What Is A Mental Health Condition?
“Health,” according to the World Health Organization, “is a state of full physical, emotional and social well being and not just the absence of illness and disease.” Numerous definitions have been utilized over time for various purposes. In the United States, health is a condition that is predicated on the physical, emotional and social conditions of an individual. It is also dependent on knowledge, which refers to information about the normal range of functioning for a person of a certain age, sex, cultural group or socioeconomic status. Health is considered essential for the proper development of society and individual’s well-being.
The three areas of health that are usually interrelated are physical health, mental health and public health. There are many interrelated aspects of good health, and some are more immediate than others. Below are examples of the kinds of things that we consider to be part of this “well-being” category.
Physical Wellness defines health in the broadest sense. This aspect considers the capacity of the body and the mind to function effectively and to be able to cope with daily challenges. It also takes into account the capacity of the brain to interpret the external environment and to regulate behavior in its path towards health. It may involve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of any kind of illness or the development of any kind of disorder that affects the body and the mind.
Mental wellness on the other hand is related to self-awareness and mental fitness. It is the ability to cope with problems and live a healthy and productive life. A healthy mind is vital to good health and it can be affected by a variety of conditions including physical illness. The concept of defining healthful diet is closely associated with this notion of mental fitness.
Wellness in general is the result of well-being. It does not refer to the result of a particular physical examination. It therefore does not exclude other aspects of good health like sleep, exercise, relaxation, social interaction, and diet. What it refers to instead is the capacity of the mind and body to function optimally for good health and well-being. Mental illnesses like depression are also included in the category of mental health, along with common mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Just as physical well-being is a state of being healthy, so too is mental health the equivalent of a healthy mind and body. There are a wide range of mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, psychosis, bipolar disorder, substance abuse, eating disorders, self-harm and suicidal tendencies. In order for us to be able to understand and appreciate the importance of mental health, it helps if we make a distinction between the concepts of good health, bad health and merely mediocre health. A good health is the equivalent of physical health and physical well-being while a bad or mediocre health is the equivalent of mental health.
