Mental Health 101 Fact Sheet
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), “mental health is 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.”
The CDC estimates that only about 17% of U.S adults are considered to be in a state of optimal mental health.
There is emerging evidence that positive mental health is associated with improved health outcomes.
Researchers suggest that there are indicators of mental health, representing three domains. These include the following:
Emotional well-being, such as perceived life satisfaction, happiness, cheerfulness, peacefulness.
Psychological well-being, such as self-acceptance, personal growth, including openness to new experiences, optimism, hopefulness, purpose in life, control of one’s environment, spirituality, self-direction, and positive relationships.
Social well-being, such as social acceptance, beliefs in the potential of people and society as a whole, personal self-worth and usefulness to society, sense of community.
Mental health is part of our overall, general health, the same as dental health or heart health.
Brain function includes brain chemistry – hormones, neurotransmitters and other chemicals that regulate various aspects of the brain, body, behavior and psyche.
The CDC defines mental illness as “collectively all diagnosable mental disorders” or “health conditions that are characterized by alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior (or some combination thereof) associated with distress and/or impaired functioning.”
According to the CDC, depression is the most common type of mental illness, affecting more than 26% of the U.S. adult population. It has been estimated that by the year 2020, depression will be the second leading cause of disability throughout the world, trailing only ischemic heart disease.
The CDC also reports that evidence has shown that mental disorders, especially depressive disorders, are strongly related to the occurrence, successful treatment, and cause of many chronic diseases, including diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma, obesity and many risk behaviors for chronic disease; such as, physical inactivity, smoking, excessive drinking, and insufficient sleep.
Based on this information, one may protect or enhance his or her mental health by attending to physical health. A nutritious diet, plenty of exercise, adequate sleep, sunshine and social connections are all believed to influence mental health.
(Adapted from Mental Health Basics, CDC)
Resources:
Mental Health Resources Online (BetterHelp)
(Photo by Emily Underworld on Unsplash)