Mental Health
Dr. James Chaplin, in his Dictionary of Psychology, defined mental health as “a state of good adjustment with a subjective state of well-being, zest for living, and the feeling that one is exercising his talents and abilities”. Furthermore, psychology attempts to establish the link between the mind and the body.
Take my Advice
One of the popular concepts in mental health is the conviction for “mind over matter”. Similar to the psychological concept of self-fulfilling prophecy, this proposition asserts that you can actually make something happen by simply imagining, thinking and believing that it will happen. This proposition further emphasized the importance of positive thinking or optimism, and led to the popularity of activities that will greatly induce optimism such as laughter, confession, counselling, prayer, yoga, meditation, biofeedback, and subliminal self-help tapes. Social support and open communication or expressions of feelings and sentiments have also been further given importance.
According to Robert Onstein and David Sobel, “the brain minds the body”, indicating that the most important function of the central organ of our nervous system is neither intelligence nor cognition but to maintain and help improve our health and well-being. The issue on placebo effects has always been a very controversial yet interesting topic for psychologists, doctors, health professionals, and others. Placebo effect is a psychological concept that states that any intervention can become a routine if implemented in regular circles. This term is coined after a placebo drug, or a fake drug that actually contains sugar designed to improve a patient’s medical condition just by indicating that the drug or the pill can actually treat him or her. Because of this finding, most, if not all, doctors believe that faith is actually the most effective treatment.
Workshop at World Mental Health Day
Another important issue on mental health is the effects of stress. According to some psychologists, several medical conditions are psychosomatic, brought about by unconscious conflicts. These psychosomatic medical conditions are asthma, headaches, and migraine. Nowadays, stress has been one of the leading causes of several diseases, of which some are even serious illnesses. In his book entitled Psychology, Saul Kassin defines stress as “an aversive state of arousal triggered by the perception that an event threatens our ability to cope effectively”. Some of the leading causes of stress are catastrophes, significant life events, relationship conflicts, overlapping obligations and life roles, and even micro problems such as traffic, noisy neighbours, argument with an officemate or a lost file. However, our coping with stress also varies accordingly with the type of personality and social environment we have. People may cope with stress through suppressing their thoughts, relaxing or engaging into other activities or exercises.
To maintain positive well-adjusted mental health, self-esteem becomes increasingly important. Positive thoughts and emotions are a big help. A very supportive and accepting social environment also comes handy. Stress may come, but we can always choose to deal with them in a healthy manner.
Recommended Sites:
Site Name: CMHC.com
URL/Domain Name: http://cmhc.com/selfhelp.htm
This site provides a list of mental health services and self-help groups. This directory, like a “yellow pages” links the viewers to support groups for problems like drug abuse, obesity and depression.
Site Name: Internet Mental Health
URL/Domain Name: http://www.mentalhealth.com/
This site provides an overview of the most common mental disorders and their corresponding diagnosis and treatments. Articles and news stories on breakthroughs and recent finding are also featured in this site.
Site Name: Mental Health.net
URL/Domain Name: http://www.mentalhelp.net/
Filled with helpful articles and studies, this site is a must for health professionals. Interested individuals can also share and exchange their ideas and questions through the site’s forum and community.