as low as possible because of faulty
thinking that he is fat and would want to be thin as possible.
BULIMIA It is characterized by a cycle of bingeing or overeating
then purging what has been eaten by vomiting to avoid gaining
weight. It is a serious disorder wherein the person feels that he/she
has lost control of eating and there is also distorted image of oneself.
4. SUBSTANCE ABUSE
WHO defines substance abuse as harmful or hazardous use of
psychoactive substances, including alcohol and illicit drugs. Many
factors account for the use of illicit drugs. One major reason is social
influence, whether in the form of peer pressure or conformity. You
see friends and other people doing it and you think it is just fine and
part of growing up . Other reasons why some adolescents engage
with it include attraction to popular media (advertising alcohol),
boredom, rebellion , need to gain confidence to overcome shyness or
fear and escape from problems.
The use of drugs and alcohol has serious consequences to your
physical health, well being, as well as academic and professional life.
Effects includes:
 organ damage > financial loss
 cancer > arrest and imprisonment.
 mood swings
 depression
 memory loss
 Paranoia
 academic failure
 job loss
 relationship with family and friends become strained
How can you prevent substance abuse?
 Keep good company. Choose friends carefully.
Make sure their influence is positive.
 Deal with peer pressure
 Face problems
 Engage in healthy activities
 Seek help
 5 STEPS TO
IMPROVE MENTAL
HEALTH AND WELL
BEING
1. CONNECT
 connect with the people around you.
2. BE ACTIVE
 Physical activity generates a positive sense of wellness . Engage
in some sports or activity. Take a walk if you do not have enough time
for sports. It is important to find an activity you can enjoy and
integrate in your daily life.
3. KEEP LEARNING
 Learning new skills or obtaining new knowledge can give you a
sense of achievement and new confidence. ( cooking program,
baking, acting or writing workshop, etc. )
4. GIVE TO OTHERS
 A smile or warm and sincere greeting or thank you can
brighten up the day for both the giver and receiver.
Volunteering during disasters or helping out in your in your
communities is also good in developing your mental health.
5. TAKE NOTICE
 B aware of what happening around you, your own thoughts and
feelings and the physical sensation that you experienced. This
awareness is also referred to as “mindfulness” and being mindful can
positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach
challenges.