Mental health

Mental health can simply be defined as a state in which the individual is relatively free from symptoms of emotional illness. This definition can be further expanded to mean that the individual is mentally healthy and enjoys a fairly cordial relationship with relatives and other persons within the community.

Characteristics of a mentally healthy individual

A mentally healthy individual has the following attributes:

• He/she keeps relationship with others.
• He/she is emotionally stable
• He/she works pleasantly and productively
• He/she is healthy in character
• He/she is able to withstand stress.
• He/she is able to provide for certain needs such as hunger, thirst, sexual desire without hurting others or oneself.
• He/she must have good appetite for food.
• He/she must normally sleep well.
• He or she must not always be anxious
• He/she must lead a normal life as well as fulfil normal social responsibilities, e.g. being gainfully employed, support his/her family.

Mental health refers to the capacity of an individual, a group and the environment to interact with one another in ways to promote the feelings of well-being. This entails the optimal development and use of mental abilities i.e. thinking, reasoning, understanding, feeling and behaviour required for normal level of functioning.

Factors that influences positive mental health

According to Brooks and Brooks (1979), everyone desires vibrant mental and emotional health that will contribute to achievement, attract personality and happiness. One required being able to live comfortably with oneself and others to understand and accept one’s own feelings, to make mature and appropriate (not childish) emotional responses to situations, to be creative, to deal with anxiety and stresses, to endure frustrations, to gain satisfaction from constructive achievement and to use leisure time profitably.

Factors that will influence positive mental health will include:

1. Security: From early childhood to old age, the individual needs a feeling of reasonable social and financial security. A feeling of insecurity leads to anxiety, timidity, over-dependence and inefficiency.
2. Independence: Human beings enjoy proper use of independent action. One would be unhappy when denied the right to choose one’s occupation, one’s mate and political party.
3. Achievement and recognition: We are cheered by worthwhile achievements, whether our sense of personal worth is strengthened by our personal knowledge that we have done well or whether our success is recognised by others. The desire for achievement is a major force in promoting human progress and mental health.
4. Companionship (acceptance by others, belonging, being needed): We enjoy the companionship of our family and our close friends and look forward to re-union with them. Being a wanted and needed member of an athletic, musical or social group at college is a happy experience. It is important to build friendship with people we respect and admire.
5. Love and affection: Mental health is impossible for the individual who cannot give and receive affection. The little child needs to feel parental love. Without it the road towards later maladjustment is set. It is important to express affection within the family; we gain happiness through developing the kind of love that is based on consideration, kindness, tenderness, tolerance and sympathy.
6. Self-acceptance: Persons may become emotionally disturbed if they do not accept themselves as worthy and able, if unloved and uncared for as children, if unaccepted by those nearest to them individuals may find it difficult to accept themselves.
7. Variety of experiences: Monotony is deadly. Even the best-liked subject can be pursued for so many continuous hours to become distasteful.
8. Guidance: People are helped towards desirable and satisfying behaviour through appropriate guidance. Emotionally mature parents contribute to desirable, emotional and behavioural pattern in their children by setting sound standards and values.
9. Time for contemplation: We all need to set aside occasional time for contemplation and planning for sorting aside ideas for becoming the master of our schedules instead of allowing the pressure of the moment to make us slaves.
10. Faith: Faith is the power or principle greater than ourselves that met an emotional needs of humans throughout the ages. A belief in God, in the law of the universe or the progress of humanity has given meaning to life and set satisfying goals towards which the individual could move day by day.
11. Building up emotional stability: Man is constantly faced with situations which may arouse strong emotion which need to be withheld from direct expression of what he feels and also the need not to bottle up such emotions within him. Such a situation may lead to very serious mental health problems. The advocated solution is to seek for a diversion for such emotions into activities which provides a satisfactory outlet. Solutions to such emotional build up include participating in vigorous physical activities, unburdening yourself to a trusted friend. Just telling a friend about your problem relieves the pent up emotion even id a friend is unable to do more than be a sympathetic listener. When you talk about your troubles some of the emotional tension which are previously stored up within you will be released along your words.
12. Learning to face reality: Problems abound everyday of our lives. When we are confronted with a problem, we should face it squarely and plan intelligent ways of solving it and then attempt possible solutions without undue fear of failure.
13. Accepting your physical limitations: I appraising health generally, the mental, emotional and physical dimension of an individual is the relevant factors for such an evaluation. Mental, emotional and physical reactions are therefore so closely integrated that it is difficult if not impossible to determine which has greater influence on the way an individual feels, behaves and acts. It is not the physical condition but our reaction to it that affects our mental health. Mental health is affected by the way a person allows his handicap to affect him. Similarly, the reactions of individuals to handicapping conditions also affect the mental health of physically disabled. Both the physically disabled and other normal person should be aware of limitations imposed by physical conditions and while the normal individuals should make allowances for these conditions, the physically disabled should not resign himself to fate but work hard to make the best of his assets.
14. Developing wholesome attitude:

An important step in developing a wholesome attitude is to learn to enjoy a variety of activities. You cannot spend  all your time on your books. The sport man cannot spend all his evening on the sport field, “the social butterfly” cannot think of partying all the time. Men should not place all their concentration on their work; women should not lavish all their interest on their children for mental health, a variety of interests and activities is most essential.

A variety of interest include such thing as cultural activities, physical, recreation, reading, social gathering, but more importantly, there should be a real interest in one’s fellow men, the community in which one lives and the world at large. Real happiness comes when it is promoted and shared with other people. Problem should be analysed with an open mind. Study how others have solved similar problems, make a tentative plan on how to solve your problem, try out the plan and carefully check the results. Be aware of the possibility of failure at this first subsequent time so as not to be over disappointed or discouraged when the first attempt does not lead to success, be prepared to repeat the process over and over again until a different approach brings desired results or there is a proof beyond doubt that the plan is not tenable. With this method, we can replace our worries with constructive actions and have a good chance of success at last.

15. Setting suitable goals

The process of goal setting is a part of everyday life. It is ideal to set goals that are consistent with ones capacity. If not so, the share struggle attain them may lead to loss of time or to a very serious mental problem. It is therefore important to appraise your capacity intelligently without making a false start that could lead to long lasting tension and emotional strain. For this purpose tests have been devised to measure people’s interest and abilities. They are great assistance in sitting appropriate goals.

16. Improving skill in human interactions

 In both work and play, the ability to get long with other people is a great assets and an important face or in the maintenance of goods mental health. It is most important to establish closer friendship with another person because this offers special mental values. There is real security in close friendship, which the membership of a group can bring. The security comes from understanding and truth and the relief from anxiety that can come only from having a faithful friends with whom one can share intimate problems and difficulties. However, in order to sustain your friendship or remain a good member of the group, a skill in human relations comes from being willing to give as much as you receive. You must be willing to accepts the respect confidences as well as to discuss your own problem, to listen sympathetically as well as unburdened yourself dined to forgive the fragilities of you friends as you expect your own short comings to be understood. Such attitude according to rice and Hein 1954 have a reciprocal affects for it: will contribute much to mental health of both individual and that of his friends

17      Improving self image

The keys to better emotional healthy life are in improving self-image. Every one carries with him or her mental blue print or picture of himself or herself. It may be vague or ill defined or unconsciously recognisable but it is never the less there. According to Udoh and Ajala (1988) we act like the type of person we consciously seem to be. A person who conceives seen to be a victim of injustice or one who was meant to suffer will inevitably find circumstances to justify his opinion. Because of this seeming objective proof, it very seldom occurs that a person that his troubles lies in his self image or his own evaluation of himself, self-image can changes. Change the self image and you change the personality and the behaviours. It can be changes by thinking positively and follow it up with positive action

Positives mental health habit

1. Freedom from drugs: Such drugs include the depressants (e.g. sedatives hypnotics, opiates and narcotics), the stimulant caffeine amphetamines, cocaine, the psychotics and hallucinogens (LSD), cannabis, tranquillizers and other psychoactive agents. Psychologically, daily- use can lead to decreased freedom and autonomy, decreased concentration and self control and loos of personal goals
2. Freedom from alcohol consumption: Alcohol is thought to produce confusion and hallucination under certain condition even in moderate doses. Udoh and Ajala (1988) said prolonged health use might bring on temporary or permanent psychotic condition.
3. Avoidance of over work: One should cultivate the habit on not working of not over working oneself. Excessive fatigue and lack of rest and sleep can lead to mental breakdown.
4. Genetic counselling: According to Lucas and Gills (1990) there are some clear examples of mental handicaps resulting from genetic factor e.g. downs syndrome, which is determined by a demonstrable chromosomal abnormality. It is common in children born to woman over 35years of age.
5. Stable family relationship: This is ideal for ensuring positive mental health the family in its ideal from form is miniature democratic society. It provides the setting the stimulation emotional supports and the guidance that enable the number to cope successfully and there for maintain mental health.
6. Adequate rest and sleep: After the day’s work, one needs to rest if it is just for two hours. It does not necessarily mean that one should force himself to sleep but one need to relax on bed and takes his mind off the day’s burden. At night, one should sleep for 6-8 hours.
7. Holidays: One needs to have some months or days off duty. This can also be annual leaves for government workers, even a private individual needs some days off his business place
8. Recreational activities: Visit to recreational centres during weekends or evening either alone or with the family to keep the body and mind in good mental state.
9. Adequate nutrition: Good nutrition food, especially food rich in the B group vitamins and proteins are essential for the brain and nerves development and repairs.