Mental Health

March 6,2012

In last weeks blog on Mental Health, a scenario was described where the issue of.... no, make that the actual words of "mental illness" were spoken  as if they were synonymous with words like "plague" or "leprosy"
It would be interesting to see if the terms "mental health" or "mind wellness", which ever you prefer, produced the same effect on the hypothetical "listener"!!!
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Mental or emotional health refers to your overall psychological well-being. It includes the way you feel about yourself, the quality of your relationships, and your ability to manage your feelings and deal with difficulties.

Being emotionally and mentally healthy doesn’t mean never going through bad times or experiencing emotional problems. We all go through disappointments, loss, and change. And while these are normal parts of life, they can still cause sadness, anxiety, and stress.
 
The difference is that people with good emotional health have an ability to bounce back from adversity, trauma, and stress. This ability is called resilience. People who are emotionally and mentally healthy have the tools for coping with difficult situations and maintaining a positive outlook. They remain focused, flexible, and creative in bad times as well as good.
One of the key factors in resilience is the ability to balance stress and your emotions. The capacity to recognize your emotions and express them appropriately helps you avoid getting stuck in depression, anxiety, or other negative mood states. Another key factor is having a strong support network. Having trusted people you can turn to for encouragement and support will boost your resilience in tough times.
Now, perhaps we can't change how others think, but we can TRY to change how WE think and who knows  where it will go from there???


Information for this site was obtained from HELPGUIDE.org.  A TRUSTED NON-PROFIT RESOURCE

Disclaimer

The material provided on this site is designed for information and educational purposes only. The materials are not intended to be a self diagnostic and/or self treatment tool. I encourage you to use this information as a tool for discussing your condition with your health practitioner. 



February 28,2012

The last eight years of my working career as a Registered Nurse have been spent on the Mental Health unit. It is also known as the Psychiatric Unit . During that time I have learned some remarkable things and met some amazing people. The one thing, however, that seems to stand out more than anything else  is the incredibly poor PR that this area has compared to the other units at our  regional trauma center.Think about it for a moment.  We have all been standing in line ups and overheard various and sundry conversations, while waiting to proceed to the check-out.  I've heard discussions about "gall bladder surgery", "double pneumonia" .... this of course is a "one-up" from your run of the mill pneumonia.... the ever present "flu" that has horror stories that vary as much as the individuals  telling them.  And then, of course we have the ultimate "triple bypass surgery", that  the tellers sister's  neighbor's best friend had. Now of course, these diseases and surgical procedures are very real and have long time consequences and I am not for one moment disputing the severity of any of them.
Now, really put your thinking cap on for a moment.  When was the last time you overheard a conversation about someone's loved one, or neighbor, etc, that was suffering from Depression,  Anxiety,  Bipolar Disorder, or any of the multitude of other Mental Health issues?? Perhaps if you are one of the few who has heard such things, I am willing to wager the voices were very subdued and the speaker was glancing furtively about to try and ensure that no one else could hear..
Very sad, isn't it??
I will end this week's post with a  definition and a hope that at least I have  piqued your interest.
 

The World Health Organization defines mental health as "a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community".^[3] There are different types of mental health problems, some of which are common, such as depression and anxiety disorders, and some not so common, such as schizophrenia and Bipolar disorder.^[5]

Disclaimer

The material provided on this site is designed for information and educational purposes only. The materials are not intended to be a self diagnostic and/or self treatment tool. I encourage you to use this information as a tool for discussing your condition with your health practitioner.