Mental Health Promotion
As mental health is an integral part of health, mental health promotion is also an integral part of overall health promotion. WHO defines health promotion as ‘‘the process of enabling people to increase control over their health and its determinants, and thereby improve their health’’. It is also defined by O’Donnell as ‘‘the science and art of helping people change their lifestyle to move toward a state of optimal health,’’ which includes physical, emotional, social spiritual, and intellectual health. Again, WHO defined Mental health promotion as “the creation of living conditions and environments that support mental health and allow people to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles”. It is widely recognized that promoting mental health and addressing mental ill health can be endeavored at different levels, taking into consideration individual, family, community and social determinants of mental health, and strengthening protective factors while reducing risk factors. In many ways, promotion of mental health also overlaps with prevention, yet they are also distinct, in that the emphasis in mental health promotion is on positive mental health and prevention emphasize on the causes of disease. Prevention of illnesses focuses on the causes of risk factors to avoid illness, whereas promotion focuses on health. Health promotion is linked to health and its promotion, associated with interventions and offers a public health practitioner the means by which health can be improved by behavioral changes that require effort from the patient and/or engaging in community based intervention. The ideals of health promotion are based on ‘what causes good health?’ and ‘what factors or determinants are linked to health and which of these are modifiable?’, and ‘how are they modifiable?’. This salutogenic approach focuses on factors that support human health and well-being, rather than on factors that cause disease as well as the perspective is broader as compared to the traditional preventive and curative approach.
In many ways, promotion of mental health also overlaps with prevention, yet they are also distinct, in that the emphasis in mental health promotion is on positive mental health and prevention emphasize on the causes of disease. Prevention of illnesses focuses on the causes of risk factors to avoid illness, whereas promotion focuses on health. Health promotion is linked to health and its promotion, associated with interventions and offers a public health practitioner the means by which health can be improved by behavioral changes that require effort from the patient and/or engaging in community based intervention. The ideals of health promotion are based on ‘what causes good health?’ and ‘what factors or determinants are linked to health and which of these are modifiable?’, and ‘how are they modifiable?’. This salutogenic approach focuses on factors that support human health and well-being, rather than on factors that cause disease as well as the perspective is broader as compared to the traditional preventive and curative approach.
Public Mental Health
The field of public mental health approaches mental health targets at the population level focuses on enabling and achieving positive mental health. Consequently, public mental health is not just about the occurrence and prevention of mental disorders in the population, but also includes the promotion of mental health and wellbeing encompassing the experience, occurrence, distribution of positive mental health and mental health problems and their determinants. This multidisciplinary area of practice aims to enhance well-being and quality of life for individuals, communities and society in general. Promoting mental health is an integral part of public health and public health must focus not only on preventing and treating mental illness but also on promoting mental health by addressing the emotional, social, and psychological well-being of the population.
Mental Health Promotion Interventions
Interventions might be categorized into universal interventions focusing the whole population; selected interventions focusing the subgroups with significant risks; and indicated intervention focusing high-risk individuals; according to the range of target population, available resources and intervening limitations.
Challenges of mental health promotion:
Low sensitivity of in policy making, Low literacy of people on mental health, Low intro-sectoral coordination and inter-sectoral cooperation, Inadequate Mental health programs, Poor quality and in consistency in taking care of chronic diseases, Poor structure, system process, and resources of mental health system.
Challenges for Psychiatrists
The greatest importance for mental health care is not only alleviate and reduce mental illness, but also to work actively to promote the mental health of patients. The three kinds of interventions of promotion, prevention, and treatment are interrelated and complementary; however, they are somewhat different from one another and psychiatrists also need to be competent in prevention of mental illnesses and mental health promotion in various settings. In addition to the treatment of mental illnesses, mental health promotion and prevention of illnesses have become principal challenges for psychiatrists with increased interest of mental health and mental illness.
The field of mental health promotion has acquired world-wide recognition and new initiatives are being undertaken and new research is emerging globally. It’s the time to concentrate appropriately on the issue to improve the mental health as well as to reduce the personal, social and global burden of mental illness.
Author Bio: S M Yasir Arafat
MBBS, MBA, MPH, & MD Resident, Department of Psychiatry, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University.
Adjunct Faculty at MPH Program, ASA University Bangladesh.
Researcher & Editorial Board Member, E-mail: arafatdmc62@gmail.com .
