Dept. of Home Science, S.V. University, Tirupathi
Online published on 1 February, 2014.
Mental health refers to a person's cognitive, and/or emotional well being. It is all about how one thinks feels and behaves. Mental health can affect daily life, relationships and even physical health. According to Medlexicons Medical Dictionary (2010), “Mental health is emotional, behavioral and social maturity or normality; the absence of a mental or behavioral disorder; a state of psychological well-being in which one has achieved a satisfactory integration of one's instinctual drives acceptable to both oneself and one's social milieu; an appropriate balance of love, work, and leisure pursuits”. Mental health refers to a person's cognitive, and/or emotional well being. It is all about how one thinks feels and behaves. Mental health can affect daily life relationships and even physical health. Psychological interventions to treat mental health issues have developed remarkably in the past few decades and techniques like psychotherapy are used to treat mental health problem. Despite advances, mental health professionals are likely to reduce the prevalence, incidence and burden of mental illness mainly due to stigma. Hence, the Government and voluntary organization should promote strategies to eliminate stigma towards Mental illness and visiting mental health professionals. When compared to mental health services in western countries very limited services are provided in Indian context. Policy makers should consider these aspects while allotting budget to these services.
