Mental Health and Hygiene

MEANING OF MENTAL HEALTH

Generally a person who likes himself may be regarded as mentally healthy. Conversely strong dislikes of one’s self is a typical symptom of maladjustment. A mentally healthy individual feels that he is an accepted member of a social group and they in turn liked by him. But the maladjusted person may react in totally different way.

The concept of mental health is as old as human beings. Our ancient scriptures are full of references to mental diseases. But this concept is comparatively new even in the West. Burmham who emphasizes the importance of integration or wholeness of personality said “a mentally healthy person is one who has a balanced personality, free from schism and inconsistencies, emotional and nervous tension, discords and conflicts. a well adjusted person can deal with his potentialities as well as he can accept his limitations.”

Different authors emphasize different characteristics of a mentally healthy person. These can be studied under following heads.
(A) Indian Views (B) Western Views

Indian View:Indian concept of mental health is available in the Atharva Veda which provides detailed information on mental disorder and their treatment. According to Artha Veda mental personality consists of three gunas or characteristics: Sattya, Rajas and Tamas. The inbalance of these gunas causes mental disorder. These gunas are in the mind since birth, but they keep certain equilibrium in a normal person. So normal mental health means living in Rajas and Tamas to a certain degree.

The Charak Samhita and Susrut have also given the concept of mental health, but they do not differ significantly from the Atharva Veda’s concept of mental health. These concepts of mental health are used in Aiurveda.

Western Concept: Though the concept of mental health is comparatively new yet different authors have given different views regarding sound mental health. Harry Stack Sullivaa says that a mentally healthy individual would place a major value on efficient social functioning.

Freudians lay emphasis on an awareness of one’s unconsciousness motivations and subsequent self control, based on the awareness.
Jahoda (1963), proposes six criteria of the mentally healthy individual. These are-

The ability to love adequacy in interpersonal relationship, efficiency in meeting situation requirements; efficiency in problem solving. 

Mental health is, thus, a condition of psychological maturity. It is a condition of personal and social functioning with a maximum of effectiveness and satisfaction. A mentally healthy person is responsible, self reliant and has a true sense of individuality. He has a realistic life goal as well as philosophy of life and values. He can differentiate between the right and the wrong.

According to Jacky Roy, a mentally healthy person possesses a good physical health. He can keep a good social relation too. He has insight into his action.
On the basis of the above discussion we can make the following observations.

	Concept of mental health is subjective
	Mental health is depending on sound physical health.
	Measurement of mental health is difficult as we don’t have any standard.
	Mental health depends on many factors.
	Criteria of mental health may be different from country to country.
	Mental health is synonymous to balance personality.
	Mental health is a dynamic concept
	Mental health is also related with stress and strain of life. Let us see what are the factors which affect mental health. Mental health plays a crucial role in the development of the personality but there are many factors which help in developing positive or negative development of mental health. Mental ill health is caused by different factors which have been described by different authors in different ways. Here we are presenting some of the models which explain the causes of mental ill health. These are –   Socio Cultural Model Medical Model Psycho Analytical Model Behaviouristic Model Interpersonal Model Socio Cultural Model emphasizes the role of social condition, such as poverty discrimination, casteism, violence etc. as the basic causes of poor mental health. Medical Model emphasizes the role of various organic conditions that affect our brain functioning. Psycho Analytical model emphasizes the stress situations that involve a threat to the individual’s psyche. It gives importance to early childhood experiences as a major factor for mental ill health. Behaviouristic model gives importance to faulty learning such as the failure to learn necessary adaptive behaviour. The interpersonal model emphasizes the unsatisfactory interpersonal relationship among human beings. Besides these models, different authors have given some more causes to understand the factors responsible for ill mental health. These are:    Primary Predisposing Precipitating Reinforcing The primary cause is the condition without which the mental ill health would have not occurred. A predisposing cause is a condition that comes before and paves the way for later maladjustment For example: if a child is very much rejected in his early childhood, he may develop some mental disorder. A precipitating cause is a condition that proves too much to bear for the individual and triggers maladaptive behavior. For example, the sudden death of one’s father may cause mental disorder for that reason. A reinforcing cause is a condition that tends to maintain the maladaptive behavior already present such as playing a ‘sick role’ and relieved from unwanted responsibility say for family. Let us now mention the factors responsible for mental ill-health. They can be listed as shown below: A. Hereditary Genetic defects Chromosomal defects. Faulty genes Constitutional liabilities- physique, physical handicap etc. Physical deprivation- Malnutrition, sleep disturbances emotional disruption, Brain pathology. B. Psychological Mental deprivation Institutionalization Deprivation in Home Defective family pattern structure etc. Early psychic Trauma Severe stress. C. Socio Cultural Factors D. War and Violence E. Group Prejudices F. Economic and Employment Problems G. Modernization and Globalization CONCEPT OF MENTAL HYGIENE Mental hygiene is a Science which deals with the process of attaining mental health and preserving mental health in the society. The term mental health is closely related with the term mental hygiene as the main objective of mental hygiene is to attain mental health. In other words, mental hygiene is a means of mental health. That is why we can say that mental hygiene is the means and mental health is the end. Definition: There are many definitions of the term mental hygiene. Some of the definitions are mentioned below: According to Klien, “Mental hygine is an endeavour to aid people to ward off trouble as well as to furnish ways of handling trouble in intelligent fashion when it cannot be warded off.” To him, these troubles may be : Illness Finances Social Position Religion Sex Economic Security Old age Inadequate shelter etc. According to Rivillin, mental hygiene – Means the application of a body of hygiene information and technique. It is taken from the sciences of Psychology, Child psychology, Education, Sociology, Psychiatry, Medicine and Biology. It cares for the purpose of the preservation and improvement of mental health of the individual and community. It is meant for prevention and cure of minor and major mental diseases and defects of mental, educational and social maladjustment. The History of mental hygiene is old as our civilization. In India, Ayurveda successfully developed a full fledged system for treating the mentally ill people long back. But in the West the mental hygiene movement started in the first decade of the 20th century. Clifford Beers, a graduate of Yale University can be regarded as the father of mental hygiene. He being frustrated with his life once attempted to commit suicide in the year 1908. But luckily he was saved and treated for his mental illness. After recovery he wrote a book entitled “A Mind That Found Itself”-where he described about his illness and the type of treatment he had received. This book created a revolution among the general public for the necessity of mental hygiene. Gradually many Institute of Mental Hygiene were established in India as well as in many other parts of the World to train personnel in the field of mental hygiene. Mental Hygiene is a science. The main objective of mental hygiene is to build up one’s ego rather than tearing down another’s ego. It tries to develop the power of tolerance and praise and discourages the habit of blaming others. Hence, we can say that the approach of mental hygiene is positive rather than negative. The main objectives of the mental hygiene can be summarized as shown below- To help to realizes one’s potentiality: Every individual possess certain potentialities. Mental hygiene tries to help each individual to develop his/her potentialities. To develop self-respect and respect for others: Loss of self-respect is one of the factors for the great majorities of emotional disorders. A person who likes himself can like others and one who dislikes himself cannot like anybody. Hence, the main aim of mental hygiene is to help one to respect oneself. To understand one’s limitations and tolerate the limitations of others: Mental hygiene helps one to understand his own limitations as well as to tolerate others’ limitations. To cause harmonious development : Mental hygiene aims at the harmonious development of the physical mental and spiritual capacities of the individual so that he can adjust himself in the environment. To create happiness: Another objective of mental hygiene is to develop a positive attitude towards life so as to create a sense of happiness in a person who can live happily in this world. To enable one to make effective adjustment: Mental hygiene also prepares an individual for effective adjustment in all sphere of life and all situations such as in school, home, society work and also with self. To enable one to know his or her self : Many of us do not know our own self. We are not at all aware about our potentialities, weaknesses, limitations etc. for which many individuals suffer from different types of confusion. Mental Hygiene helps an individual to know himself.